Escuela de Kinesiología, Facultad de Odontología y Ciencias de la Rehabilitación, Universidad San Sebastián, Santiago 8380000, Chile.
Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de La Frontera, Avenida Francisco Salazar 01145, Temuco 4811230, Chile.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Sep 19;24(18):14272. doi: 10.3390/ijms241814272.
Aging is intricately linked to chronic low-grade systemic inflammation, which plays a significant role in various age-related conditions, including osteoarthritis (OA). The aging process significantly influences the development of OA due to alterations in cartilage composition, reduced proteoglycan content, dysregulation of growth factor signaling, and heightened oxidative stress. Propolis, a natural product renowned for its potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, has the potential to mitigate age-induced changes in cartilage. The primary objective of this study was to rigorously assess the impact of in vivo propolis treatment on the histopathological characteristics of knee articular cartilage in senescent rats. This study involved a cohort of twenty male Sprague-Dawley rats, randomly allocated into four distinct groups for comparative analysis: YR (control group consisting of young rats), SR (senescent rats), SR-EEP (senescent rats treated with an ethanolic extract of propolis, EEP), and SR-V (senescent rats administered with a control vehicle). This study employed comprehensive histological and stereological analyses of knee articular cartilage. Propolis treatment exhibited a significant capacity to alleviate the severity of osteoarthritis, enhance the structural integrity of cartilage, and augment chondrocyte density. These promising findings underscore the potential of propolis as a compelling therapeutic agent to counteract age-related alterations in cartilage and, importantly, to potentially forestall the onset of osteoarthritis.
衰老是与慢性低度全身炎症密切相关的,这种炎症在各种与年龄相关的疾病中起着重要作用,包括骨关节炎(OA)。衰老过程由于软骨成分的改变、蛋白聚糖含量减少、生长因子信号的失调以及氧化应激的增加,会显著影响 OA 的发展。蜂胶是一种以其强大的抗氧化和抗炎特性而闻名的天然产物,具有减轻软骨老化的潜力。本研究的主要目的是严格评估体内蜂胶处理对衰老大鼠膝关节关节软骨的组织病理学特征的影响。这项研究涉及 20 只雄性 Sprague-Dawley 大鼠,它们被随机分配到四个不同的组进行比较分析:YR(由年轻大鼠组成的对照组)、SR(衰老大鼠)、SR-EEP(用蜂胶的乙醇提取物 EEP 处理的衰老大鼠)和 SR-V(给予对照载体的衰老大鼠)。这项研究对膝关节关节软骨进行了全面的组织学和立体学分析。蜂胶处理表现出显著的缓解骨关节炎严重程度、增强软骨结构完整性和增加软骨细胞密度的能力。这些有前途的发现强调了蜂胶作为一种有吸引力的治疗剂的潜力,以对抗与年龄相关的软骨变化,重要的是,有可能预防骨关节炎的发生。