Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 26, 2025

Creation of a Knee Joint-on-a-Chip for Modeling Joint Diseases and Testing Drugs
Published on: January 27, 2023
Polyphyllin I Mitigated IL-1β-Induced Chondrocytes Damage through Downregulating TWIST1 Expression
Feng Liu1, Bowen Han2, Deshun Yang1
1Department of Orthopedics, Nanjing Pukou District Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, 211800, China.
Polyphyllin I (PPI) reduces osteoarthritis (OA) progression by suppressing chondrocyte apoptosis, senescence, and inflammation. PPI achieves this by downregulating TWIST1 expression, offering a potential therapeutic avenue for OA treatment.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Cell Biology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease characterized by articular cartilage breakdown.
- Polyphyllin I (PPI) exhibits anti-inflammatory properties, but its mechanism in OA is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanism of Polyphyllin I (PPI) in osteoarthritis (OA) chondrocytes.
- To determine the effect of PPI on IL-1β-induced chondrocyte apoptosis, senescence, inflammation, and extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation.
Main Methods:
- Chondrocytes were treated with IL-1β and varying concentrations of PPI.
- Cell viability, apoptosis, senescence, and inflammatory factor release were assessed using MTT, flow cytometry, SA-β-Gal assay, and ELISA.
- Gene and protein expression related to apoptosis, ECM, and TWIST1 were analyzed by qRT-PCR and western blot, with experiments repeated after TWIST1 overexpression.
Main Results:
- IL-1β reduced chondrocyte count and collagen II density.
- PPI dose-dependently inhibited IL-1β-induced apoptosis, senescence, and release of IL-6 and TNF-α.
- PPI decreased cleaved caspase-3, bax, MMP-3, and MMP-13 expression while increasing collagen II expression.
- PPI downregulated TWIST1 expression, and TWIST1 overexpression reversed these protective effects.
Conclusions:
- Polyphyllin I (PPI) mitigates apoptosis, senescence, inflammation, and ECM degradation in OA chondrocytes.
- PPI exerts its protective effects by downregulating TWIST1 expression.
- TWIST1 is a key mediator in the therapeutic action of PPI against OA progression.
Related Concept Videos
T Cell Types and Functions
Th1 cells stimulate dendritic cells to express necessary co-stimulatory molecules on their surfaces for...
TGF - β Signaling Pathway
Chromatin Modification in iPS Cells
Compact chromatin makes reprogramming difficult. Enzymes, such as histone demethylases and acetyltransferases, are often added during reprogramming to loosen the chromatin, making the DNA more accessible to transcription factors. Molecules that inhibit histone...
Cytoskeletal Linker Proteins - Plakins
The JAK-STAT Signaling Pathway

