Repurposing the antihistamine cyproheptadine for osteoarthritis: nothing to sneeze at
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a highly prevalent and painful joint disease in desperate need of disease-modifying therapeutics. Decline in the activity of the Forkhead box O (FOXO) family of transcriptional regulators in articular chondrocytes may contribute to the development of OA. In a study in this issue of the JCI, Kurakazu et al. screened compounds for FOXO activators and discovered that the antihistamine cyproheptadine activated FOXO3 through inhibition of the histamine H1 receptor. Cyproheptadine modulated the activity of OA-relevant pathways and reduced the severity of joint damage and pain behavior in a mouse model of OA, thus showing potential for development as a disease-modifying OA drug.
DOI: 10.1172/jci197144
Authors: Richard F. Loeser, Philip R. Coryell
Institution: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Language: English
Subfield: Rheumatology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $5,200
Funders: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, W. M. Keck Foundation, Simons Foundation, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Abbott Laboratories, Research to Prevent Blindness, Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, American Glaucoma Society, Howard University, Royal Society, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Austrian Science Fund, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Korea Meteorological Administration, Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology, National Research Foundation of Korea, Narodowe Centrum Nauki, Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştırma Kurumu, Natural Science Foundation of Hainan Province, Hyderabad Eye Research Foundation, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Foundation for Innovative Research Groups of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Research and Innovation Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, MSDAVENIR, HORIZON EUROPE Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area, H2020 Future and Emerging Technologies, HORIZON EUROPE European Research Council
OpenAlex ID: W4415854989