Therefore, we observed a significant upregulation of cartilage degradation-related enzymes, specifically MMP-1 (16.17-fold increase in OA, 39.31-fold in RA), MMP-3 (20.36-fold increase in OA, 25.9-fold in RA), and MMP-13 (9.31-fold increase in OA, 16.51-fold in RA), in synovial tissues from OA and RA patients compared to those from healthy donors (Figure 2B-C and Supplementary Figure S2). Here, MMP1 is linked to rheumatoid arthritis.