• Molecules and Cells
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2008

Osteoarthritis (OA), one of the most common skeletal disorders characterized by cartilage degradation and osteophyte formation in joints, is induced by accumulated mechanical stress; however, little is known about the underlying molecular mechanism. Several experimental OA models in mice by producing instability in the knee joints have been developed to apply approaches from mouse genetics. Although proteinases like matrix metalloproteinases and aggrecanases have now been proven to be the principal initiators of OA progression, clinical trials of proteinase inhibitors have not been successful for the treatment, turning the interest of researchers to the upstream signals of proteinase induction. These signals include undegraded and fragmented matrix proteins like type II collagen or fibronection that affects chondrocytes through distinct receptors. Another signal is proinflammatory factors that are produced by chondrocytes and synovial cells; however, recent studies that used mouse OA models in knockout mice did not support that these factors have a role in the central contribution to OA development. Our mouse genetic approaches found that the induction of a transcriptional activator Runx2 in chondrocytes under mechanical stress contributes to the pathogenesis of OA through chondrocyte hypertrophy. In addition, chondrocyte apoptosis has recently been identified as being involved in OA progression. We hereby propose that these endochondral ossification signals may be important for the OA progression, suggesting that the related molecules can clinically be therapeutic targets of this disease.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.89-98
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• 2005

Objectives : This study was to investigate the effects of Clematidis Radix on Proteoglycan(PG) degradation by measuring of body weight, Glycosaminoglycan(GAG), Interleukin-$1{\beta}$($IL-1{\beta}$) in synovial fluid, and PG content of articular cartilage of femur in collagenase-induced arthritis in rats. Methods : Arthritis was induced by injection of collagenase(0.1 ml) into knee joint of rats. Arthritic rats were divided into control(n=8) and treated(n=8) group. Control group was taken normal saline for 15 days and treated group was taken extracts of Clematidis Radix for same duration. Normal group(n=8) was injected with normal saline and was taken normal saline for 15 days. Body weight was measured at 0, 10, 15 days after injection. GAG, $IL-1{\beta}$ in synovial fluid were measured with ELISA kit at 15 days after injection. PG content of articular cartilage of femur, represented by safranine O staining, was measured at 15 days after injection. Histopathological study on the articular cartilage of knee joint was investigated at 15 days after injection. Results : Body weight, PG of treated group, taken Clematidis Radix, were significantly increased, and GAG was significantly decreased compared with control group. But $IL-1{\beta}$ was not significantly decreased. Conclusions : On the basis of these results, we concluded that Clematidis Radix has inhibiting effects on the proteoglycan degradation in collagenase-induced rat osteoarthritis model.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.231-246
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• 2023

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-osteoarthritic effect of the ethanol extract of Boswellia serrata gum resin (FJH-UBS) enriched with keto-β-boswellic acid and 3-O-acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid compared to the conventional Boswellia serrata extract by adding the process of removing oil with hexane, in the monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)-induced osteoarthritis rat model. Methods: Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were orally administered 0, 40, or 80 mg of FJH-UBS/kg body weight (BW)/day for 5 weeks and injected with MIA intra-articularly into right knee joints on day 15 to induce osteoarthritis. Changes in the knee joint microarchitecture, cartilage degradation, the expression of inflammatory mediators, cytokines, and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in serum and synovia were observed. Results: Oral administration of FJH-UBS (80 mg/kg BW/day) reduced MIA-induced knee swelling and cartilage degradation and increased the expression of type II collagen and aggrecan in articular cartilage. Furthermore, FJH-UBS administration reduced MIA-induced increases in the serum levels of prostaglandin E2, leukotriene B4, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and MMP-13, and MIA-induced increases in the mRNA expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, 5-lipoxygenase, IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, MMP-2, MMP-9, and MMP-13 in the synovia of knee joints. Conclusion: These results indicate that FJH-UBS exerts its anti-osteoarthritic effects by suppressing the expressions of inflammatory cytokines and MMPs and, thus, cartilage degradation. Furthermore, they suggest that FJH-UBS has potential use as a functional food that improves joint and cartilage health.

