eng Science and Education Publishing Journal of Food and Nutrition Research 2333-1240 2022-04-26 10 4 313 320 10.12691/jfnr-10-4-8 JFNR20221048 article Doo ri Park 1 Chang hwan Yeo 1 Jee Eun Yoon 1 Wan-Jin Jeon 1 Woo-Jae Choung 1 In-Hyuk Ha hanihata@gmail.com 1 Jaseng Spine and Joint Research Institute, Jaseng Medical Foundation, 06110, Seoul, South Korea Osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating joint disorder with high incidence. Therapies for OA are currently lacking due to limited understanding of its pathogenesis. Eucommia ulmoides (EU) is a traditional herbal medicine used to treat OA, but the mechanisms underlying its disease-controlling effects are poorly understood. This study reports the anti-OA effects of an EU extract as well as underlying mechanisms in a rat model of OA. In rats, EU diminished articular cartilage destruction. Furthermore, MMP3, MMP13, and FPR2 levels were decreased in the rat articular cartilage and primary chondrocytes treated with EU extract. Moreover, EU treatment regulated the levels of inflammatory cytokines, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and lipoxin A4 (LXA4) in intra-articular lavage fluid. These results demonstrate that EU inhibits the progression of OA by suppressing the FPR2-LXA4 pathway to reduce inflammatory cytokines levels and block cartilage degeneration. Therefore, EU is a potential therapeutic agent for OA. http://pubs.sciepub.com/jfnr/10/4/8/jfnr-10-4-8.pdf Eucommia ulmoides cartilage chondrocytes inflammation osteoarthritis