Piezo1 activation accelerates osteoarthritis progression and the targeted therapy effect of artemisinin

•Using genetic mouse models and a synthetic small molecule activator to demonstrate that Piezo1 activation promotes OA development and progression.•Utilizing biochemical and histological approaches to reveal that Piezo1 activation promotes Runx2 expression and chondrocyte catabolism through a PI3K-AKT dependent manner.•Demonstrated that artemisinin protects against OA lesions by inactivating Piezo1 in mice.