Low‐intensity pulsed ultrasound inhibits VEGFA expression in chondrocytes and protects against cartilage degeneration in experimental osteoarthritis

• Published in: FEBS open bio Vol. 10; no. 3; pp. 434 - 443
• Main Authors: Guan, Mengtong, Zhu, Ying, Liao, Bo, Tan, Qiaoyan, Qi, Huabing, Zhang, Bin, Huang, Junlan, Du, Xiaolan, Bai, Dingqun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.03.2020; John Wiley and Sons Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: Arthritis; articular cartilage; Cartilage; Cartilage (articular); Cartilage diseases; Chondrocytes; Collagen; Cytokines; Degeneration; Endothelium; Enzyme inhibitors; Extracellular matrix; Fractures; Growth factors; Hypertrophy; Immunoglobulins; Kinases; Knee; low‐intensity pulsed ultrasound; MAP kinase; Meniscus; Osteoarthritis; Pain; Protein kinase; Proteins; Subchondral bone; Surgery; Synovitis; Synovium; Ultrasonic imaging; Ultrasound; vascular endothelium growth factor A; Beijing China; United States > US; China; Japan; articular cartilage; vascular endothelium growth factor A; low-intensity pulsed ultrasound; osteoarthritis
• ISSN: 2211-5463; 2211-5463
• DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.12801

Low‐intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS), a noninvasive physical therapy, was recently demonstrated to be an effective treatment for osteoarthritis (OA). Vascular endothelium growth factor A (VEGFA) has been found to be upregulated in the articular cartilage, synovium and subchondral bone of OA patients, leading to cartilage degeneration, synovitis and osteophyte formation. However, the functions and mechanisms of LIPUS in regulating chondrocyte‐derived VEGFA expression are still unclear. In this study, we investigated whether LIPUS attenuated OA progression by (a) decreasing the percentage of VEGFA‐positive cells in mouse articular cartilage destabilised through medial meniscus surgery and (b) relieving interleukin‐1β‐induced VEGFA expression in mouse primary chondrocytes. However, this function was negated by a p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) inhibitor. In addition, we found that LIPUS ameliorated VEGFA‐mediated disorders in cartilage extracellular matrix metabolism and chondrocyte hypertrophy during OA development. In conclusion, our data indicate a novel effect of LIPUS in regulating the expression of osteoarthritic chondrocyte‐derived VEGFA through the suppression of p38 MAPK activity. Low‐intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS), a noninvasive physical therapy, was recently demonstrated as an effective treatment for osteoarthritis (OA). LIPUS protects articular cartilage from degeneration in experimental OA. In addition, LIPUS ameliorated disorders in cartilage extracellular matrix metabolism and chondrocyte hypertrophy by inhibiting vascular endothelium growth factor A, and this effect is mainly exerted through the inhibition of p38 MAPK signalling.