Telmisartan Mitigates TNF-α-Induced Type II Collagen Reduction by Upregulating SOX‑9

• Published in: ACS omega Vol. 6; no. 17; pp. 11756 - 11761
• Main Authors: Zhang, Xiuying, Dong, Yanfeng, Dong, Hanyu, Cui, Yanhui, Du, Qing, Wang, Xiaoli, Li, Lanlan, Zhang, Hongju
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Chemical Society 04.05.2021
• ISSN: 2470-1343; 2470-1343
• DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c01170

The proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-induced degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM), such as type II collagen in chondrocytes, plays an important role in the development of osteoarthritis (OA). Telmisartan, an angiotensin II (Ang-II) receptor blocker, is a licensed drug used for the treatment of hypertension. However, the effects of Telmisartan in tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-induced damage to chondrocytes and the progression of OA are unknown. In this study, we found that treatment with Telmisartan attenuated TNF-α-induced oxidative stress by reducing the levels of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the production of protein carbonyl in human C28/I2 chondrocytes. Interestingly, Telmisartan inhibited TNF-α-induced expression and secretions of proinflammatory mediators such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1). Notably, stimulation with TNF-α reduced the levels of type II collagen at both the mRNA and the protein levels, which was rescued by the treatment with Telmisartan. Mechanistically, we found that Telmisartan restored TNF-α-induced reduction of SOX-9. Silencing of SOX-9 blocked the inhibitory effects of Telmisartan against TNF-α-induced degradation of type II collagen. These findings suggest that Telmisartan might be a potential and promising agent for the treatment of OA.