Conventional medical treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis includes the use of NSAIDs (traditional and selective inhibitors of cyclooxygenase [COX]-2), because they provide unmistakable and significant health benefits in the treatment of pain and inflammation.
Dexamethasone induced the expression of DUSP1 and inhibited the activation of the MAPK pathway and reduced the expression of MMP‑13 and COX‑2 in OA FLSs.
In addition, MPE suppressed IL-1β (60.9%), TNF-α (37.9%) and IL- 6 (40.9%) production and suppressed the synthesis of MMP-2, MMP-9 and COX-2 in the MIA-induced OA rat model.