Effects of “Yiqi Huayu Bushen Decoction” on Expressions of Collagens and Matrix Metalloproteinase mRNA of Cartilage Cells in Knee Osteoarthritis Ribbits

Objective:To study the effects of Yiqi Huayu Bushen Decoction on expressions of type Ⅱ collagen(Col2A1),type Ⅹ collagen(ColⅩ) and matrix metalloproteinase-13(MMP-13) mRNA of cartilage cells in knee osteoarthritis(KOA) rabbits.Methods:Thirty-six New Zealand male rabbits were randomly divided into sham group,control group and treatment group with Yiqi Huayu Bushen Decoction,with 12 rabbits in each group.The rabbits in the control group and treatment group were modeled to be of knee osteoarthritis by improved Hulth methods;and the rabbits in the sham group were cut on the knee skin only.The rabbits in the treatment group were treated with Yiqi Huayu Bushen Decoction 4 weeks after modeling for one month.The pathological morphology and expressions of Col2A1,ColⅩ and MMP-13 mRNA of cartilage cells were observed.Results:Histological analysis showed that the structure of articular cartilage was seriously destroyed in the control group,and the degenerative changes of the arlicuIar cartilage in the treatment group were milder.Compared with the control group,the expression of Col2Al mRNA was up-regulated and the expressions of ColⅩ and MMP-13 mRNA were down-reguIated in the treatment group(P0.05,P0.01);there were significant differences in these expressions between treatment group and sham group(P0.05,P0.01).Conclusion:Yiqi Huayu Bushen Decoction can promote the synthesis of type Ⅱ coIlagen in cartilage cells and suppress the expressions of ColⅩ and MMP-13 mRNA to prevent articular cartilage degradation in KOA rabbits.