Elsevier

Life Sciences

Volume 88, Issues 7–8, 14 February 2011, Pages 358-366
Life Sciences

Lactobacillus casei enhances type II collagen/glucosamine-mediated suppression of inflammatory responses in experimental osteoarthritis

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lfs.2010.12.013Get rights and content

Abstract

Aims

We previously reported that Lactobacillus casei (L. casei) has beneficial effects in experimental rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by suppressing inflammatory immune responses. The major purpose of this study was to evaluate therapeutic effects of L. casei on pathological responses in experimental rodent model of osteoarthritis (OA).

Main methods

Experimental OA was induced by intra-articular injection of monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) in Wistar rats. L. casei alone or together with type II collagen (CII) and glucosamine (Gln) was orally administered into OA rats. The pathophysiological aspects of OA were investigated by analyzing mechanical hyperalgesia and histology of articular tissues. Expression of inflammatory molecules was analyzed in CD4+ T cells, synovial fibroblasts, and chondrocytes by quantitative real-time PCR.

Key findings

Oral administration of L. casei together with CII and Gln more effectively reduced pain, cartilage destruction, and lymphocyte infiltration than the treatment of Gln or L. casei alone. This co-administration also decreased expression of various pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-2, IL-6, IL-12, IL-17, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interferon-γ (IFN-γ)) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP1, MMP3, and MMP13), while up-regulating anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4 and IL-10). These results are concomitant with reduced translocation of NF-κB into the nucleus and increased expression of the tissue inhibitor of MMP1 (TIMP1) and CII in chondrocytes.

Significance

Our study provides evidence that L. casei could act as a potent nutraceutical modulator for OA treatment by reducing pain, inflammatory responses, and articular cartilage degradation.

Introduction

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic joint disease characterized by progressive cartilage degeneration, synovial inflammation, subchondral bone sclerosis, and osteophyte formation (Hayami et al., 2006, Lohmander, 2000). Although molecular characterization OA pathogenesis has remained elusive, it mainly affects weight-bearing joints such as knees and hips. OA patients suffer from diverse symptoms including chronic pain, stiffness, and limited movement (Sarzi-Puttini et al., 2005).

In OA patients, chronic inflammatory responses occur in synovial membranes with increased expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) along with mononuclear cell infiltration (Benito et al., 2005). Inflammatory cytokines produced by synovial cells, chondrocytes, and mononuclear cells are the main contributors to the progression of OA by increasing expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) (Fernandes et al., 2002). A complex network of cytokines and proteolytic enzymes leads to degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins of cartilage such as type II collagen (CII), proteoglycans, and hyaluronic acid (Rengel et al., 2007). These biochemical changes also inhibit synthesis of ECM molecules in chondrocytes which are required for restoring degraded cartilage. However, anti-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-4, IL-10 or IL-13 suppress the synthesis of IL-1β and TNF-α in OA tissues (Alaaeddine et al., 1999). Therefore, modulation of cytokine expression is considered as a potential therapeutic strategy for OA through the regulation of inflammatory responses and proteolytic pathways (Jovanovic et al., 1998).

Currently, there is no effective disease-modifying treatment targeting pain reduction, suppression of inflammation, and improvement of joint function in OA (Combe et al., 2004). Most OA treatments are based on symptomatic pain relief and accompanied diverse side-effects which restricts their use (Hungin and Kean, 2001). However, dietary supplements such as glucosamine (Gln) and chondroitin sulfate are widely used by OA patients without generating side effects. Both dietary supplements have shown cartilage-protective effects and improvement of OA symptoms (McAlindon et al., 2000). Gln is the metabolic precursor required for the synthesis of ECM components (Gouze et al., 2006). However, several studies suggested that Gln could not effectively modulate OA pathogenesis in the clinical trial setting (Clegg et al., 2006, Sawitzke et al., 2008). We previously showed that Lactobacillus casei (L. casei) suppressed rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by down-regulating Th1-type inflammatory responses (So et al., 2008a). Oral administration of L. casei with CII potentiated induction of CII-specific oral tolerance by enhancing population of Foxp3+CD4+ T cells (So et al., 2008b). Although beneficial effects of probiotics on a variety of inflammatory diseases have been described, no information is available about the effect of probiotics on OA.

In the present study, we investigated whether L. casei can suppress OA progression by examining inflammatory responses elicited in monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)-induced experimental OA models. MIA model mimics severe and acute OA pain and shows histopathology of the degenerating joint, which is similar with human OA (Combe et al., 2004, Janusz et al., 2001). Intra-articular injection of MIA induces initial inflammatory responses with infiltration of macrophages, neutrophils, and lymphocytes (Bove et al., 2003). Then, damaged subchondral bones are exposed at the later stages, thereby inducing joint pain (Janusz et al., 2001). The MIA model shows distinct sensitivity to pharmacological intervention with an early cyclooxygenase (COX)-sensitive phase and a later COX-insensitive phase (Ivanavicius et al., 2007). We found that co-administration of L. casei with CII/Gln more effectively suppressed OA pathogenesis compared to rats treated with Gln alone. These results are accompanied by decreased expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in CD4+ T cells, synovial fibroblasts, and chondrocytes. Our study provides evidence that L. casei can be a potent nutraceutical modulator for OA treatment.

Section snippets

Animal models of OA

Female Wistar rats, 6 to 8 weeks of age, were purchased from SLC Inc. (Shizuoka, Japan) and maintained under specific pathogen-free conditions in the animal facility of Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST). The animal experiments were approved by the GIST Animal Care and Use Committee. Experimental OA was induced with monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) by intra-articular injection as described previously (Guingamp et al., 1997). Rats were anesthetized with ketamine hydrochloride (50 

Oral administration of L. casei enhances suppressive effect of CII/Gln on experimental osteoarthritis

The main purpose of this study was to evaluate whether oral administration of L. casei with CII/Gln can exert a therapeutic effect by suppressing the pathogenesis of OA, and to elucidate its therapeutic mechanisms. Wistar rats were assigned to one of the five groups and oral-administration was initiated 14 days before MIA injection and continued for 8 weeks as described in method (Fig. 1A). We first assessed effects of L. casei on the symptoms associated with MIA-induced OA model. One of the most

Discussion

Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disorder in old aged people, but the underlying pathogenic mechanism and precise cause of it remain unknown (Sarzi-Puttini et al., 2005). Currently, most treatments for OA are analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which have side effects including gastric and cardiovascular problems (Ray et al., 2004). The dietary supplements, Gln and chondroitin sulfate, have been widely used to treat OA (McAlindon et al., 2000). However, their

Conclusion

In the present study, we have shown that oral administration of L. casei with CII/Gln synergistically suppressed arthritic inflammation in OA. Our results suggest that L. casei can be a potent neutraceutical modulator for OA treatment.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no potential conflicts of interest including any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations.

Acknowledgements

We thank Darren Reece Williams for critical proof reading of this manuscript. This study was supported by a grant of the Korea Healthcare technology R&D Project, Ministry of Health & Welfare, Republic of Korea (A080630).

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