Effect and Mechanism of TRIM23 on Chondrocytes in Osteoarthritis

SU Jingyue; LUO Danni; ZHENG Meng; PU Hongxu; DENG Zhenhan

doi:10.3639/i.issn.2095-3097.2025.02.036

Abstract：Objective To investigate the effect and mechanism of tripartite motif-containing protein 23(TRIM23)on chondrocytes in osteoarthritis(OA).Methods The status of OA knee cartilage and TRIM23 expression in mice simulated by destabilization of medial meniscus(DMM)were detected by histopathology.Chondrocytes were isolated and cultured in vitro,and interleukin-1β(IL-1β)was used to intervene at different times and concentrations.Real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR)and western blotting(WB)were used to detect the expression of TRIM23,extracellular matrix(ECM)anabolic-catabolic indicators,and inflammatory mediators,and suitable conditions were screened to simulate OA.Chondrocytes cultured in vitro were transfected with TRIM23-specific small interfering RNA(siRNA)or control siRNA to silence TRIM23.IL-1β was used to simulate OA environment.qRT-PCR,WB,and immunofluorescence techniques were used to detect the expression of TRIM23,anabolic-catabolic indicators,and inflammatory mediators.The changes in the nuclear factor kappa-B(NF-κB)signaling pathway were detected by WB.The proliferation ability of chondrocytes was detected by CCK8 kit.The cell migration ability was analyzed by scratch assay.Results The expression of TRIM23 in chondrocytes of the OA group was higher than that of the control group(P＜0.05).In normal environment,ECM anabolism in the silent group was higher than that in the control group(P＜0.05),and there was no statistically significant difference in catabolism between the silent group and the control group(P＞0.05).In OA environment,the catabolism of the silent group was lower than that of the control group(P＜0.05),and there was no statistically significant difference in anabolism between the silent group and the control group(P＞0.05).In addition,the expression of inflammatory mediators in the silent group was lower than that in the control group in OA environment(P＜0.05),and the expression of NF-κB signaling pathway-related proteins in the silent group was also lower than that in the control group(P＜0.05).The proliferation of chondrocytes in the silent group was higher than that in the control group in OA environment(P＜0.05).The migration ability of chondrocytes in the silent group was lower than that in the control group in normal environment(P＜0.05).In OA environment,the migration ability of chondrocytes in the silent group was lower than that in the control group within 24h(P＜0.05),while the migration ability after 24h was higher than that in the control group(P＜0.05).Conclusion TRIM23 is highly expressed in OA cartilage.Silencing TRIM23 can significantly reduce inflammatory response by inhibiting NF-κB signaling pathway and,to a certain extent,reduce the degradation of chondrocyte ECM and delay the progression of OA.