Study highlights anti-inflammatory properties of herbal medicine Erigeron breviscapus for treating osteoarthritis

Study highlights anti-inflammatory properties of herbal medicine Erigeron breviscapus for treating osteoarthritis

In a recent study published in Nutrients, researchers examined its useErigeron breviscapus(EB) for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA).

background

Osteoarthritis, a degenerative bone disease, causes persistent discomfort, loss of function and joint damage. The global aging trend and the lack of effective medicines are driving up the demand for therapies.

The discovery of safe and effective solutions is a public health concern since existing conservative treatments cannot correct the inflammatory pathology of osteoarthritis.Erigeron breviscapusis an herbal medicine from East Asia with powerful anti-inflammatory properties that promotes disease control in multiple systems.

However, existing scientific knowledge on EB focuses mainly on cardiovascular diseases and central nervous system disorders and requires further research.

About the study

In the present study, researchers examined the therapeutic potential ofE. breviscapusin osteoarthritis, especially the anti-inflammatory modulatory effects.

Researchers examined the functional benefits, analgesic effects and suppression of EB-induced cartilage degradation in mouse animals with acetic acid-induced peripheral-type pain and rat models with monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)-induced osteoarthritis.

They also examined the anti-inflammatory properties of EB in cartilage tissue and serumin vivoSettings and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages.

The researchers extracted a powder from dried EB stems and analyzed its components using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). They performed the analysis using Sprague-Dawley rats and ICR mice.

Mice received EB extracts (EBE) at concentrations of 200 mg/kg and 600 mg/kg, ibuprofen 200 mg/kg, and water as a study control.

After 30 minutes of oral therapy, they administered 0.7% acetic acid at a concentration of 10 ml/kg intraperitoneally to observe curvilinear responses 10 minutes later.
The MIA-induced OA rat model included five groups: EB extract 300, indomethacin (INDO 3), sham and control (CON).

They anesthetized the rats with a combination of oxygen and 2.0% isofluorane and intra-articular MIA injections at a concentration of 40 mg/ml to induce osteoarthritis in the EBE, indomethacin and control groups.

They disarticulated the right knee joints and assessed them macroscopically to assess articular cartilage deterioration.

The researchers took blood from the abdominal vein to form a blood clot within thirty minutes. The separated serum was tested for the concentrations of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and IL-6. They treated RAW264.7 macrophages with 500 ng/mL LPS and EBE for 24 hours to determine cell viability and EB cytotoxicity.

They extracted ribonucleic acid (RNA) from RAW264.7 cells for quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis.

Using Western blot analysis, they determined the protein expression of interleukin-1 beta, interleukin-6, prostaglandin E receptor 2 (Ptger2), nitric oxide synthase 2 (NOS2), matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP1), MMP8, MMP13 and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH).

Results

In vitro and in vivo, EB significantly reduced functional impairment, pain, and cartilage degradation associated with osteoarthritis. There was also a dose-dependent inhibition of proinflammatory cytokine molecules such as interleukins-1β, 6, MMP-13 and NOS2 compared to controls.

HPLC analysis identified 7.5 mg/g chlorogenic acid as the primary anti-inflammatory component of EB. EBE effectively alleviated peripheral discomfort caused by acetic acid in rats, resulting in fewer writhing responses.

EBE treatment dramatically increased the exercise capacity of MIA rats, corresponding to INDO3. EBE reduced cartilage erosion caused by MIA injection and regenerated cartilage degeneration at a rate similar to INDO3.

The EBE and INDO3-treated groups dramatically reduced CON-induced cartilage degradation. EBE reduced NO levels, indicating a strong anti-inflammatory effect.

In the EBE group, there was a dose-dependent decrease in blood concentrations of interleukin-1 beta and interleukin-6 compared to the control group, with down-regulation effects on MMP-1, MMP-8, MMP-13, PTGER2, IL-1β and IL -6 and NOS2.

At 300 µg/ml, EB extract showed minimal cytotoxic effects in RAW264.7 macrophages. DEX1 and EB extract decreased the expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), IL-1β, IL-6, MMP-1,13, PTGER2 and NOS2 messenger RNA (mRNA).

EBE injection reduced the synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, NOS2, MMP-1 and MMP-13 as demonstrated by western blot imaging. EBE had the same anti-inflammatory effect as positive controls for all cytokines.

Conclusions

This is what the study foundErigeron breviscapusThe extract improves the clinical symptoms of osteoarthritis (OA), such as pain, loss of function and cartilage loss.

It has significant anti-inflammatory effects on pro-inflammatory mediators such as IL-1β, IL-6, MMP13 and NOS2, which contribute to the inflammatory pathophysiology of OA.

EBE is a potential candidate for a disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug (DMOAD), which requires further investigation to evaluate its effectiveness in altering the complicated inflammatory pathophysiology of OA.

Future research could investigate the multicomponent and multi-target efficacy of EBE, using network pharmacology and bioinformatics approaches to determine the detailed mechanism of action and critical signaling pathways.

Sources: