Sauchinone prevents IL-1β-induced inflammatory response in human chondrocytes

Sauchinone is one of the active lignan isolated from Saururus chinensis, which has been considered to possess various pharmacological activities, such as antitumor, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects. However, the functional roles of sauchinone in interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β)-stimulated human osteoarthritis (OA) chondrocytes are still unknown. Thus, in this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of sauchinone in IL-1β-stimulated chondrocytes. Our results demonstrated that sauchinone significantly attenuated NO and PGE2 production, as well as inhibited iNOS and COX-2 expression in IL-1β-stimulated OA chondrocytes. In addition, sauchinone efficiently inhibited IL-1β-induced MMP-3 and MMP-13 release in human OA chondrocytes. Furthermore, sauchinone significantly attenuated the activation of NF-κB in human OA chondrocytes. In conclusion, we showed for the first time that sauchinone inhibited inflammatory response in IL-1β-stimulated human chondrocytes probably through inhibiting the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway. These data suggest that sauchinone may be a potential agent in the treatment of OA.