ArticleInternational journal of medical sciences2026
Target-Specific Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy Modulates TLR4/NF-κB/MMP13 Signaling Within the Joint Microenvironment to Improve Osteochondral Pathology in Patellofemoral Osteoarthritis.
Article in International journal of medical sciences, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Patellofemoral joint (PFJ) osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by cartilage degeneration, subchondral bone remodeling, fat pad fibrosis, and chronic synovial inflammation. This study investigated the therapeutic effects of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) applied to different anatomical targets in a rat PFJ OA model. Methods: PFJ OA was induced in rats and treated with ESWT targeted to either the tibial side (SWT) or femoral side (SWF). Micro-computed tomography, histological staining, and immunohistochemistry were used to assess structural changes, fibrosis, and inflammation. Molecular assessments showed the direct and indirecd effects of ESWT on the key inflammatory mediators, including IL-1β, NF-κB, RAGE, TLR4, and MyD88, and significantly reduced MMP13 expression in joint tissues. Results: ESWT significantly attenuated osteophyte formation, cystic changes, and sclerosis in the femoral and patellar bone. SWT showed superior improvement in bone volume fraction, trabecular thickness, and patellar bone integrity. Histologically, ESWT reduced cartilage degradation, fat pad fibrosis, and synovial inflammation. Molecular analyses revealed downregulation of pro-inflammatory mediators and MMP13, with SWT producing greater effects than SWF. Conclusions: ESWT effectively mitigates structural damage, inflammation, and catabolic signaling in PFJ OA. Targeting the tibial side enhances therapeutic outcomes, highlighting ESWT as a promising non-invasive treatment strategy for PFJ OA.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.