South Sanique M, Crabtree Keith, Averitt Dayna L, Vijayagopal Parakat, Juma Shanil
Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA.
Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Texas Woman's University, Denton, TX 76204, USA.
Nutrients. 2025 Jun 27;17(13):2134. doi: 10.3390/nu17132134.
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that affects people worldwide. It is characterized by joint pain, synovial inflammation, and the degradation of articular cartilage with subchondral bone. Presently, there is no known cure, and pharmacological treatment options are limited. Blueberries contain phytochemicals, which have been linked to positive health benefits and may offer therapeutic benefits. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the dose-dependent effects of whole blueberries on arthritis symptoms in a monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)-induced rat model of osteoarthritis.
Forty female rats were used for this study. Thirty were injected with MIA to induce joint degradation associated with osteoarthritis. Ten served as controls without MIA induction. The MIA-induced rats were randomized into three groups. All groups were fed a casein-based diet, with two of the MIA-induced groups receiving an addition of whole-blueberry powder at 5% and 10%. Fasted blood specimens and tissues of interest were collected post-euthanasia for analysis. Mechanical allodynia and joint widths were assessed throughout this study.
MIA induction resulted in changes in pain behaviors and the development of mechanical allodynia. The MIA injection produced inflammation, pain symptoms, and behaviors that are representative of those observed in humans with osteoarthritis. The incorporation of whole blueberries into diets reduced pain behaviors and inflammation.
Overall, whole blueberries showed limited, non-dose-dependent effects in the MIA-induced rat model of osteoarthritis. While some outcomes improved in blueberry-treated groups, the overall results were not consistently significant. These preliminary findings suggest potential biological activity and support the further investigation of blueberries' therapeutic efficacy.
背景/目的：骨关节炎是一种影响全球人群的退行性关节疾病。其特征为关节疼痛、滑膜炎症以及伴有软骨下骨的关节软骨退化。目前，尚无已知的治愈方法，药物治疗选择也有限。蓝莓含有植物化学物质，这些物质与积极的健康益处相关联，可能具有治疗作用。因此，本研究的目的是在碘乙酸钠（MIA）诱导的骨关节炎大鼠模型中，研究全蓝莓对关节炎症状的剂量依赖性影响。
本研究使用了40只雌性大鼠。其中30只注射MIA以诱导与骨关节炎相关的关节退化。10只作为未接受MIA诱导的对照组。将MIA诱导的大鼠随机分为三组。所有组均喂食基于酪蛋白的饮食，其中两组MIA诱导的大鼠分别额外添加5%和10%的全蓝莓粉。安乐死后收集空腹血标本和感兴趣的组织进行分析。在整个研究过程中评估机械性异常性疼痛和关节宽度。
MIA诱导导致疼痛行为改变和机械性异常性疼痛的发展。MIA注射产生了炎症、疼痛症状以及在人类骨关节炎患者中观察到的典型行为。在饮食中添加全蓝莓可减轻疼痛行为和炎症。
总体而言，在MIA诱导的骨关节炎大鼠模型中，全蓝莓显示出有限的、非剂量依赖性的影响。虽然蓝莓治疗组的一些结果有所改善，但总体结果并不始终显著。这些初步发现表明了潜在的生物活性，并支持对蓝莓治疗效果的进一步研究。
