Luteolin Protects Chondrocytes from H2O2-Induced Oxidative Injury and Attenuates Osteoarthritis Progression by Activating AMPK-Nrf2 Signaling

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative disease featured by cartilage erosion and inflammation. Luteolin, a member of the flavonoid family, has been shown to exert anti-inflammatory and antioxidative activities. However, the potential biological effects and underlying mechanism of luteolin on chondrocytes and OA progression remain largely elusive. In this study, the potential effect and mechanism of luteolin on OA were investigated in vitro and in vivo. Our data revealed that luteolin inhibited H2O2-induced cell death, apoptosis, oxidative stress, programmed necrosis, and inflammatory mediator production in primary murine chondrocytes. In addition, luteolin could activate the AMPK and Nrf2 pathways, and AMPK serves as a positive upstream regulator of Nrf2. In vivo results demonstrated the therapeutic effects of luteolin on OA in the DMM mouse model. Collectively, our findings showed that luteolin might serve as a novel and effective treatment for OA and provided a new research direction for clinical OA therapies.