Coenzyme Q10 Ameliorates Pain and Cartilage Degradation in a Rat Model of Osteoarthritis by Regulating Nitric Oxide and Inflammatory Cytokines
Figure 3
Effect of Coenzyme Q10 on the expression of MMP-13, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-15 in OA joints.
Rats were injected with 3 mg of MIA in the right knee. Coenzyme Q10 was administered orally every day from the day 4 after MIA injection. Immunohistochemical staining was used to identify the expression of MMP-13, IL-1b, IL-6, and IL-15 in the articular cartilage. In the articular cartilage of MIA-injected rats, the expression of MMP-13, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-15 increased, whereas treatment with CoQ10 inhibited the expression of these molecules. The data are expressed as mean and error bars for six animals per group. Original magnification 200x. *P<0.05, **P<0.01, and ***P<0.001 compared with the MIA-injected vehicle-treated group.