Expression characteristics of miR-502-5p/p53/NF-κB signaling pathway in patients with different degrees of knee osteoarthritis: a cross-sectional observational study with methodological limitations

Our findings reveal an association between miR-502-5p upregulation and KOA severity in synovial tissue, contrasting with its reported protective role in chondrocytes. While we observed correlations between miR-502-5p expression, p53 suppression, and NF-κB activation, causal relationships remain unestablished due to lack of functional validation. These results suggest tissue-specific expression patterns that warrant further mechanistic investigation before therapeutic implications can be determined.