Rat Chondrocyte Inflammation and Osteoarthritis Are Ameliorated by Madecassoside
Safwat Adel Abdo Moqbel, Yuzhe He, Langhai Xu, Chiyuan Ma, Jisheng Ran, Kai Xu, Lidong Wu
Abstract
As a joint disease, osteoarthritis (OA) is caused by the breakdown of subchondral bone and cartilage damage. Inflammatory factors, such as interleukin- (IL-) 1 β , mediate the progression of OA. Madecassoside (MA), a triterpenoid component derived from the gotu kola herb ( Centella asiatica ), exhibits various pharmacological effects, including antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. In the present study, the protective effects and possible mechanism of MA on the treatment of OA were investigated. MA was demonstrated to significantly suppress the IL-1 β -induced overexpression of matrix metalloproteinase- (MMP-) 3, MMP-13, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and to decrease the IL-1 β -induced degradation of type II collagen and sox9. Additionally, MA was able to reduce the IL-1 β -induced phosphorylation of p65 in osteoarthritic chondrocytes. Furthermore, in a rat OA model, MA prevented cartilage degeneration and reduced the OARSI score in the MA-treated group compared with the OA group. The present study showed that MA suppresses the nuclear factor- κ B signaling pathway, reducing IL-1 β -induced chondrocyte inflammation, which indicates the therapeutic potential of MA in patients with OA.