title: [Research progress of protective effects of alendronate on articular cartilage in osteoarthritis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To summarize the recent development on chondroprotective effect of alendronate (ALN) on articular cartilage in osteoarthritis (OA).
  
  
  METHODS
  The related literature was reviewed and the main achievements in vitro/vivo studies in the fields were summarized.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ALN can improve the metabolic microenvironment of the articular cartilage in OA, inhibit subchondral bone remodeling, so it has potential protective effect on articular cartilage.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ALN is expected to become a disease-modifying OA drug in future, but OA treatment still lack a uniform basic and clinical evaluation criteria, so it has guiding significance in development and application of ALN to develope a uniform standard and obtain the clinical data.
authors.affiliation: No.1 Department of Orthopaedics, Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang Jiangxi 330006, PR China.
authors.forename: Dingwen
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Yuanyi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Qiangqiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wei
mesh_terms: D019386:Alendronate / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D016118:Anterior Cruciate Ligament / Q000601:surgery; D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016723:Bone Remodeling / Q000187:drug effects; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D053509:Matrix Metalloproteinase 13 / Q000378:metabolism; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents; D016207:Cytokines; D003094:Collagen; D053509:Matrix Metalloproteinase 13; D019386:Alendronate