Study on the mechanism of italicJinqizhi Granule/italic （金芪志颗粒） in regulating the ATF-4/NUPR1 signaling pathway to inhibit ferroptosis in chondrocytes and alleviate knee osteoarthritis

Key Points

• The study aims to explore how Jinqizhi Granule affects ferroptosis in chondrocytes through the ATF-4/NUPR1 signaling pathway in knee osteoarthritis.
• Randomly assigned 40 SD rats into control, KOA, and three Jinqizhi Granule dosage groups (8 per group).
• Established KOA model via meniscus instability and administered treatment for 4 weeks.
• Assessed cartilage pathology using Mankin score and analyzed protein and mRNA expression of signaling markers.
• Compared to controls, KOA model showed significant cartilage destruction and increased Mankin score (P<0.01).
• ATF-4, NUPR1, ACSL4, MMP-13 expression was elevated (P<0.01), while GPX4, SLC7A11, Collagen II decreased (P<0.01).
• Jinqizhi Granule treatment improved cartilage damage, reduced Mankin score, and altered protein expression in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.01).