Protective Effect of Total Flavones of Drynariae Rhizoma on IL-1β Induced Chondrocyte Injury in Vitro

OBJECTIVE To investigate the protective effect of total flavones of Drynariae Rhizoma(TFDR) on IL-1β induced chondrocyte injury and its related mechanism. METHODS The chondrocytes of SD rats were isolated and cultured. The effects of TFDR at different concentrations on chondrocytes proliferation and IL-1β induced chondrocytes proliferation were determined by CCK8 assay. The effects of TFDR on inflammatory cytokines in IL-1β induced chondrocytes were examined using ELISA kit; Hoechst 33342 staining was used to detect the effect of TFDR on IL-1β induced chondrocyte apoptosis; qRT-PCR and Western blotting were used to detect the expression of factors related to apoptosis and osteoarthritis. RESULTS Different concentrations of TFDR could promote the proliferation of chondrocytes in different degrees. Compared with control group, IL-1β induced chondrocytes were significantly reduced in activity, inflammatory factor expression was significantly increased, and apoptosis was significantly increased. After TFDR intervention, the proliferation activity were significantly increased, inflammatory factor expression was decreased, and apoptosis was inhibited. iNOS, COX-2, MMP-13, ADAMTS-5, Bax and Caspase-3 mRNA expression were significantly increased in IL-1β induced chondrocytes, while collagen II, aggrecan and Bcl-2 expression were significantly decreased. After TFDR treatment, expressions of iNOS, COX-2, MMP-13, ADAMTS-5, Bax and Caspase-3 mRNA were decreased, and collagen II and aggrecan and Bcl-2 expression were increased. CONCLUSION TFDR has a protective effect on IL-1β induced chondrocyte injury, and its mechanism is related to the regulation of inflammatory response and apoptosis.