Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Huaihe Hospital, Henan University, Kaifeng, People's Republic of China.
Artif Cells Nanomed Biotechnol. 2020 Dec;48(1):969-976. doi: 10.1080/21691401.2020.1776307.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic joint inflammatory disease that is closely associated with dysregulation of fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs). Protocatechuic acid (PCA), a phenolic compound of anthocyanins, has been proven to possess anti-inflammatory activity. However, the role of PCA in RA has not been investigated. In the present study, we aimed to explore the effects of PCA on the RA-FLSs. The results showed that PCA suppressed the proliferation, invasion, and migration of RA-FLSs in a dose-dependent manner. PCA treatment also inhibited the expressions of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-3 and MMP-13, as well as the secretion of inflammatory cytokines including TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 in RA-FLSs. Moreover, cell apoptosis of RA-FLSs was significantly induced by PCA treatment. PCA was found to repress the activation of NF-κB signalling, which was evidenced by the decreased expression of p-p65 and increased expression of IκBα. Furthermore, PCA significantly decreased the phosphorylation levels of Akt and mTOR in RA-FLSs. In conclusion, the results indicated that PCA exhibited an inhibitory effect on RA-FLSs via inhibiting the NF-κB and Akt/mTOR signalling pathways. These findings supported the concept that PCA might be a therapeutic agent for RA treatment.
类风湿关节炎（RA）是一种慢性关节炎症性疾病，与成纤维样滑膜细胞（FLSs）的失调密切相关。原儿茶酸（PCA）是一种类黄酮的酚类化合物，已被证明具有抗炎活性。然而，PCA 在 RA 中的作用尚未得到研究。在本研究中，我们旨在探讨 PCA 对 RA-FLSs 的影响。结果表明，PCA 呈剂量依赖性抑制 RA-FLSs 的增殖、侵袭和迁移。PCA 处理还抑制了基质金属蛋白酶（MMP）-3 和 MMP-13 的表达，以及 RA-FLSs 中炎症细胞因子 TNF-α、IL-1β 和 IL-6 的分泌。此外，PCA 处理明显诱导 RA-FLSs 的细胞凋亡。PCA 被发现抑制 NF-κB 信号通路的激活，这表现在 p-p65 的表达减少和 IκBα 的表达增加。此外，PCA 显著降低了 RA-FLSs 中 Akt 和 mTOR 的磷酸化水平。总之，这些结果表明，PCA 通过抑制 NF-κB 和 Akt/mTOR 信号通路对 RA-FLSs 发挥抑制作用。这些发现支持 PCA 可能是 RA 治疗的一种治疗剂的概念。
