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Lohberger B, Kaltenegger H, Eck N, Glänzer D, Sadoghi P, Leithner A, Bauer R, Kretschmer N, Steinecker-Frohnwieser B. Shikonin Derivatives Inhibit Inflammation Processes and Modulate MAPK Signaling in Human Healthy and Osteoarthritis Chondrocytes. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23063396. [PMID: 35328817 PMCID: PMC8955849 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23063396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disorder and is characterized by the degeneration of articular cartilage. To develop new therapeutic approaches, we investigated the effect of shikonin derivatives on inflammation, MMP expression, and the regulation of MAPK signaling in human healthy (HC) and OA chondrocytes (pCH-OA). Viability was analyzed using the CellTiter-Glo® Assay. Inflammatory processes were investigated using a proteome profiler™ assay. Furthermore, we analyzed the effects of the shikonin derivatives by protein expression analysis of the phosphorylation pattern and the corresponding downstream gene regulation using RT-qPCR. Both HC and pCH-OA showed a dose-dependent decrease in viability after treatment. The strongest effects were found for shikonin with IC50 values of 1.2 ± 0.1 µM. Shikonin counteracts the inflammatory response by massively reducing the expression of the pro-inflammatory mediators. The phosphorylation level of ERK changed slightly. pJNK and pp38 showed a significant increase, and the downstream targets c/EBPs and MEF2c may play a role in the cartilage homeostasis. STAT3 phosphorylation decreased significantly and has a chondroprotective function through the regulation of cyclin D1 and Sox9. Our results demonstrate for the first time that shikonin derivatives have extensive effects on the inflammatory processes, MAPKs, and IL6/STAT3 downstream regulation in healthy and OA chondrocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birgit Lohberger
- Department of Orthopedics and Trauma, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 5, 8036 Graz, Austria; (B.L.); (H.K.); (N.E.); (D.G.); (P.S.); (A.L.)
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Graz, Beethovenstr. 8, 8010 Graz, Austria; (R.B.); (N.K.)
| | - Heike Kaltenegger
- Department of Orthopedics and Trauma, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 5, 8036 Graz, Austria; (B.L.); (H.K.); (N.E.); (D.G.); (P.S.); (A.L.)
| | - Nicole Eck
- Department of Orthopedics and Trauma, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 5, 8036 Graz, Austria; (B.L.); (H.K.); (N.E.); (D.G.); (P.S.); (A.L.)
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Arthritis and Rehabilitation, Thorerstraße 26, 5760 Saalfelden, Austria
| | - Dietmar Glänzer
- Department of Orthopedics and Trauma, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 5, 8036 Graz, Austria; (B.L.); (H.K.); (N.E.); (D.G.); (P.S.); (A.L.)
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Arthritis and Rehabilitation, Thorerstraße 26, 5760 Saalfelden, Austria
| | - Patrick Sadoghi
- Department of Orthopedics and Trauma, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 5, 8036 Graz, Austria; (B.L.); (H.K.); (N.E.); (D.G.); (P.S.); (A.L.)
| | - Andreas Leithner
- Department of Orthopedics and Trauma, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 5, 8036 Graz, Austria; (B.L.); (H.K.); (N.E.); (D.G.); (P.S.); (A.L.)
| | - Rudolf Bauer
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Graz, Beethovenstr. 8, 8010 Graz, Austria; (R.B.); (N.K.)
| | - Nadine Kretschmer
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Graz, Beethovenstr. 8, 8010 Graz, Austria; (R.B.); (N.K.)
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