Targeting PAR2-mediated inflammation in osteoarthritis: a comprehensive in vitro evaluation of oleocanthal's potential as a functional food intervention for chondrocyte protection and anti-inflammatory effects

Patnaik R, Varghese R, Jannati S, Naidoo N, Banerjee Y · BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders

Places oleocanthal on protease-activated receptor 2, a route into cartilage inflammation distinct from the cyclooxygenase story it is known for: PAR-2, TNF-α, IL-1β, MCP-1, SOX4 and ADAMTS5 all fell with dose, type II collagen was restored, mitochondrial membrane potential recovered from 40% to about 80% of control, and RANK and RANKL fell at the top dose.

Population

Chondrocytes differentiated from a commercial human bone-marrow stem-cell line, stimulated with bacterial lipopolysaccharide

Intervention

Oleocanthal at 1 to 40 μg/mL

Comparator

Stimulated cells without oleocanthal

Limitations

Cell culture at investigator-chosen concentrations with no animal or human arm; the cells are stem-cell-derived rather than primary chondrocytes, every comparison is a t-test, and the dose table is labelled in micromolar while the text says micrograms per millilitre. University-funded.