OBJECTIVE:To study the preparation technology of Chinese traditional medicine Seborrhea liniment.METHODS:The preparation technology of Seborrhea liniment was optimized by orthogonal experiment design L9(34)using 60% alcohol as solvent with the content of Berberine hydrochloride as index for evaluation and with the extraction method,extraction time,amount of solvent and number of extraction times as factors.RESULTS:The optimum preparation technical conditions were as follows:by impregnating method,the extraction time was 48 h using 1 500 mL alcohol and the extraction frequency was 2 times.CONCLUSION:The preparation technology of Chinese traditional medicine Seborrhea liniment is stable and feasible,and it serves as a theoretical basis for the industrial production.

ObjectiveUsing transcriptome sequencing to screen the differentially expressed genes between the synovial tissue of rats with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) induced by monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) and that of normal rats, and then screen the target of fraxetin in the treatment of synovitis. MethodsSD rats were divided into KOA group and the negative control (NC) group. Rat right knee KOA model was prepared by MIA knee joint injection in KOA group and none treatments in NC group. Four weeks after modeling, the right knee synovial tissue of rats in each group was taken for transcriptome sequencing. Then the differential gene expression analysis, GO enrichment analysis, KEGG function enrichment analysis and PPI protein network interaction analysis were performed. The synovial macrophage Raw264.7 cells were divided into the control group, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) intervention group and LPS+60 μmol/L fraxetin intervention group, then RNA-sequencing results were verified by qRT-PCR in the three groups. ResultsThe results of differential gene-expression analysis showed that there were 1 730 up-regulated genes and 1 546 down-regulated genes in the KOA group compared with the control group, among which the significantly up-regulated genes were mmp12, Acod1, Acan, Col2a1, Atp6v0d2 (|log2(FoldChange)|≥1, adjusted P<0.01). KEGG cluster analysis and GO cluster analysis showed that differential genes were mainly involved in the regulation of inflammation and immune metabolism, such as tricarboxylic acid cycle and mitochondrial function. The expressions of Acod1 and Atp6v0d2 in Raw264.7 cells after LPS intervention were significantly higher. Compared with the LPS intervention group, the expression level of Atp6v0d2 in Raw264.7 cells after LPS+fraxetin combined intervention was significantly lower. ConclusionAfter modeling KOA induced by MIA, macrophage-related genes mmp12, Acod1 and Atp6v0D2, which mediate inflammation and immune metabolism, were highly expressed in the synovial tissue of rats, suggesting that there might be immune metabolism changes mediated by synovial macrophages during the occurrence and development of KOA. The increased expression of Acod1 and Atp6v0d2 in macrophages Raw264.7 after LPS intervention can preliminarily confirm this result. Among them, Atp6v0d2 may be a potential target of fraxetin in the treatment of synovitis, which provides a new idea for KOA treatment.

ObjectiveTo establish a rat model of osteoarthritis and study the anti-inflammatory effects and mechanisms of fraxetin. MethodsEighteen 8-week-old male SPF-grade SD rats were randomly divided into three groups: Rats in the blank group received a right articular cavity injection of 50 μL of normal saline for 1 week; the model and intervention groups were injected with monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) into the right joint cavity to induce osteoarthritis, while the intervention group subsequently received fraxetin (5 mg·kg^-1·d^-1) for 1 week. Four weeks after drug intervention, abdominal aortic blood was collected. The animals were then euthanized, and knee joint cartilage were collected. The cartilage samples were stained with hematoxylin-eosin, safranin O-fast green, and toluidine blue for histopathological examination and scoring using the Mankin and OARSI scoring systems. The trabecular bone volume/total volume (Tb.BV/TV), trabecular bone surface density/total volume (Tb.BS/TV), and trabecular number (Tb.N) of each group were compared and analyzed using a micro-CT scanning system. The expression levels of various inflammatory factors [tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6)], and cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression levels of mitogen-activated protein kinase p38 (p38 MAPK), phosphorylation-p38 MAPK (p-p38 MAPK), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and phosphorylation-JNK (p-JNK) were measured by western blotting. ResultsThe staining of cartilage sections of rat knee joints showed that the articular surface defects in the model group were severe, while the cartilage destruction in the intervention group was relatively reduced. Micro-CT results showed that Tb.BV/TV, Tb.BS/TV and Tb.N in the intervention group were significantly higher than those in the model group (P < 0.05); the Mankin score in the model group was significantly higher than that in the blank group (P < 0.05), the Mankin score in the intervention group was significantly lower than that in the model group (P < 0.05); while the OARSI score in the intervention group was significantly lower than that in the model group (P < 0.05). The results of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed that the serum levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and COMP in the model group were significantly higher than those in the blank group (all P < 0.05), while those in the intervention group were significantly lower than in the model group (P < 0.05). Western blot results showed that the expression levels of p-p38 MAPK and p-JNK in the knee cartilage tissue were significantly lower in the intervention group than in the model group (both P < 0.05), and significantly higher in the model group than in the blank group (both P < 0.05). ConclusionFraxetin may play a therapeutic role in a monosodium iodoacetate-induced rat model of osteoarthritis through the p38 MAPK pathway.

