However, more investigations with clinical trials are necessary to validate the possibility of use of CTGF as a biomarker in OA diagnosis and therapeutic target for OA treatment.
It is the first time to show that TRAF1, CTGF, and CX3CL1 genes were hypomethylated in OA chondrocytes and have a consistent correlation with mRNA expression, which suggests that epigenetic changes in the methylation status of TRAF1, CTGF, and CX3CL1 contribute to the pathology of OA.
Also, this growth factor was shown to bind to CCN family protein 2 (CCN2), which regenerates damaged articular cartilage and counteracts osteoarthritis (OA) in an animal model.
Berberine exhibits an anti-inflammatory effect, but the mechanisms by which it modulates CCN2-induced IL-1β expression in OA synovial fibroblasts (OASFs) remain unknown.
In this study, after human synovial cells were stimulated with HA and Hylan (Synvisc) for 24 h, real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR) was used to detect the alteration of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene expression, which were specific genes related to pathogenesis of OA knees.
The results of the current study suggested that expression of CTGF/Hcs24 was concomitant with development of OA lesions and chondrocyte differentiation in chondro-osteophyte.