Common mental health drug could be used to treat arthritis – latest findings

Lithium chloride, which is used as a mood stabiliser in the treatment of mental health problems, could be used to treat arthritis, according to new research published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Research.

Previous work has found that lithium chloride seems to block cartilage degradation but other studies suggested that lithium may affect some of the properties of cartilage so long-term exposure could negatively affect how well the cartilage functions.
So experts from the UK and New Zealand tested the effects of lithium chloride on cartilage in lab conditions and found that it slowed the degradation associated with osteoarthritis. And long-term dietary use of lithium did not cause arthritis.
“Osteoarthritis has a devastating impact on the lives of many people in the UK and it’s vital that we look for novel ways to prevent it,” explains Prof Martin Knight who is involved in the work. “While we’re still at an early stage in researching lithium’s effects on cartilage and its suitability as a treatment, the possibility that an already widely available pharmaceutical could slow its progress is a significant step forward.”
However, this study was done in the lab so the next step is long term studies involving large numbers of people with arthritis.

Click here to read the original research.

Image credit: Muffet68