Tougu Xiaotong capsules may inhibit p38 MAPK pathway-mediated inflammation: In vivo and in vitro verification.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE:Tougu Xiaotong capsules (TXC) are an herbal compound commonly used to treat osteoarthritis (OA) in China. AIM OF THE STUDY:We attempted to verify TXC's therapeutic effects and mechanisms related to the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway in vivo and in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS:TXC's therapeutic effects were assessed by observing cartilage degeneration and inflammatory factors in a modified Hulth's model (in vivo) and a lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-exposed cellular model (in vitro). The expression of biomarkers related to p38 MAPK pathway-mediated inflammation was also investigated. RESULTS:TXC treatment reversed cartilage degeneration related biomarkers (ADAMTS 4, ADAMTS 5, Col I, Col V, MMP 3, MMP 9, and MMP 13) and inflammation factors (IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6) in both the animal and cellular OA models. Expression of p-p38 MAPK was downregulated following TXC administration, and changes to microRNAs in the cellular models were recovered. These results indicated that the p38 MAPK pathway-related mechanism may involve therapeutic effects of TXC. CONCLUSIONS:This study verified TXC's efficacy to treat OA in vivo and in vitro and suggests that p38 MAPK pathway-related mechanisms may be involved in TXC's therapeutic effects.