Tetrandrine Inhibits the Wnt/β-Catenin Signalling Pathway and Alleviates Osteoarthritis: An In Vitro and In Vivo Study

There is currently no effective drug treatment for the early phase of osteoarthritis (OA), one of the most common senile diseases. The goal of this study was to investigate the protective effect of the tetrandrine (Tet) on OA, in vitro and in vivo. In an in vitro experiment, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to investigate changes in gene expression upon the addition of Tet in chondrocytes processed with IL-1β; changes in protein profiles were assessed by Western blotting. In vivo, to determine whether Tet has the protective effects on articular cartilage, a rabbit anterior cruciate ligament transaction model of OA was established. Expression of matrix metalloproteinase and β-catenin genes increased significantly, while that of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 decreased significantly in the OA group both in vivo and in chondrocytes. However, the changes of expression were reversed by Tet, and there was less cartilage degradation in vivo compared with the OA group, as assessed by histological and macroscopic observations. Thus, Tet may play a useful role in the treatment of OA through the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway and has potential for the treatment of OA.