ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Experimental Pharmacology and Drug Discovery
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1665393
This article is part of the Research TopicInnovations in Immunometabolic Treatment and Controlled Release Systems for Bone and Joint DisordersView all 13 articles
Pelubiprofen and Shinbaro: A Therapeutic Approach for Osteoarthritis in a Murine Medial Meniscus Destabilization Model
Provisionally accepted
- Jaseng Medical Foundation, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Introduction: Current osteoarthritis treatments can cause serious long-term side effects, and Shinbaro capsules have limited efficacy when used alone. We aimed to determine whether combining pelubiprofen and Shinbaro capsules could offer a more effective and safer treatment strategy for osteoarthritis. Methods: Primary chondrocytes treated with interleukin-1β were assessed under different conditions: Shinbaro capsules (200 µg/mL), pelubiprofen (25/50 µM), and Shinbaro capsules+pelubiprofen (200 µg/mL and 25 µM, respectively). Male C57BL/6 mice underwent medial meniscus destabilization surgery to induce osteoarthritis and were treated five times a week for eight weeks with either a vehicle control (saline), Shinbaro capsules alone (100 mg/kg), pelubiprofen alone (1.5/4.5 mg/kg), or Shinbaro capsules+pelubiprofen (100 mg/kg and 1.5 mg/kg, respectively). Results: Shinbaro capsules+pelubiprofen significantly improved cell viability, inhibited nitric oxide production and lactate dehydrogenase activity, and reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine production more effectively than the individual treatments. Alcian blue staining showed a notable increase in expression intensity with Shinbaro capsules+pelubiprofen. In treated mice, combination treatment significantly reduced the hyaline cartilage/calcified cartilage ratio and synovitis scores, improved the Osteoarthritis Research Society International scores and subchondral bone plate thickness, and enhanced collagen regeneration. Key markers of healthy cartilage and growth plate activity were significantly upregulated, whereas markers involved in cartilage matrix degradation were markedly reduced with Shinbaro capsules+pelubiprofen. Behavioral tests showed significant improvements in pain sensitivity and joint function with combination treatment. Discussion: Shinbaro capsules+pelubiprofen effectively preserve chondrocytes, reduce inflammation, and alleviate osteoarthritis symptoms through synergistic mechanisms, making it a promising therapeutic strategy for osteoarthritis management.
Keywords: Osteoarthritis, Pelubiprofen, Shinbaro capsules, Chondrocytes, medial meniscalinstability model
Received: 14 Jul 2025; Accepted: 22 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Hong, Kim, Kim, Jeon, Yeo, Lee, Lee and Ha. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: In-Hyuk Ha, hanihata@gmail.com
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