| Hypoxia-inducible factor 2α is an important regulator in human body and mainly present in endothelial cells. Studies in both China and overseas have shown that it plays an important role in iron metabolism, hypoxia adaptation, hypoxic pulmonary hypertension, fetal lung maturation, erythropoiesis, liver growth and other physiological aspects. It was found to be closely related to the occurrence and development of osteoarthritis, mainly through the direct or indirect regulation of various catabolic factors, resulting in the destruction of articular cartilage and cartilage matrix degradation, therefore, plays an important role in the metabolism of articular chondrocytes. With the advance of medical research, the regulation mechanism of hypoxia-inducible factor 2α in osteoarthritis has gradually become clear. In this paper, we reviewed recent studies on the regulation of upstream or downstream factors associated with hypoxia-inducible factor 2α in osteoarthritis, and these factors have been shown to promote or inhibit osteoarthritis. For example, matrix metalloproteinase-13, vascular endothelial growth factor, nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase, osteopontin, microRNA-365 and fatty acid synthase. Thus, the role of hypoxia-inducible factor 2α as a core regulator in the development of osteoarthritis is further revealed. This will provide a new way to further understand the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis and osteoarthritis treatment. |