Zhao Duo, Nong Jiean, Li Xiaofeng, Tan Jianshi, Liao Rongbo, Chen Qianfen, Qiu Minqi
Department of Spine and Osteopathy Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530007, Guangxi, China.
Department of Joint Surgery, The Second Nanning People's Hospital, Nanning, 530031, Guangxi, China.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 22;15(1):26549. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-12274-2.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common degenerative disease characterized by chondrocyte death and extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation, but the present OA treatments are only symptomatic and not aetiologic. Autophagy is a key protective mechanism for OA through the inhibition of chondrocyte apoptosis and degeneration. Perillyl alcohol (POH) is a monomer derived from Chinese herbal medicines that can regulate autophagy and has anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, cell viability, chondrocyte phenotype and the expression of molecules involved in autophagy and the PI3K-AKT-mTOR signalling pathway were detected to explore the hypothesis that POH may decrease the progression of OA by regulating autophagy. We found that POH significantly inhibited the expression of inflammatory cytokines, maintained the chondrocyte phenotype, and protected against ECM degeneration. We also provide evidence that the anti-inflammatory effect of POH works by regulating autophagy via the PI3K-AKT-mTOR signalling pathway. This study demonstrates for the first time that POH has a therapeutic effect on arthritis, which suggests that POH may be a promising candidate for OA therapy.
骨关节炎（OA）是一种常见的退行性疾病，其特征在于软骨细胞死亡和细胞外基质（ECM）降解，但目前的OA治疗仅为对症治疗而非病因治疗。自噬是通过抑制软骨细胞凋亡和退变对OA起关键保护作用的机制。紫苏醇（POH）是一种源自中药的单体，可调节自噬并具有抗炎作用。在本研究中，检测了细胞活力、软骨细胞表型以及自噬和PI3K-AKT-mTOR信号通路相关分子的表达，以探讨POH可能通过调节自噬来减缓OA进展这一假说。我们发现POH显著抑制炎性细胞因子的表达，维持软骨细胞表型，并防止ECM退变。我们还提供证据表明POH的抗炎作用是通过PI3K-AKT-mTOR信号通路调节自噬来实现的。本研究首次证明POH对关节炎具有治疗作用，这表明POH可能是OA治疗的一个有前景的候选药物。
