ABSTRACT
Osteoarthritis （OA） is a common degenerative joint disease with a rising incidence rate year by year. Treatment often relies on analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs （NSAIDs）， which can lead to gastrointestinal damage with long-term use and the recurrence of symptoms. Chinese medicine has a long history of preventing and treating OA， with widespread application and fewer side effects. It offers unique advantages such as a broad treatment scope， multiple targets， and pathways. The effective components of Chinese medicine can reduce the content of reactive oxygen species （ROS）， relieve oxidative stress （OS） damage， and increase the antioxidant capacity of the body by interfering with the expression of biomarkers of OS response such as malondialdehyde （MDA） and superoxide dismutase （SOD）. Through the modulation of signaling pathways such as nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 （Nrf2）/heme oxygenase-1 （HO-1）， phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt）， nuclear factor kappa B （NF-κB）， c-Jun N-terminal kinase （JNK）， NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3）， and osteoprotegerin （OPG）， they downregulated the expression of inflammatory factors such as interleukin-6 （IL-6）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， thereby effectively relieving local joint inflammation， protecting chondrocytes and bone tissue， inhibiting chondrocyte apoptosis， and further alleviating the progression of OA. Currently， there are still certain limitations in the medical research status and development trends of OA， necessitating the continued advancement of traditional Chinese medicine. This paper reviewed the literature on the regulation of OS response by effective components of Chinese medicine for the prevention and treatment of OA， providing new directions and ideas for future research.
ABSTRACT
Osteoarthritis(OA)mainly lies in the lesions of articular cartilage and surrounding tissues,pro-ducing osteophytes and bone sclerosis,resulting in damage to the articular cartilage.The main pathological mechanism of OA rests with a large number of inflammatory cytokines and inflammatory mediators produced by joint synovial lesions as well as pathological vascular growth at the junction of the synovium and cartilage,which may be one of the key reasons for promoting synovitis and cartilage damage.The OA mainly occurs in the knees,hips,hands and the spine.It is mainly manifested by chronic joint pain,swelling and stiffness,and limitation of motion seriously affects the functional activities of patients.The treatment of OA mainly relies on oral administration or intraarticular injection of drugs to relieve symp-toms.When OA develops to the middle and late stages,the action and life of patients will be seriously affected.There-fore,surgical replacement of joints is considered to ensure the basic life demands of patients.Studies show that traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)treatment has attracted widespread attention and application due to its unique advantages in pre-vention and treatment of OA.Janus kinase(JAK)/signaling transduction and transcriptional activator(STAT)signaling pathway may be one of the important signaling pathways that regulate the chondrocyte proliferation,differentiation and apoptosis.Moreover,it is closely associated with intra-articular inflammatory response.The JAK/STAT signaling pathway regulates the expression of inflammatory factors and related proteins through TCM so as to reduce the inflammatory re-sponse and decrease the chondrocyte damage.It has an important reference value for OA treatment.In this paper,the roles and mechanisms of the TCM monomers and active ingredients and the Chinese herbal compounds in OA by regulating JAK/STAT signaling pathway and affecting related cytokine and protein expression levels have been reviewed,providing a new method and direction for TCM treatment of OA.
ABSTRACT
Osteonecrosis of the femoral head （ONFH） is a painful and debilitating disease caused by impaired blood supply to the femoral head and cellular and tissue degeneration， leading to gradual destruction of the bone structure and progressive collapse of the femoral head. The main pathological mechanism of ONFH is the disruption of the balance between bone absorption and the reconstruction of new bone， resulting from microcirculation damage and decreased cellular tissue ability. This imbalance leads to biomechanical changes and accelerates the pathological progression of ONFH. In the early stages， clinical manifestations may not be obvious， mainly presenting as pain or discomfort in the hip or groin area， which can be relieved after rest. In the later stage of the disease， pain intensifies， and limb shortening， lower limb weakness， difficulty walking， or limping may occur. Currently， western medicine commonly uses osteogenic agents， anticoagulants， and artificial joint replacement for treatment， but there are also many issues such as prosthesis loosening and infection. Research has shown that traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） treatment of ONFH takes a holistic approach and employs multi-functional， multi-target， and multi-system Chinese medicine therapies， ensuring the safety and effectiveness of the treatment. The osteoprotegerin （OPG）/receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB （RANK）/RANK ligand （RANKL） signaling pathway plays a crucial role in maintaining the dynamic balance of bone remodeling. TCM treatments utilize this pathway to promote apoptosis of osteoclasts， reduce bone resorption， and accelerate bone formation， thereby playing an important role in the prevention and treatment of ONFH. This paper reviewed the role of OPG/RANK/RANKL signaling pathway and related cytokine expression in ONFH by reviewing relevant literature in China and abroad and research status of Chinese medicinal monomers， Chinese medicinal formulations， and combinations with physical therapy in increasing osteoblast secretion， promoting OPG expression， enhancing cytokine expression levels， and inhibiting osteoclast activity for the prevention and treatment of ONFH. This paper is expected to provide new ideas and directions for TCM in the prevention and treatment of ONFH.
ABSTRACT
Somatic cell cloning (nuclear transfer) is a technique through which the nucleus (DNA) of a somatic cell is transferred into an enucleated oocyte for the generation of a new individual, genetically identical to the somatic cell donor. It could be applied for the enhancement of reproduction rate and the improvement of food products involving quality, yield and nutrition. In recent years, the United States, Japan and Europe as well as other countries announced that meat and milk products made from cloned cattle are safe for human consumption. Yet, cloned animals are faced with a wide range of health problems, with a high death rate and a high incidence of disease. The precise causal mechanisms for the low efficiency of cloning remain unclear. Is it safe that any products from cloned animals were allowed into the food supply? This review focuses on the security of meat, milk and products from cloned cattle based on the available data.