LB078 - AMELIORATIVE EFFECTS OF LINDERA OBTUSILOBA LEAF EXTRACT ON OSTEOARTHRITIS IN CHONDROCYTES AND MICE

LB078

AMELIORATIVE EFFECTS OF LINDERA OBTUSILOBA LEAF EXTRACT ON OSTEOARTHRITIS IN CHONDROCYTES AND MICE

K.-I. Oh^1,2,*, S. Hwang^1,2, J. Kim^1,2, J. Jeong^1,2, E. Park^1,2, S.-Y. Jeong^1,2

¹Department of Medical Genetics, Ajou University School of Medicine, ²Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ajou University Graduate School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea, Republic Of

Rationale: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative joint disorder characterized by the progressive destruction of articular cartilage, causing severe symptoms such as pain and stiffness. This study investigated the anti-osteoarthritic effects of Lindera obtusiloba (LO) leaf extract in primary cultured chondrocytes in vitro and destabilization of medial meniscus (DMM)-induced mice in vivo.

Methods: For in vitro study, primary chondrocytes isolated from knee articular cartilage of 5-day-old ICR mice were induced with IL-1β (1 ng/mL) and co-incubated with LO extract at three concentrations (50, 100, and 150 µg/mL) for two days. Catabolic factors were measured using quantitative reverse transcription PCR and Western blotting. Destructive mediators were assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. For in vivo study, 9-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were subjected to DMM. After DMM surgery, mice were provided with food pellets containing three different concentrations of LO leaf extract (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg/day) for eight weeks. Statistical comparisons were conducted using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey’s post hoc test.

Results: LO leaf extract treatment significantly reduced the expression of OA-related catabolic factors—cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2), matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP3), MMP13, and phosphorylated nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB)—and destructive mediators such as prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and collagenase in primary-cultured chondrocytes. In the DMM-induced osteoarthritis mouse model, the administration of LO leaf extract protected against the development of subchondral sclerosis and articular cartilage destruction and reduced the expression levels of catabolic factors in articular cartilage and plasma levels of inflammatory cytokines by inhibiting the inflammatory response.

Conclusion: LO leaf extract decreased catabolic factors and destructive mediators in primary chondrocytes and protected against OA-like phenotypes in DMM-induced mice. These results suggest that LO leaf extract may be useful as an alternative herbal medicine in patients with osteoarthritis.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared