scholarly journals Effect of Moxibustion on the Intestinal Flora of Rats with Knee Osteoarthritis Induced by Monosodium Iodoacetate

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Yu Chen ◽  
Jiuheng Lv ◽  
Yejuan Jia ◽  
Ruiqing Wang ◽  
Zidi Zhang ◽  
...  

In this study, a knee osteoarthritis (KOA) rat model induced by monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) was used to study the effect of moxibustion on improving knee cartilage damage and its effect on the intestinal flora. The experimental rats were divided into the normal group (N), model group (M), moxibustion treatment group (MS), and diclofenac sodium treatment group (DS). After 4 weeks, cartilage pathological damage in the knee joint was evaluated using hematoxylin-eosin and safranin O-fast green staining analysis. ELISAs and Western blots were used to detect the expression levels of IL-1β and TNF-α in the serum and cartilage, respectively. The total DNA of the fecal samples was extracted and subjected to high-throughput sequencing of the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene to analyze the changes in the intestinal flora. In the model group, the cartilage was obviously damaged, the expression levels of IL-1β and TNF-α in the serum and cartilage were increased, and the abundance and diversity of the intestinal flora were decreased. Moxibustion treatment significantly improved the cartilage damage and reduced the concentration of inflammatory factors in the serum and cartilage. The high-throughput sequencing results showed that compared to the model group, the moxibustion treatment regulated some specific species in the intestinal microorganisms rather than the α diversity. In conclusion, our findings suggest that moxibustion treatment may work through two aspects in rats. On one hand, it directly acts on knee cartilage to promote repair, and on the other hand, it regulates the composition of the intestinal flora and reduces the production of inflammatory factors.

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 971-980
Author(s):  
Shicheng Zheng ◽  
Jing Ren ◽  
Sihai Gong ◽  
Feng Qiao ◽  
Jinlong He

AbstractC1q/TNF-related protein 9 (CTRP9), the closest paralog of adiponectin, has been reported to protect against inflammation-related diseases. However, its role in regulating osteoarthritis (OA) has not been fully elucidated. First, a rat model of OA was generated. Furthermore, rats with OA were injected with different doses of recombinant CTRP9 protein (rCTRP9), and the knee cartilage damage was evaluated. Finally, the phosphorylation of p38 and the secretion of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) were detected by Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results revealed that CTRP9 was highly expressed in adipose tissue, followed by skeletal muscle and cartilage tissue, and less expressed in liver, kidney and lung. Moreover, the expression of CTRP9 significantly decreased in the monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) group in the knee cartilage and knee synovial fluid, and the contents of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and IL-6 significantly increased in knee synovial fluid. In addition, rCTRP9 alleviated MIA-induced inflammation, oxidative stress and knee cartilage damage in a dose-dependent way. In addition, rCTRP9 could attenuate the expression of p38MAPK and p-p38 and suppress the expression of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), p65 and MMPs. Collectively, the results of the present study suggested that CTRP9 alleviates the inflammation of MIA-induced OA through deactivating p38MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways in rats.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (10) ◽  
pp. 2055-2062
Author(s):  
Xueqian Li ◽  
Chengzhi Zhao

Purpose: To determine the influence of fasudil on LPS-mediated acute kidney injury (AKI) in mice.Methods: Healthy C57 mice (n = 140) of largely similar weight were used in this study. They were assigned to a treatment group (n = 40), a model group (n = 50), and a blank control group (n = 50). Mice in treatment and model groups were injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In the treatment group, each mouse was injected intravenously with fasudil daily before the establishment of the mouse model of AKI. All mice were sacrificed 6 h after establishing the AKI model. Portions of the kidney from mice were used for preparation of tissue homogenates, while the remaining portions were subjected to primary culture. Transformed C3H Mouse Kidney-1 (TCMK1) and mesangial cells from mouse glomeruli (SV40-MES-13) cells were used for assays of cell growth and apoptosis. Blood samples were alsocollected from the mice. Thereafter, the levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Cr) in kidney homogenates of the three groups were determined. Moreover, levels of NLRP3, nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB), toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-1β in the homogenates and blood were assayed. Cell growth and apoptosis were also measured.Results: The treatment group and model group showed higher levels of BUN and Cr than the control group, with a higher level observed in model mice than in the treatment mice. There were significantly higher relative levels of NF-κB, NLRP3 and TLR4 in treatment and model groups than in controls, with a higher level observed in model mice than in treatment mice. There were significantly higher concentrations of inflammatory factors in treatment and model mice groups than in control mice, with higher levels observed in model mice than in treatment mice. The TCMK1 and SV40-MES-13 cells in the two groups showed slower cell growth and stronger apoptosis than those in control group (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Fasudil relieved LPS-mediated AKI in mice by suppressing TLR4/NF-κB signal pathway and lowering NLRP3. Thus, fasudil has potential as a new adjunctive agent for the treatment of AKI.


Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (22) ◽  
pp. 5467
Author(s):  
Hae Lim Kim ◽  
Hae Jin Lee ◽  
Dong-Ryung Lee ◽  
Bong-Keun Choi ◽  
Seung Hwan Yang

The aim of this study was to determine the anti-osteoarthritic effects of LI73014F2, which consists of Terminalia chebula fruit, Curcuma longa rhizome, and Boswellia serrata gum resin in a 2:1:2 ratio, in the monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)-induced osteoarthritis (OA) rat model. LI73014F2 was orally administered once per day for three weeks. Weight-bearing distribution and arthritis index (AI) were measured once per week to confirm the OA symptoms. Synovial membrane, proteoglycan layer, and cartilage damage were investigated by histological examination, while synovial fluid interleukin-1β level was analyzed using a commercial kit. Levels of pro-inflammatory mediators/cytokines and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in the cartilage tissues were investigated to confirm the anti-osteoarthritic effects of LI73014F2. LI73014F2 significantly inhibited the MIA-induced increase in OA symptoms, synovial fluid cytokine, cartilage damage, and expression levels of pro-inflammatory mediators/cytokines and MMPs in the articular cartilage. These results suggest that LI73014F2 exerts anti-osteoarthritic effects by regulating inflammatory cytokines and MMPs in MIA-induced OA rats.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anmin Ruan ◽  
Qingfu Wang ◽  
Yufeng Ma ◽  
Dong Zhang ◽  
Lili Yang ◽  
...  

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a chronic degenerative bone and joint disease, which is often clinically manifested as pain, joint swelling, and deformity. Its pathological manifestations are mainly synovial inflammation and cartilage degeneration. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of electro-acupuncture (EA) on model rabbits with varying degrees of KOA and to study the mechanism of EA on KOA based on the innate immune response. Mild and moderate rabbit KOA models were established using a modified Hluth method, and EA was given to both the mild and moderate model groups. The Lequesne-MG index was used to evaluate the behavioral changes in the rabbits before and after EA treatment. Morphological changes in the synovial membrane and cartilage of each group were observed by H&amp;E staining. The Mankin scoring standard and the Krenn scoring standard were used to score the pathology of the cartilage tissue and synovial tissue, respectively. The inflammatory factors and metalloproteinases were detected in the serum of each group by ELISA. The protein and messenger RNA (mRNA) expressions of important elements related to Toll-like receptors (TLRs)-mediated innate immune response in the synovial tissue were detected by Western blot and quantitative PCR (qPCR). The Lequesne-MG index score of the rabbits gradually increased with the modeling prolonged but decreased significantly after EA treatment, indicating that EA has a better effect on alleviating the pain and improving the dysfunction. The morphological analysis showed that the inflammation of and the damage to the synovial membrane and the cartilage tissue gradually deteriorated with the modeling prolonged. However, the synovial membrane inflammation was significantly relieved after EA treatment, and the cartilage injury showed signs of repair. The ELISA analysis showed that, with the modeling prolonged, the serum-related inflammatory factors and mechanism of metalloproteinases gradually increased but decreased after EA treatment. The tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and matrix metalloproteinase3 (MMP3) of EA1 group were significantly lower than those of EA2 group. Both Western blot and qPCR results showed that the protein and mRNA expressions of the elements related to the innate immune response in the synovial membrane increased gradually with the modeling prolonged, but decreased significantly after EA treatment. Additionally, the expression of some components in EA1 group was significantly lower than that in EA2 group. These results confirm that synovial inflammation gradually aggravated with time from the early to mid-stage of KOA. EA alleviated the inflammation and histological changes in KOA rabbits by inhibiting the TLRs-mediated innate synovial immune response. This suggests that using EA in the early stage of KOA may achieve a desirable efficacy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qian Zhang ◽  
Xiao Ran ◽  
Yu He ◽  
Qing Ai ◽  
Yuan Shi

