Effect of Bushen Huoxue Tongluo Capsule on miR-27a in the synovium and chondrocytes in Sprague-Dawley rats with osteoarthritis

Sun Zhi-tao; Lai Ju-yi; He Sheng-hua; Wang Ye-guang; Wang Jian; Feng Hua-long; Huang Fei-qiang

doi:10.3969/j.issn.2095-4344.2017.16.005

Abstract：BACKGROUND: Bushen Huoxue Tongluo Capsule, a well-known traditional prescription, exhibits remarkable treatment outcomes in knee osteoarthritis, but the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. OBJECTIVE: To explore the regulatory effect of Bushen Huoxue Tongluo Capsule on miR-27a of synovial cells in Sprague-Dawley rats with knee osteoarthritis. METHODS: The model of knee osteoarthritis was established in 120 Sprague-Dawley rats using Hulth method, and then these rat models were randomized into four groups, followed by given75 mg/kg normal saline (blank control group), 34 (low-dose group), 75 (medium-dose group) and 140 (high-dose group) mg/kg Bushen Huoxue Tongluo Capsule aqueous solvent via gavage according to body mass, respectively, twice daily, for consecutive 2 courses (15 days as a course) with 2 days in between. The synovium and cartilages were removed after each course, and the expression of miR-27a in the knee joint synovium and chondrocytes was determined by real-time quantitative PCR. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Gross observation found that the degeneration of synovium and cartilage in the Bushen Huoxue Tongluo Capsule groups was milder than that in the blank control group. Real-time PCR revealed that there was an increasing trend in the expression of miRNA-27a in the synovium and cartilage in each group, especially in the high-dose group, and there was a significant difference between groups (P < 0.05). Our findings show that Bushen Huoxue Tongluo Capsule can suppress the reduced expression of miRNA-27a in the synovium and chondrocytes in rats with knee osteoarthritis, further alleviating knee degeneration and protecting the knee from damage.