OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the molecular mechanism underlying the beneficial effect of Bushen Qiangjin capsule(补肾强筋胶囊,BSQJ),a Traditional Chinese Medicine,on knee osteoarthritis(KOA).METHODS:In the present study,32 f...OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the molecular mechanism underlying the beneficial effect of Bushen Qiangjin capsule(补肾强筋胶囊,BSQJ),a Traditional Chinese Medicine,on knee osteoarthritis(KOA).METHODS:In the present study,32 female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups:control,KOA,high-dose BSQJ(H-BSQJ),and low-dose BSQJ(L-BSQJ).After successfully establishing the KOA model by intra-articular injection of papain,H-BSQJ and L-BSQJ groups were intragastrically administered 0.243 and 0.122 g/kg BSQJ,respectively,daily for 6 weeks.At the end of the experiment,knee articular cartilage tissues of rats were collected for evaluation by hematoxylin and eosin staining,Safranin O-Fast Green staining,and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated d UTP nick-end labeling assay.Serum interleukin-1βand tumor necrosis factor-αlevels of rats were detected with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method.Gene expression of Wnt-4,β-catenin,Frizzled-2,glycogen synthase kinase-3β(GSK-3β),cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinases 3 and 9(caspases 3 and 9),collagen typeⅡalpha 1(Col2 a1),and matrix metalloproteinases 1 and 13(MMP-1 and MMP-3)of rat knee articular cartilage was quantified by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis.Wnt-4,β-catenin,Frizzled-2,GSK-3β,cleaved caspase-3,and cleaved caspase-9 protein expression in rat knee articular cartilage was determined by western blot analysis.RESULTS:BSQJ obviously reduced pathological damage and matrix degradation of articular cartilage in KOA rats.Compared with the KOA group,H-BSQJ rats exhibited downregulated m RNA and protein expression of Wnt-4,β-catenin,Frizzled-2,and caspase-3,as well as upregulated m RNA and protein expression of GSK-3β.In addition,H-BSQJ significantly increased m RNA expression of Col2 a1 and decreased m RNA expression of MMP-1 and MMP-13.CONCLUSION:BSQJ exerted a beneficial effect on KOA by a mechanism involving downregulation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway,which inhibited both cartilage extracellular matrix degradation and chondrocyte apoptosis to ameliorate KOA in rats.展开更多
基金Supported by Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation,China(No.2018A030313584)Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangzhou,China(No.201804010217)Project of Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Guangdong Province,China(No.20194002,20183001,and 20164002)。
文摘OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the molecular mechanism underlying the beneficial effect of Bushen Qiangjin capsule(补肾强筋胶囊,BSQJ),a Traditional Chinese Medicine,on knee osteoarthritis(KOA).METHODS:In the present study,32 female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups:control,KOA,high-dose BSQJ(H-BSQJ),and low-dose BSQJ(L-BSQJ).After successfully establishing the KOA model by intra-articular injection of papain,H-BSQJ and L-BSQJ groups were intragastrically administered 0.243 and 0.122 g/kg BSQJ,respectively,daily for 6 weeks.At the end of the experiment,knee articular cartilage tissues of rats were collected for evaluation by hematoxylin and eosin staining,Safranin O-Fast Green staining,and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated d UTP nick-end labeling assay.Serum interleukin-1βand tumor necrosis factor-αlevels of rats were detected with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method.Gene expression of Wnt-4,β-catenin,Frizzled-2,glycogen synthase kinase-3β(GSK-3β),cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinases 3 and 9(caspases 3 and 9),collagen typeⅡalpha 1(Col2 a1),and matrix metalloproteinases 1 and 13(MMP-1 and MMP-3)of rat knee articular cartilage was quantified by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis.Wnt-4,β-catenin,Frizzled-2,GSK-3β,cleaved caspase-3,and cleaved caspase-9 protein expression in rat knee articular cartilage was determined by western blot analysis.RESULTS:BSQJ obviously reduced pathological damage and matrix degradation of articular cartilage in KOA rats.Compared with the KOA group,H-BSQJ rats exhibited downregulated m RNA and protein expression of Wnt-4,β-catenin,Frizzled-2,and caspase-3,as well as upregulated m RNA and protein expression of GSK-3β.In addition,H-BSQJ significantly increased m RNA expression of Col2 a1 and decreased m RNA expression of MMP-1 and MMP-13.CONCLUSION:BSQJ exerted a beneficial effect on KOA by a mechanism involving downregulation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway,which inhibited both cartilage extracellular matrix degradation and chondrocyte apoptosis to ameliorate KOA in rats.
