INTRODUCTIONrnOsteoarthritis (OA) is a highly prevalent type of degenerative joint disease that affects over 300 million people worldwide.1 Chronic pain and motion dysfunction induced by OA seriously reduced the quality of life of patients. In addition, the socioeconomic burden of OA on patients and society is considerable. Current OA manage-ment is broadly divided into nonpharmacological, pharmacologi-cal, and surgical treatments.2-4 Nonpharmacological treatments, such as exercise, weight loss, and physical therapy, are suggested as the appropriate therapy for early-stage OA patients. Pharma-cological treatments are mainly aimed at achieving pain control for better function and quality of daily life. Surgical treatment is most widely used for end-stage patients with serious functional disability. At present, there are few satisfactory strategies to improve joint homeostasis and delay OA progression.