Identification of the Resveratrol Potential Targets in the Treatment of Osteoarthritis

OBJECTIVES: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic joint degenerative disease and has become an important health problem for the elderly. However, there is still a lack of effective drugs for the treatment of OA. Our research combines bioinformatics and experimental strategies to determine the target of resveratrol for OA treatment. METHODS: First, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of OA joint tissues were obtained from the related microarray gene expression data. Second, resveratrol, a natural polyphenol compound, was used to screen the drug treatment target genes. Third, the drug-disease network was established, and the resveratrol target genes for OA treatment were obtained and verified through experimental verification. RESULTS: A total of 300 differentially expressed genes with 246 upregulated and 54 downregulated were found in OA joint tissues, and 310 resveratrol potential target genes were obtained. Finally, six genes, namely, CXCL1, HIF1A, IL-6, MMP3, NOX4, and PTGS2, were selected to validate the treatment effects of the resveratrol. The results showed that all six genes in human OA chondrocytes were significantly increased. In addition, in these chondrocytes, CXCL1, HIF1A, IL-6, MMP3, NOX4, and PTGS2 were reduced considerably, but HIF1A was significantly increased after resveratrol treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicates that CXCL1, HIF1A, IL-6, MMP3, NOX4, and PTGS2 are all targets of resveratrol therapy. Our findings may provide valuable information for the mechanism and therapeutic of OA.