• Journal of Korean Orthopaedic Sports Medicine
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.6-11
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• 2005

Injury of articular cartilage can be classified into acute injury and chronic degenerative osteoarthritis Acute mechanical trauma on articular cartilage causes injuries that are divided into three distinct types based on the depth of injury: microdamage, chondral fracture, osteochondral fracture and each type has different potential of healing response and long-term prognosis. Articular cartilage undergoes degradation in response to a number of stimuli and eventually degenerative osteoarthritic changes will progress. The extent of initial injury to the articular cartilage is the most important factor affecting the long-term outcome of the healing response and other variables such as the size of lesion, site, age, activity level, obesity, limb alignment are also important factors. In this review, the pathophysiology that occurs within articular cartilage after different injuries and the effect of nonsurgical treatment mainly in physicochemical aspect and biological aspect will be discussed.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.195-202
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• 2002

Osteoarthritis (OA), the most common form of arthritis, involves the destabilization of the normal balance between the degradation and the synthesis of articular cartilage and subchondral bone within a joint. As articular cartilage degrades over time, its smooth surface roughens and bone-against-bone contact ensues, producing the inflammation response symptomatic of this 'wear and tear' disease. Although a variety of genetic, developmental, metabolic, and traumatic factors may initiate the development of osteoarthritis, its symptoms (joint pain, stiffness, and curtailed function) typically evolve slowly, and patients experience periods of relative calm alternation with episodes of inflammation and pain. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an autoimmune disease of unknown etiology characterized by chronic synovitis and cartilage destruction, affect 1% of the total population. Cartilage is a specialized connective tissue in which the chondrocytes occupy only 5% of the volume. Cartilage is particularly rich in extracellular matrix, with matrix making up 90% of the dry weight of the tissue chondrocytes have cell processes that extend a short distance into the matrix, but do not touch other cells thus in cartilage, cell-matrix interactions are essential for the maintenance of the extracellular matrix. In this study, subtractive hybridization method was utilized to detect genes differentially expressed in chondrocytes treated with methylprednisolone. We have isolated 57 genes that expressed differentially in the chondreocytes by methylprednisolone. 13 clones of them were analyzed with sequencing and their homologies were searched. 8 cDNAS included KIAA 0368, upregulated during skeletal muscle growth 5 (usmg 5), ribosomal protein S 18 (RPS 18), skeletal muscle ryanodine receptor, radial spoke protein 3 (RSP 3), ribosomal protein QM, ribosomal protein L37a (RPL37A), cytochrome coxidase subunit VIII (COX8).

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.98-104
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• 2002

Objectives: Calpain, a calcium-dependent cysteine proteinase, may be one of the proteolytic enzymes that mediate cartilage degradation associated with rheumatoid arthritis. The object of this study is to ascertain immunohistochemically whether calpain is present in the inflamed joints of collagen-induced arthritis of rats, and examine the effect of Cortex Acanthopanacis Senticosi on the expression of calpain. Methods: Male Lewis rats, around 200g of body weight, were immunized with bovine type II collagen. After 3 weeks from first immunization, rats were divided into arthritic control (n=6) group and Cortex Acanthopanacis Senticosi-treated (n=6) group. Non-immunized rats served as the normal (n=6) group. All animals were sacrificed at 15 days post-treatment and tibiotarsal joints were removed. Calpain immunohistochemistry was performed on the midsagittal section of the tibiotarsal joint. Results: All animals of the control and treated groups showed ankylosing osteoarthritis. However, the animals of the treated group showed alleviation in the fibrous ankylosis, destruction of articular cartilage and destruction of subchondral bony tissue compared with the animals of the control group. Calpain was expressed in the chondrocyte lacunae of growing articular cartilage, in the skeletal muscle fibers, in the peripheral nerves, and in the vessel walls around the joints of all groups. In the control and treated groups, calpain was also expressed in proliferating synovial epithelia, subsynovial stroma cells, surface of articular cartilage, and fibrous pannus around destructive subchondral bony tissue. However, the expression density of calpain in the treated group was diminished compared with the control group, especially in surface of articular cartilage and fibrous pannus. Conclusions: These observations indicated that calpain plays an important role in the destruction of cartilage and bone in collagen-induced arthritis of rats, and also indicated that Cortex Acanthopanacis Senticosi inhibits the development of arthritis by decreasing the expression of calpain.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2008

