Osteoarthritis is a major degenerative disease that affects human health. It causes a large number of physical disabilities and medical resource expenditure. However, the specific pathogenesis for this disease has not yet been clarified, and thus, it cannot be cured. The genes encoding sterol regulatory element binding proteins (SREBPs) have been studied in recent years. They play an important role in maintaining the homeostasis of lipid metabolism. Accumulating studies have confirmed that the genes are closely related to osteoarthritis. This article introduces the SREBP genes and discuss the relationship between SREBPs and osteoarthritis, and how SREBPs act in the mechanisms of metabolic disorders and osteoarthritis through related factors to provide a foundation for relevant research.