Mina Wang,1,* Yidan Dai,1,* Xiaobo Ge,1,* Libin Zheng,1,2 Miaoxin Zhai,3 Wenshan Li,1,2 Guannan Liu,1 Xiaoyu Cheng,1 Jiangyan Wei,1 Xin Yang,1 Lu Liu,1 Huilin Liu,1 Jingqing Sun,1 Bin Li,1 Fang Yuan1 

1Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2Graduate School, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 3Yinghai Hospital in Daxing District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Fang Yuan, Email yuanfang@bjzhongyi.com Bin Li, Email libin@bjzhongyi.com

Abstract: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent chronic disease, characterized by progressive joint degeneration and primarily affects older adults. OA leads to reduced functional abilities, a lower quality of life, and an increased mortality rate. Currently, effective treatment options for OA are lacking. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are functional RNAs transcribed from DNA but not translated into proteins. Among ncRNAs, small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), transfer RNAs (tRNAs), and ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) have become significant in the field, which is intricately linked to the progression of OA and perform significant regulatory functions in transcription, post-transcription, and post-translation, making them potential biological targets for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of OA. This review summarizes the general functions of siRNAs, tRNAs, and rRNAs and their application in OA. The primary focus has been on regulating cartilage degradation. Other participations include regulating synovium, protecting anterior cruciate ligament cells, and diagnosis. No clinical trials were found as challenges such as effective delivery systems, immune responses, long-term effects, and interactions between therapies need to be demonstrated first.

Keywords: osteoarthritis, non-coding RNAs, small interfering RNAs, transfer RNAs, ribosomal RNAs