Maltol prevents the progression of osteoarthritis by targeting PI3K/Akt/NF-κB pathway: In vitro and in vivo studies.

Osteoarthritis (OA), a prevalent degenerative arthritis disease, principle characterized by the destruction of cartilage and associated with the inflammatory response. Maltol, a product formed during the processing of red ginseng (Panax ginseng, CA Meyer), has been reported to have the potential effect of anti-inflammatory. However, its specific mechanisms are not demonstrated. We investigated the protective effect of maltol in the progression of OA both in vitro and in vivo experiments. Human chondrocytes were pre-treated with maltol (0, 20, 40, 60 μM, 24 hours) and incubated with IL-1β (10 ng/mL, 24 hours) in vitro. Expression of PGE2, TNF-α and NO was measured by the ELISA and Griess reaction. The expression of iNOs, COX-2, aggrecan, ADAMTS-5, MMP-13, IκB-α, p65, P-AKT, AKT, PI3K and P-PI3K was analysed by Western blotting. The expression of collagen II and p65-active protein was detected by immunofluorescence. Moreover, the serious level of OA was evaluated by histological analysis in vivo. We identified that maltol could suppress the IL-1β-stimulated generation of PGE2 and NO. Besides, maltol not only suppressed the production of COX-2, iNOs, TNF-α, IL-6, ADAMTS-5, MMP-13, but also attenuated the degradation of collagen II and aggrecan. Furthermore, maltol remarkably suppressed the phosphorylation of PI3K/AKT and NF-κB induced by IL-1β in human OA chondrocytes. Moreover, maltol could block the cartilage destroy in OA mice in vivo. To date, all data indicate maltol is a potential therapeutic agent by inhibiting inflammatory response via the regulation of NF-κB signalling for OA.