Background: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a common pulmonary complication in preterm infants. Acetate is a metabolite produced by the gut microbiota, and its anti-inflammatory function is well known. The role of acetate in BPD has not been studied. Here, we investigate the effects of acetate on lung inflammation and damage in mice model of BPD.Objective: To investigate the role of acetate in the development of BPD.Methods: C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into three groups on the 3rd day after birth: room air group, hyperoxia group, and hyperoxia + acetate (250 mM, 0.02 ml/g) group. The expression of inflammatory factors was determined by ELISA and RT-PCR, and NLRP3 and caspase-1 were detected by Western blot. High-throughput sequencing was used to detect bacterial communities in the mice intestines.Results: After acetate treatment, the expression levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-18, NLRP3, and caspase-1 were significantly reduced, while the expression of GPR43 was increased. In the BPD mice treated with acetate, the proportion of Escherichia-Shigella was lower than in placebo-treated BPD mice, while the abundance of Ruminococcus was increased.Conclusions: These results indicate that acetate may regulate intestinal flora and reduce inflammatory reactions and lung injury in BPD. Therefore, acetate may be an effective drug to protect against neonatal BPD.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-94
Author(s):  
Wahyuni Wahyuni ◽  
Ricky Fauzi Zakaria

Background: Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease caused by joint cartilage damage. The main symptoms of osteoarthritis are pain and movement disorders that can affect the functional disorders. The prevalence of knee osteoarthritis in Indonesia is quite high, reaching 15.5% in men and 12.7% in women. It is estimated that 1 to 2 million older people in Indonesia suffer from disabilities due to osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis treatment is intended to reduce pain, improve functional ability, and prevent deformity. Elastic band strengthening exercises are exercises that can be used to reduce pain, increase muscle strength and functional ability.Objective: This study aims at determining the effect of elastic band strengthening exercises in improving knee osteoarthritis functional capabilities.Method: The method used in this study was quasi-experimental with pre and post-test control group design. The number of respondents of this study was 20 respondents diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis in Condong Catur Hospital Sleman. Respondents were randomly divided into two groups, namely the treatment group that received elastic band strengthening exercise treatment and the control group that received standard treatment given at the hospital. The treatment was given twice a week for four weeks. Measurement of functional ability was done using WOMAC score.Results: There was a decrease in pain level in the treatment group, while in the control group, the pain level was still the same as before. In the functional ability, there was an increase in the treatment group. The statistical test showed that there was an influence between the treatment group and the control group.Conclusion: Elastic band strengthening exercises effectively improved functional capabilities in knee osteoarthritis in Condong Catur Hospital Sleman.Keywords: elastic band strengthening exercises, functional capabilities, knee osteoarthritis


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Ling-ling Wu ◽  
Xiao-ming Pan ◽  
Hao-hao Chen ◽  
Xiao-yan Fu ◽  
Jinzhan Jiang ◽  
...  

Transplantation of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) into spinal cord injury (SCI) may alleviate neuropathic pain and promote functional recovery. The underlying mechanism likely involves activation of glial cells and regulation of inflammatory factors but requires further validation. SCI was induced in 16 ICR mice using an SCI compression model, followed by injection of lentiviral vector-mediated green fluorescent protein- (GFP-) labeled hUC-MSCs 1 week later. Behavioral tests, histological evaluation, and inflammatory factor detection were performed in the treatment (SCI+hUC-MSCs) and model (SCI) groups. Histological evaluation revealed GFP expression in the spinal cord tissue of the treatment group, implying that the injected MSCs successfully migrated to the SCI. The Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) scores showed that motor function gradually recovered over time in both groups, but recovery speed was significantly higher in the treatment group than in the model group. The pain threshold in mice decreased after SCI but gradually increased over time owing to the self-repair function of the body. The corresponding pain threshold of the treatment group was significantly higher than that of the model group, indicating the therapeutic and analgesic effects of hUC-MSCs. Expression of IL-6 and TNF-α in the spinal cord tissue of the treated group decreased, whereas glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) expression along with ED1 expression increased compared with those in the model group, suggesting that SCI activated ED1 inflammatory macrophages/microglia, which were subsequently reduced by hUC-MSC transplantation. hUC-MSCs are speculated to enhance the repair of the injured spinal cord tissue and exert an analgesic effect by reducing the secretion of inflammatory factors IL-6 and TNF-α and upregulating the expression of GDNF.


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