The impact of dietary bioactives on Osteoarthritis during menopause (360G-Wellcome-337666_Z_25_Z)

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive, low-grade inflammatory disease of synovial joints that affects > 500 million people worldwide. Incidence is climbing with ageing populations and increasing obesity, while women face almost double the risk after mid-life, comorbid with dementia, implicating menopause has a role, yet links between menopause and OA remain unclear. There are no disease-modifying therapies for OA. Existing options offer limited symptomatic relief. Conversely, plant-rich diets demonstrate chondro- protective effects, attributed to synergistic anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions of bioactive compounds and metabolites such as sulforaphane, resveratrol and curcumin. Nonetheless, most mechanistic studies use supra-physiological doses of isolated phytochemicals and rarely test efficacy in a menopausal context, hindering translation to clinical practice. This project aims to understand the combinatorial role of plant-based, diet- derived compounds/metabolites on the joint/brain health axis during menopause using in vitro and in vivo models of OA. Elucidation of mechanisms of action of plant-derived compounds is important to understand how diet influences healthy ageing.