Deficiencies of physiologic calcification inhibitors and low-grade inflammation in arterial calcification: lessons for cartilage calcification.

Apart from clinical parallels, similarities in the pathogenesis of arterial and articular cartilage calcification have come to light in recent years. These include the roles of aging, of chronic low-grade inflammation and of genetic and acquired dysregulation of inorganic pyrophosphate (PP(i)) metabolism. This review focuses on recent developments in understanding the pathogenesis of artery calcification pertinent to interpretation of the mechanistic basis for articular cartilage calcification in aging and osteoarthritis.