AIF has been formulated using three herbs known to have anti-inflammatory and anti-osteolytic effects. In this study, the potential therapeutic effects of AIF for osteoarthritis were assessed in vitro and in vivo. The effects of AIF on the cartilage and bone protection (MMP-13 expression, GAG degradation, OPG release) were examined, in vitro. In addition, the therapeutic effect of AIF was evaluated using a chemical-induced osteoarthritis rat model. Rats were injected with iodoacetate intraarticularly in one knee joint and treated with the oral administration of 100 mg/kg AIF-glucosamine once a day for 3 weeks. And then, destruction of cartilage and bone was evaluated by histopathological assessment. AIF significantly inhibited the production of MMP13 and GAG in a dose dependent manner in vitro. Also, AIF increased the production of OPG. In OA rat model, the AIF-glucosamine treated group reduced cartilage destruction, compared to vehicle or glucosamine treated group. AIF showed potent protective effects for the destruction of cartilage and bone, in vitro and in vivo. These results suggest that AIF contains effective compound(s) which may modify the progression of arthritis.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.888-894
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• 2019

Cartilage diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA), are associated with the loss of chondrocytes and degradation of articular cartilage. Recent studies revealed that inflammatory reactive oxygen species (ROS) and age-related oxidative stress can affect chondrocyte activity and cartilage homeostasis. We investigated changes in the levels of intracellular antioxidants during cellular senescence of primary chondrocytes from rat articular cartilages. Cellular senescence was induced by serial subculture (passages 0, 2, 4, and 8) of chondrocytes and measured using specific senescence-associated ${\beta}$-galactosidase ($SA-{\beta}-gal$) staining. ROS production increased significantly in the senescent chondrocytes. In addition, total glutathione (GSSG/GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression increased in senescent chondrocytes induced by serial subculture. Analysis of changes in intracellular antioxidant levels in articular cartilage from rats of different ages (5, 25, 40, and 72 wk) revealed that total glutathione levels were highest after 40 wk and slightly decreased after 72 wk as compared with those after 25 wk. SOD and HO-1 expression levels increased in accordance with age. Based on these results, we conclude that intracellular antioxidants may be associated with cartilage protection against excessive oxidative stress in the process of chondrocyte senescence and age-related cartilage degeneration in an animal model.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.1-16
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• 2004

The purpose of this paper is to review changes in articular cartilage properties from the joint immobilization. Joint immobilization is accompanied not only by many disorders including rheumatologic disorders, degenerative disorders, trauma and fracture but treatment for disorders. Articular cartilage are sensitive to mechanical events. Immobilization is associated with cartilage degradation that may cause joint pain and reduced range of motion. An understanding of the effects of immobilization on the articular cartilage will help to plan of physical therapy program

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.54-60
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• 2015

Background: The present study was designed to prepare and find the optimum active preparation or fraction from Korea Red Ginseng inhibiting matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) expression, because MMP-13 is a pivotal enzyme to degrade the collagen matrix of the joint cartilage. Methods: From total red ginseng ethanol extract, n-BuOH fraction (total ginsenoside-enriched fraction), ginsenoside diol-type-enriched fraction (GDF), and ginsenoside triol-type-enriched fraction (GTF) were prepared, and ginsenoside diol type-/F4-enriched fraction (GDF/F4) was obtained from Panax ginseng leaf extract. Results: The n-BuOH fraction, GDF, and GDF/F4 clearly inhibited MMP-13 expression compared to interleukin-$1{\beta}$-treated SW1353 cells (human chondrosarcoma), whereas the total extract and ginsenoside diol-type-enriched fraction did not. In particular, GDF/F4, the most effective inhibitor, blocked the activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK), c-Jun-activated protein kinase (JNK), and signal transducer and activator of transcription-1/2 (STAT-1/2) among the signal transcription pathways involved. Further, GDF/F4 also inhibited the glycosaminoglycan release from interleukin-$1{\alpha}$-treated rabbit cartilage culture (30.6% inhibition at $30{\mu}g/mL$). Conclusion: Some preparations from Korean Red Ginseng and ginseng leaves, particularly GDF/F4, may possess the protective activity against cartilage degradation in joint disorders, and may have potential as new therapeutic agents.