Researchers at Stanford Medicine in the United States have found a way to make healthy joint cartilage grow again in laboratory tests. This is important because cartilage is the soft tissue in joints that helps bones move smoothly. If this tissue is damaged, it does not heal well, which can lead to joint pain and problems like arthritis.

The scientists discovered that an enzyme called 15-PGDH becomes more active as joints get older or injured. This enzyme reduces a natural chemical that helps cartilage repair itself, which is why joints do not heal easily.

The main result is that when scientists blocked this enzyme in mice with joint damage, the animals grew new, healthy cartilage. They also saw positive effects when using this method on damaged cartilage from human knees in the laboratory.