This invention provides a method for administration of an effective amount of RANKL-binding molecules that act on prechondrocytes and/or mesenchymal stem cells, accelerate cartilage differentiation, proliferation, and maturation of such cells, enhance chondrocyte differentiation, and induce chondrocyte proliferation to induce chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation or increase cartilage matrix production and a pharmaceutical composition used for inducing chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation or increasing cartilage matrix production. The pharmaceutical composition used for treatment or prevention of a chondropathies comprises, as an active ingredient, a compound that acts on prechondrocytes and/or mesenchymal stem cells and induces at least one of the following: (a) acceleration of prechondrocyte and/or mesenchymal stem cell differentiation; (b) acceleration of prechondrocyte and/or mesenchymal stem cell proliferation; (c) acceleration of prechondrocyte and/or mesenchymal stem cell maturation; (d) enhancement of chondrocyte differentiation; (e) chondrocyte proliferation; and (f) increased production of the cartilage matrix.