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IntroductionOsteoarthritis (OA) is an inflammatory disease of the joints that causes progressive disability in the elderly. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in OA development; they may activate the NLRP3 inflammasome, thereby inducing the secretion of proinflammatory IL-1β and IL-18, leading to the aggravation of the downstream inflammatory response. Nrf2 is a key transcription factor that regulates the expression of antioxidant enzymes that protect against oxidative stress and tissue damage. We aimed to explore the underlying mechanism of OA development by investigating NLRP3, ASC, Nrf2, and HO-1 expression in synovia and their regulatory networks in OA.MethodsHuman total knee replacement samples were subjected to histology and micro-CT analysis to determine the pathological changes in the cartilage and subchondral bone and to assess the expression of inflammation-related markers in the synovial tissue by immunohistochemistry (IHC), qRT-PCR, and Western blot. To investigate these pathological changes in an OA animal model, adult Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to anterior cruciate ligament transection and medial meniscectomy. Articular cartilage and subchondral bone changes and synovial tissue were also determined by the same methods used for the human samples. Finally, SW982 cells were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as an in vitro inflammatory cell model. The correlation between NLRP3 and Nrf2 expression was confirmed by knocking down NLRP3 or Nrf2.ResultsCartilage destruction and subchondral bone sclerosis were found in the OA patients and OA model rats. Significantly increased expression levels of NLRP3, ASC, Nrf2, and HO-1 were found in the synovial tissue from OA patients. NLRP3, ASC, Nrf2, and HO-1 expression in the synovium was also upregulated in the OA group compared with the sham group. Furthermore, the NLRP3, Nrf2, HO-1, IL-1β, and IL-18 expression in LPS-treated SW982 cells was increased in a dose-dependent manner. As expected, the expression of NLRP3 was upregulated, and the expression of IL-1β and IL-18 was downregulated after Nrf2 silencing. However, knocking down NLRP3 did not affect the expression of Nrf2.ConclusionsROS-induced oxidative stress may be the main cause of NLRP3 inflammasome activation and subsequent release of downstream factors during OA development. Nrf2/HO-1 signaling could be a key pathway for the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, which may contribute to the progression of OA. Herein, we discovered a novel role of Nrf2/HO-1 signaling in the production of NLRP3, which may facilitate the prevention and treatment of OA.

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We evaluated the efficacy of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in combination with allogeneic bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) for the treatment of osteoporotic bone defects in an ovariectomized rat model. By day 42 after injury, in vivo microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) imaging revealed that bone defects of control rats and ovariectomized rats treated with PRP and BMSCs were completely repaired, whereas those of ovariectomized rats treated with PRP or BMSCs alone exhibited slower healing. Histological data were consistent with these results. We also assessed changes to bone trabeculae in the proximal tibial growth plate. In ovariectomized rats treated with PRP or with a combination of PRP and BMSCs, the trabecular connectivity densities (Conn.D), bone volume ratios (BV/TV), and numbers (Tb.N) in the defect areas increased significantly from day 7 to day 42. These results indicate that PRP treatment enhances bone microarchitecture in osteoporosis. Moreover, expression levels of osteogenesis-specific marker genes including RUNX2, OSX, and OPN were significantly upregulated in rats treated with PRP and BMSCs compared to those of other groups. Thus, we conclude that treatment with PRP combined with BMSCs significantly promotes healing of osteoporotic bone defects. This study provides an alternative strategy for the treatment of osteoporotic bone loss.