Polyherbal formulation PL02 alleviates pain, inflammation, and subchondral bone deterioration in an osteoarthritis rodent model

Prabhat Upadhyay; Diya Kalra; Aishwarya Shrikant Nilakhe; Vijay Aggrawal; Sarika Gupta

doi:10.3389/fnut.2023.1217051

Polyherbal formulation PL02 alleviates pain, inflammation, and subchondral bone deterioration in an osteoarthritis rodent model

Front Nutr. 2023 Nov 16:10:1217051. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1217051. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Prabhat Upadhyay^{1

2}, Diya Kalra¹, Aishwarya Shrikant Nilakhe¹, Vijay Aggrawal³, Sarika Gupta¹

Affiliations

¹ Molecular Science Lab, National Institute of Immunology (NII), New Delhi, India.
² Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
³ M/s Purobien Lifesciences Ltd, Baddi, Himachal Pradesh, India.

Abstract

Introduction: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating disease with significant personal and socioeconomic burdens worldwide.

Methods: To address this, we developed a multitargeted formulation called PL02, which includes standardized extracts of Rosa canina L, Hippophae rhamnoides, and collagen peptide. We tested the pharmacological efficacy of PL02 in a rodent model of OA induced by Monosodium iodoacetate (MIA).

Results: Our results demonstrate that oral administration of PL02 has antioxidant effects by down-regulating NOS, reduces pain-related behavior, and mitigates inflammation by inhibiting IL-1b and TNF-α production, as well as downregulating CGRP1 and COX-II. PL02 also exhibits anti-catabolic and chondroprotective activity by significantly downregulating MMP13 and upregulating BCL2. Additionally, PL02 demonstrates chondrogenic activity by significantly upregulating SOX-9 (a master regulator of chondrogenesis), Coll-I, and aggrecan, which are major components of articular cartilage. Furthermore, PL02 prevents microarchitectural deterioration of subchondral bone.

Conclusion: Overall, PL02 is an orally active, multi-targeted therapy that not only alleviates pain and inflammation but also effectively halts cartilage and subchondral bone deterioration. It represents a safe and promising candidate for the treatment and management of OA.

Keywords: chemokines; chondroprotective; inflammation; monosodium iodoacetate; pro-inflammatory.

Grants and funding

This study received funding support from the National Institute of Immunology (core grant), Department of Biotechnology, New Delhi, India. Subsequently, the formulation details were transferred as an intellectual property right (IPR) to a company called M/s Purobien Lifesciences for commercialization in the nutraceutical category.