Department of Orthopaedics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Int J Hyperthermia. 2009 Dec;25(8):661-7. doi: 10.3109/02656730903107519.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most frequent musculoskeletal disorders in the elderly population. OA is characterised by a gradual loss of extracellular matrix in the articular cartilage of joints. OA can only be managed by artificial joint replacement when joint destruction becomes severe. Therefore, it is preferable to administer conservative therapy that is easy, simple and effective in inhibiting OA progression at the early stage. Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) has a protective effect on the cartilage and inhibits the apoptosis of chondrocytes. Heat stimulation by microwave to the joints can increase Hsp70 expression in chondrocytes, and at the same time, Hsp70 expression partially enhances matrix metabolism of the cartilage. These findings suggest that hyperthermia can be positively applied to the treatment of OA. Hyperthermia is therefore expected to be an inexpensive and less-invasive conservative therapy for OA.
骨关节炎（OA）是老年人中最常见的肌肉骨骼疾病之一。OA 的特征是关节软骨中细胞外基质的逐渐丧失。当关节破坏变得严重时，只能通过人工关节置换来治疗 OA。因此，在疾病早期，最好采用简单、方便且能有效抑制 OA 进展的保守治疗方法。热休克蛋白 70（Hsp70）对软骨具有保护作用，并能抑制软骨细胞的凋亡。微波对关节进行热刺激可以增加软骨细胞中的 Hsp70 表达，同时，Hsp70 的表达部分增强了软骨的基质代谢。这些发现表明，热疗可以积极应用于 OA 的治疗。因此，热疗有望成为一种廉价且微创的 OA 保守治疗方法。
