Doo ri Park¹, Chang hwan Yeo¹, Jee Eun Yoon¹, Wan-Jin Jeon¹, Woo-Jae Choung¹, In-Hyuk Ha^1,

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.

Eucommia ulmoides, cartilage, chondrocytes, inflammation, osteoarthritis