Gypenoside inhibits interleukin-1β-induced inflammatory response in human osteoarthritis chondrocytes

Gypenoside (GP), the main active ingredient of Gynostemma pentaphyllum, possesses a variety of pharmacological capacities including anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation, and anti-tumor. However, the effects of GP on IL-1β-stimulated human osteoarthritis (OA) chondrocytes are still unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of GP on IL-1β-stimulated human OA chondrocytes and explore the possible mechanism. Our results showed that GP dose-dependently inhibited IL-1β-induced NO and PGE2 production in human OA chondrocytes. In addition, treatment of GP inhibited the expression of MMP3 and MMP13, which was increased by IL-1β. Finally, we found that pretreatment of GP obviously suppressed NF-κB activation in IL-1β-stimulated human OA chondrocytes. Taken together, the results demonstrated that GP has chondro-protective effects, at least in part, through inhibiting the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway in human OA chondrocytes. Thus, these findings suggest that GP may be considered as an alternative therapeutic agent for the management of OA patients.