Investigation of The Efficacy of Sericin in Experimental Knee Osteoarthritis Model in Rats through the TGF-Beta/Smad Pathway

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the therapeutic efficacy of sericin in rats with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) induced with monosodium iodoacetate (MIA), focusing on evaluating its effectiveness through the TGF-β/Smad pathway. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The KOA model was established by injecting MIA into the knee joint and the rats were randomly divided into three groups:group 1 (control), group 2 (KOA control), and group 3 (KOA+sericin). Sericin was administered intratendinously to rats on days 1,7,14, and 21 (50 µL,0.8 g/kg/mL). After 21 days, the rats were sacrificed, and serum samples were analyzed using the ELISA method to measure TGF-β1, Smad2, and CTGF levels. Additionally, knee joint samples underwent histopathological evaluations with hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemical assessment using TGF-β1 and Smad2/3 antibodies. RESULTS: Serum TGF-β1 and CTGF levels were significantly increased in group 2 vs. group 1 (P