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Antler extracts stimulate chondrocyte proliferation and possess potent anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and immune-modulatory properties

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Abstract

The Sika deer antler is well known for its unique ability to regenerate repeatedly and grow rapidly. Furthermore, it is a precious traditional Chinese medicine and has been widely used for more than 20 centuries. The major bioactive components within the antlers are water-soluble proteins, polypeptides, and free amino acids. Many studies have shown that water-soluble antler extracts play pivotal roles in wound healing, immune system modulation, anti-oxidation, and anti-inflammation. However, the exact effects on chondrocytes are still largely unknown. In this study, we prepared fresh, aqueous extracts from growing deer antlers in a rapid growth stage. We isolated the chondrocytes from neonatal mouse rib cartilage and investigated the effects of antler extracts on chondrocyte viability. We also used the RNA-Seq method to analyze the gene expression pattern under antler extract treatment. We demonstrated that fresh extracts from Sika deer antlers in a rapid growth stage significantly promoted chondrocyte viability and kept chondrocytes proliferating continuously, while blocking maturation and further differentiation. Additionally, our results indicated that antler extracts might serve as a potent anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory agent, and immune modulator to boost the abilities of chondrocytes against oxidative, inflammatory, and immune stresses. Thus, this study has greatly deepened our current knowledge of the molecular control of antler extracts on chondrocytes. It has also shed light on possible new strategies to further prevent and treat diseases of cartilage and other related diseases.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported through grants from the Science and Technology Development Project of Jilin Province (grant number 20170520044JH), the Science and Technology Project of Jilin Provincial Education Department (grant number JJKH20170721KJ), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 81702136), and the National Chinese Medicine Standardization Project (Grant numbers ZYBZH-Y-JL-26 and ZYBZH-C-JL-22).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jilin Ginseng Academy, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, 130117, China

    Baojin Yao, Meixin Liu, