In order to assess the
therapeutic effects of
PG201 (an
ethanol extract from herbs) on
osteoarthritis, we investigated whether
PG201 could suppress the
disease progression of
collagenase-induced
arthritis (CNIA) in rabbits. The right knees of rabbits were injected intra-articularly with
collagenase, and the rabbits were orally treated with distilled water (DW),
PG201 (200 mg/kg) or
diclofenac (DCF, 10 mg/kg) once a day for 8 weeks.
Oral administration of
PG201 significantly suppressed the stiffness and bone space narrowing. Cartilage erosion and GAG release (p<0.01) were considerably reduced in the knee joints. As well, the
mRNA expression of matrix degradation
enzymes including MMP-1, -3, and -13 was decreased. On the contrary, the concentrations of
TIMP-2 in the synovial fluids were considerably amplified in the
PG201 treated group (p<0.01), but not in the DCF treated group. The pathologic inflammatory molecules involved in cartilage destruction such as IL-1beta,
PGE2, and NO were also diminished by
PG201. Taken together, these results indicate that
PG201 has
therapeutic effects on CNIA through the prominent protection of cartilage.
PG201 indeed has great potential as a form of treatment for
osteoarthritis.