Potential Joint Protective and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Integrin α(v)β(3) in IL-1β-Treated Chondrocytes Cells

In osteoarthritis (OA), the articular cartilage covering the articular surface of the bone wears out, exposing the subchondral bone, and the synovial membrane surrounding the joint becomes inflamed, causing pain and deformity. OA causes pain, stiffness, and swelling, and discomfort in the knee when climbing stairs is a typical symptom. Although drug development studies are conducted to treat these inflammatory joint diseases, it is difficult to find conclusive research results which could reduce inflammation and slow cartilage tear. The development of drugs to relieve inflammatory pain often utilizes inflammatory triggers. Interleukins, one of the proteins in the limelight as pro-inflammatory factors, are immune-system-stimulating factors that promote the body’s fight against harmful factors such as bacteria. In this study, inflammation was induced in Chondrocytes cells (Chon-001 cells) with IL-1β and then treated with integrin α(v)β(3) to show anti-inflammatory and chondrogenesis effects. Integrin α(v)β(3) was not toxic to Chon-001 cells in any concentration groups treated with or without IL-1β. COX-2 and iNOS, which are major markers of inflammation, were significantly reduced by integrin α(v)β(3) treatment. Expressions of p-ERK, p-JNK, and p-p38 corresponding to the MAPKs signaling pathway and p-IκBα and p-p65 corresponding to the NF-κB signaling pathway were also decreased in a dose-dependent manner upon integrin α(v)β(3) treatment, indicating that inflammation was inhibited, whereas treatment with integrin α(v)β(3) significantly increased the expression of ALP, RUNX2, BMP2, BMP4, Aggrecan, SOX9, and COL2A1, suggesting that osteogenesis and chondrogenesis were induced. These results suggest that integrin α(v)β(3) in-duces an anti-inflammatory effect, osteogenesis, and chondrogenesis on IL-1β-induced Chon-001 cells.