School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325027, People's Republic of China.
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University，Wenzhou, 325027, People's Republic of China.
Biomed Pharmacother. 2018 Jan;97:886-894. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2017.10.068. Epub 2017 Nov 7.
Treatments for osteoarthritis (OA) seek to restore chondrocyte function and inhibit cell apoptosis. Panax quinquefolium saponin (PQS) is the major active ingredient of Radix panacis quinquefolii (American ginseng), and has been demonstrated to exert anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects in various diseases. However, any potential effect of PQS on the pathological process of OA remains unclear. This work aimed to explore the role of PQS in chondrocytes and to clarify its potential mechanisms. We showed that PQS treatment could protect chondrocytes against endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and associated apoptosis induced by interleukin (IL)-1β. Also, PQS further attenuated triglyceride (TG)-induced ER stress and associated apoptosis. Moreover, PQS may inhibit the ER stress-activated NF-κB pathway and associated inflammatory response in chondrocytes. Finally, PQS abolished rat cartilage degeneration in an in-vivo OA model of the knee joint. Our results indicate that PQS may be a potential novel treatment for OA.
治疗骨关节炎（OA）旨在恢复软骨细胞的功能并抑制细胞凋亡。 西洋参总皂苷（PQS）是西洋参（花旗参）的主要活性成分，已证明其在各种疾病中具有抗炎和抗凋亡作用。 但是，PQS 对 OA 病理过程的任何潜在影响尚不清楚。 本工作旨在探讨 PQS 在软骨细胞中的作用，并阐明其潜在机制。 我们表明，PQS 处理可以保护软骨细胞免受白细胞介素（IL）-1β诱导的内质网（ER）应激和相关凋亡。 此外，PQS 进一步减轻了甘油三酯（TG）诱导的 ER 应激和相关凋亡。 此外，PQS 可能抑制 ER 应激激活的 NF-κB 途径和软骨细胞中的相关炎症反应。 最后，PQS 消除了关节内 OA 模型中大鼠膝关节软骨的退变。 我们的研究结果表明，PQS 可能是治疗 OA 的一种有潜力的新型方法。
