Platycodon grandiflorus saponin alleviates MSU-induced gouty arthritis based on NLRP3/ASC/caspase-1 pathway

Abstract

Platycodon grandiflorus is a homologous material of traditional medicine and food. Besides a pickle, more importantly, it can also be used in traditional Chinese medicine as an alternative to modern western. Various studies have found that saponins in Platycodon grandiflorus (PGS) can play a role in different diseases (including liver cancer, lung cancer, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases) as the main chemical constituents. However, studies on the treatment of gout arthritis by PGS are not reported, and the mechanism has not been speculated and elucidated systematically. This study describes the anti-inflammatory agent of PGS in treating gouty arthritis by characterizing the degree of joint swelling, inflammatory factors (IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α), peroxides (SOD, MDA, GSH-PX), histopathology and related proteins. The results show that when MSU is injected into the joint, it activates the NLRP3 protein to bind to caspase-1 via ASC to form the NLRP3 inflammatory conjugate, which undergoes a series of changes to promote the release of inflammatory factors causing joint swelling and pain. Therefore, the same as colchicine, PGS can effectively reduce the swelling degree, level of inflammatory factors, and related protein expression while diminishing oxidative stress levels. This study lays the foundation for treating gout arthritis by PGS.