AUTHOR=Zhang Lei , Wang Ping-er , Ying Jun , Jin Xing , Luo Cheng , Xu Taotao , Xu Shibing , Dong Rui , Xiao Luwei , Tong Peijian , Jin Hongting TITLE=Yougui Pills Attenuate Cartilage Degeneration via Activation of TGF-β/Smad Signaling in Chondrocyte of Osteoarthritic Mouse Model JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pharmacology VOLUME=8 YEAR=2017 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2017.00611 DOI=10.3389/fphar.2017.00611 ISSN=1663-9812 ABSTRACT=
Yougui pills (YGPs) have been used for centuries in the treatment of Chinese patients with Kidney-Yang Deficiency Syndrome. Despite the fact that the efficiency of YGPs on treating osteoarthritis has been verified in clinic, the underlying mechanisms are not totally understood. The present study observes the therapeutic role of YGPs and mechanisms underlying its chondroprotective action in osteoarthritic cartilage. To evaluate the chondroprotective effects of YGPs, we examined the impact of orally administered YGPs in a model of destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM). Male C57BL/6J mice were provided a daily treatment of YGPs and a DMM surgery was performed on the right knee. At 12 weeks post-surgery, the joints were harvested for tissue analyses, including histomorphometry, OARSI scoring, micro-CT and immunohistochemistry for COL-2, MMP-13 and pSMAD-2. We also performed the relative experiments mentioned above in mice with