Antiosteoarthritic effect ofPunica granatumL. peel extract on collagenase induced osteoarthritis rat by modulation ofCOL-2,MMP-3, andCOX-2 expression

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative and musculoskeletal disorder. The toxicity associated with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) limits its use in the management of OA. To ameliorate these toxicities, natural antioxidants can be used as substitutes for the management of OA. Therefore, this study is aimed to investigate the prophylactic mechanisms ofPunica granatumL. peel (PGP) in collagenase-induced OA rat compared with indomethacin. OA was induced in femaleSprague Dawleyrats by intraarticular injection of collagenase type-II and treated with PGP (250 and 500 mg/kg body wt) and a positive control (PC) indomethacin (3 mg/kg body wt). The results demonstrated that PGP reduced the collagenase induced OA as compared with indomethacin treated group through reducing blood ALP (P < .001) and significantly (P < .001) inhibited cartilage erosion as indicated in histological slides with retention of collagen and proteoglycan content. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed the considerable (P < .05) upregulation in the expression of COL-2 gene and downregulation of MMP-3 and COX-2 genes in the PGP treated group. The high phenolic content (633 +/- 1.16 mg/GAE) and flavonoid content (420.3 +/- 2.14 mg/RE) contribute to the strong antioxidant activity with IC(50)value (320 +/- 2.2 mu g/mL) of DPPH free radical scavenging activity. These results need further validation in clinical studies and thus, PGP could be developed as a preventive drug treatment for OA.

Automated summary

The study found that PGP can alleviate collagenase-induced OA in rats by reducing blood ALP levels, inhibiting cartilage erosion, increasing COL-2 gene expression, and decreasing MMP-3 and COX-2 gene expression. PGP's high phenolic and flavonoid content contribute to its strong antioxidant activity, making it a potential preventive treatment for OA that warrants further validation in clinical studies.