| Objective To investigate the effect of total glucosides of paeony (TGP) on the cell proliferation, apoptosis, and secretion of human steoarthritis chondrocytes ( hHOCs) and the underlying molecular mechanism，and to provide preliminary experimental basis for the treatment of osteoarthritis by TGP. Methods HOCs were cultured by tissue cultivation in vitro and then treated with different concentrations of TGP for 12, 24 and 48 h. Cell survival was detected with CCK-8 assay. The protein expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) , interleukin-6 (IL-6) , interleukin-8 (IL-8) , and Caspase-3 were examined with ELISA. The protein expression levels of Bcl-2, Bax, MMP-13, TIMP-1, and NF-κB were detected using Western blotting. Results TGP promoted cell proliferation in a time- and dose-dependent manner，and 8 μmoI/L of TGP at 24h had the greatest effect (P< 0. 05). TGP significantly suppressed the protein expression of Bax and Caspase-3, but promoted Bcl-2 protein expression (P <0. 05), The ratio of MMP-13/TIMP-1 associated with cartilage degeneration was markedly decreased by TGP (P < 0. 05). In addition, TGP inhibited the expression of inflammatory factors including TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-8 in hHOCs induced by IL- 1β (P <0. 05). Moreover, TGP diminished the protein expression of NF-κB in HOCs (P <0.05). Conclusion TGP inhibits the cell proliferation, promotes cell apoptosis, decreases the ratio of MMP-13/TIMP-1 and the production of inflammation factors in hHOCs. The potential underlying mechanism may be associated with the suppression of NF-κB expression. |