| Objective To investigate the effect of oleuroside (OL) on synovial inflammation in knee osteoarthritis (KOA) rats by regulating the Yes-associated protein (YAP)/transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) signaling pathway. Methods A KOA rat model was constructed using the improved Hulth's method and randomly grouped into a Model group, a low-dose OL group (20 mg/kg), a high-dose OL group (40 mg/kg), and a high-dose OL+VT103 group (40 mg/kg+10 mg/kg YAP/TAZ inhibitor), with 12 rats in each group, another 12 rats were taken as the normal control group (NC group). The condition of rats in each group was observed, and the behavior of rats in each group was evaluated with the Lequesne MG score; ELISA kit was applied to detect the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in serum; hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was applied to detect pathological damage in synovial tissue; qRT-PCR method was applied to detect the expression of YAP and TAZ mRNA in synovial tissue; Western blot was applied to detect the expression of YAP, phosphorylated YAP (p-YAP), phosphorylated TAZ (p-TAZ), TAZ, and B-cell lymphoma/leukemia 2 associated X protein (Bax) in synovial tissue. Results Compared with the NC group, the Model group showed an increase in Lequesne MG score, serum TNF-α and IL-6 expression, increased expression of YAP and TAZ mRNA, and increased expression of p-YAP/YAP, p-TAZ/TAZ, Bax proteins (P<0.05); compared with the Model group, the low-dose and high-dose OL groups showed a decrease in Lequesne MG score, serum TNF-α and IL-6 expression, YAP and TAZ mRNA expression, and p-YAP/YAP, p-TAZ/TAZ, Bax protein expression (P<0.05); VT103 significantly weakened the protective effect of OL on the synovial tissue of KOA rats (P<0.05). Conclusion OL may alleviate synovial inflammation in knee osteoarthritis rats by activating the YAP/TAZ signaling pathway. |