Abstract
This study investigated the therapeutic efficacy of chicken feet combined with traditional herbal medicines widely used in Korea, Acanthopanax sessiliflorum Seeman and Eucommia ulmoides Oliver, in osteoarthritis (OA) progression. In this study, rats were administered chicken feet, A. sessiliflorum, and E. ulmoides mixture extracts (CAEM, 300 mg/kg) for 24 days after the monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) injection into the knee joints. CAEM significantly reduced the weight-bearing loss of the hind limb. In addition, Micro-CT imaging and histopathological analysis indicated that CAEM inhibited MIA-induced cartilage destruction, as evidenced by increased proteoglycan and decreased cartilage erosion. Western blot analysis showed that CAEM suppressed the inflammatory responses induced by MIA in knee cartilage tissue by regulating MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways. Furthermore, CAEM treatment showed efficacy in suppressing the acetic acid-induced writhing response in mice. Therefore, CAEM may be helpful in relieving pain, alleviating cartilage degeneration, and inhibiting inflammatory responses in OA.