Anti-Osteoarthritic Effects of Terminalia Chebula Fruit Extract (AyuFlex ®) in Interleukin-1β-Induced Human Chondrocytes and in Rat Models of Monosodium Iodoacetate (MIA)-Induced Osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a general joint illness caused by the destruction of joint cartilage, and is common in the population of old people. Its occurrence is related to inflammatory reactions and cartilage degradation. AyuFlex^® is an aqueous extract of Terminalia chebula fruit, and T. chebula has been utilized extensively in several traditional oriental medications for the management of diverse diseases. Pre-clinical and clinical research has shown its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effectiveness. Nevertheless, the mechanism underlying the anti-arthritic effects of AyuFlex^® remains unclear. In the current research, we proposed the ameliorating effects of AyuFlex^® with respect to the incidence of OA and described the latent signalization in interleukin (IL)-1β-treated chondrocytes and MIA-incurred OA in a rat model. In vitro, AyuFlex^® decreased oxidative stress and induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines and mediators as well as matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), while also increasing the levels of collagen synthesis-related proteins. Mechanistically, we identified that AyuFlex^® disrupted nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation via the inhibition of NF-κB p65 and extracellular regulated protein kinase (ERK) phosphorylation. The ameliorating effects of AyuFlex^® were also observed in vivo. AyuFlex^® significantly inhibited the MIA-incurred increase in OA symptoms such as oxidative stress, cartilage damage, and changes in cytokines and MMPs revelation in arthrodial cartilage. Therefore, our results suggest that AyuFlex^® attenuates OA progression in vivo, indicating that AyuFlex^® can be suggested as an excellent therapeutic remedy for the care of OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]