ObjectiveTo establish a rat model of osteoarthritis and study the anti-inflammatory effects and mechanisms of fraxetin. MethodsEighteen 8-week-old male SPF-grade SD rats were randomly divided into three groups: Rats in the blank group received a right articular cavity injection of 50 μL of normal saline for 1 week; the model and intervention groups were injected with monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) into the right joint cavity to induce osteoarthritis, while the intervention group subsequently received fraxetin (5 mg·kg^-1·d^-1) for 1 week. Four weeks after drug intervention, abdominal aortic blood was collected. The animals were then euthanized, and knee joint cartilage were collected. The cartilage samples were stained with hematoxylin-eosin, safranin O-fast green, and toluidine blue for histopathological examination and scoring using the Mankin and OARSI scoring systems. The trabecular bone volume/total volume (Tb.BV/TV), trabecular bone surface density/total volume (Tb.BS/TV), and trabecular number (Tb.N) of each group were compared and analyzed using a micro-CT scanning system. The expression levels of various inflammatory factors [tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6)], and cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression levels of mitogen-activated protein kinase p38 (p38 MAPK), phosphorylation-p38 MAPK (p-p38 MAPK), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and phosphorylation-JNK (p-JNK) were measured by western blotting. ResultsThe staining of cartilage sections of rat knee joints showed that the articular surface defects in the model group were severe, while the cartilage destruction in the intervention group was relatively reduced. Micro-CT results showed that Tb.BV/TV, Tb.BS/TV and Tb.N in the intervention group were significantly higher than those in the model group (P < 0.05); the Mankin score in the model group was significantly higher than that in the blank group (P < 0.05), the Mankin score in the intervention group was significantly lower than that in the model group (P < 0.05); while the OARSI score in the intervention group was significantly lower than that in the model group (P < 0.05). The results of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed that the serum levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and COMP in the model group were significantly higher than those in the blank group (all P < 0.05), while those in the intervention group were significantly lower than in the model group (P < 0.05). Western blot results showed that the expression levels of p-p38 MAPK and p-JNK in the knee cartilage tissue were significantly lower in the intervention group than in the model group (both P < 0.05), and significantly higher in the model group than in the blank group (both P < 0.05). ConclusionFraxetin may play a therapeutic role in a monosodium iodoacetate-induced rat model of osteoarthritis through the p38 MAPK pathway.

ObjectiveTo study the effect of Xiaoyusan new formula on the articular cartilage of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) rabbits and its mechanism. MethodsA total of 42 New Zealand white rabbits aged 6 months were randomly divided into normal group, model group, ointment of Xiaoyusan group, and ointment of Xiaoyusan new formula group, with 10 rabbits in each group (the other 2 rabbits were used for model validation). Except for the normal group, the right knee joints of all rabbits in the other groups were prepared as KOA models according to the modified Hulth method. After 5 weeks of molding, the rabbits in ointment of Xiaoyusan group, ointment of Xiaoyusan New Formula group were given corresponding ointments for knee arthritis treatment, once a day, each time for 10 hours. After 2-week continuous administration and treatment, the knee joint cartilage of the four groups of rabbits was taken and the cartilage damage of each group was evaluated by Outerbridge grading method. The pathological changes of the cartilage, calcified layer and subchondral bone of the knee joint of rabbits in each group were observed by HE staining method under the light microscope, and the degree of cartilage degeneration was evaluated by Mankin's method. The expression of matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) in the cartilage of rabbit knee joint in each group was deteced by immunohistochemistry. Results After the general observation of articular cartilage, the Outerbridge grading showed that the number of high-grade animals in ointment of Xiaoyusan group was reduced compared with the model group (P<0.05), and the number of high-grade animals in ointment of Xiaoyusan new formula group was also reduced (P<0.05) compared with ointment of Xiaoyusan group. HE staining showed that Mankin's scores of articular cartilage in the four groups ranked from high to low: model group (10.82±1.76), ointment of Xiaoyusan group (6.19±1.23), ointment of Xiaoyusan new formula group (2.64±1.18) and normal group (0.28±0.17). The difference among four groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). Immunohistochemical detection showed that the positive rates of MMP-13 expression in rabbit articular cartilage tissues in each group were (67.90±13.94)% of model group, (37.10±19.16)% of ointment of Xiaoyusan group, (13.60±3.10)% of ointment of Xiaoyusan new formula group and (3.20±2.39) % of normal group, ranking from high to low, and the difference among four groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). ConclusionXiaoyusan new formula can repair articular cartilage degeneration in KOA rabbits and decrease the expression of MMP-13 in cartilage, which may be one of the mechanisms of the treatment.