Schisantherin A suppresses interleukin-1β-induced inflammation in human chondrocytes via inhibition of NF-κB and MAPKs activation

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that is characterized by the inflammation of synovium. Schisantherin A (SchA), a dibenzocyclooctadiene lignan isolated from the fruit of Schisandra sphenanthera, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory activity. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of SchA on interleukin-1β (IL-1β)-stimulated human osteoarthritis chondrocytes. Human osteoarthritis chondrocytes were pretreated with SchA 1h before IL-1β treatment. The effects of SchA on NO, PGE2, iNOS, COX-2, and TNF-α production were detected in this study. The production of MMP-1, MMP3, MMP13 were measured by ELISA. The expression of NF-κB and MAPKs were detected by western blotting. Our results showed that SchA inhibited IL-1β-induced NO, PGE2, and TNF-α production in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, IL-1β-induced MMP1, MMP3, and MMP13 expression were significantly inhibited by treatment of SchA. In addition, SchA significantly inhibited IL-1β-induced NF-κB and MAPKs activation. Taken together, these results suggest that SchA exhibits anti-inflammatory effects against IL-1β-stimulated chondrocytes by blocking NF-κB and MAPKs signaling pathways.