Effect of Danhong Injection on Articular Cartilage Degeneration in Rabbits with Knee Osteoarthritis

Abstract

The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of Danhong injection nanoparticle (DIN) plus warm acupuncture (WA) on articular cartilage degeneration in knee osteoarthritis (KOA) rabbits. First, the KOA model and DIN were made. After success, the rabbits were randomly grouped: according to the treatment methods: controls, DIN, WA, and DIN+WA groups, with 10 rabbits in each group. The controls did not receive any treatment, and the other groups received corresponding treatment intervention, respectively. Through treatment, articular cartilage samples were collected. The bone morphology, LequesneMG score, Mankin score were analyzed. The safranin-fast green, toluidine blue, Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase Mediated dUTP Nick End Labeling (TUNEL), and immunohistochemical staining were observed. The levels of apoptosis-related factors were determined. The results showed that the KOA rabbit model and DIN were successfully constructed. Compared with other groups, the LequesneMG and Mankin scores of DIN+WA group decreased markedly (P < 0.05). Safranin-fast green and toluidine blue staining showed that the number of chondrocytes in DIN+WA group was markedly increased, which was more as against other groups. TUNEL staining revealed that the number of apoptotic chondrocytes was markedly reduced, and the apoptotic index was markedly lower in DIN+WA group as against other three groups (P < 0.05). Compared with other groups, Bax and Caspase-3 were markedly decreased, and Bcl-2 was markedly raised in DIN+WA group (P < 0.05). According to the review, the combined application of DIN and WA can promote the growth of chondrocytes, inhibit the apoptosis of chondrocytes, and effectively improve the degeneration of knee articular cartilage, which has application value.