Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease which is marked by leukocytes infiltration inside synovial tissue, joints and also inside synovial fluid which causes progressive destruction of joint cartilage. There are numerous genetical and lifestyle factors, responsible for rheumatoid arthritis. One such factor can be cysteine cathepsins, which act as proteolytic enzymes. These proteolytic enzyme gets activated at acidic pH and are found in lysosomes and are also termed as cysteine proteases. These proteases belong to papain family and have their elucidated role in musculoskeletal disorders. Numerous cathepsins have their targeted role in rheumatoid arthritis. These proteases are secreted through various cell types which includes matrix metalloproteases and papain like cysteine proteases. These proteases can potentially lead to bone and cartilage destruction which causes an immune response in case of inflammatory arthritis.

类风湿性关节炎（RA）是一种慢性炎症性疾病，其特征是白细胞浸润滑膜组织、关节以及滑液内部，导致关节软骨进行性破坏。有许多遗传和生活方式因素导致类风湿性关节炎。一种这样的因素可以是半胱氨酸组织蛋白酶，它充当蛋白水解酶。这些蛋白水解酶在酸性 pH 值下被激活，存在于溶酶体中，也被称为半胱氨酸蛋白酶。这些蛋白酶属于木瓜蛋白酶家族，并在肌肉骨骼疾病中具有明确的作用。许多组织蛋白酶在类风湿性关节炎中具有它们的靶向作用。这些蛋白酶通过各种细胞类型分泌，包括基质金属蛋白酶和木瓜蛋白酶样半胱氨酸蛋白酶。