L-Monomethyl-arginine decreases apoptosis of chondrocytes by altering Bax and Bcl-2 expression in osteoarthritis of rabbit knee

摘要

Previous studies found that NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA) treatment inhibits progression of osteoarthritis. Here, we aimed to explore the effects of L-NMMA on chondrocyte apoptosis and?Bax?and?Bcl-2?mRNA expression in rabbits with knee osteoarthritis. Knee osteoarthritis was induced in 24 healthy rabbits by Hulth method, and rabbits were randomly divided into control (n?= 12) and experimental (n?= 12) groups. Once weekly, knee joints of control rabbits were injected with saline solution, while knees of experimental rabbits were injected with L-NMMA. Knee joint samples were collected after 6 weeks of treatment. Apoptosis of chondrocytes was detected by?terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling?(TUNEL), and?Baxand?Bcl-2?mRNA expression by?in situ?hybridization. The results show that the mean rate of chondrocyte apoptosis in knees of the experimental rabbits was significantly lower than that of?the?control rabbits (P<0.05). Additionally, Bax expression decreased and?Bcl-2?expression increased in the experimental group (P<0.05). In brief, L-NMMA can inhibit apoptosis of joint chondrocytes through changes in?the?expression of apoptosis-related genes. Thus, this molecule offers the potential for treating osteoarthritis.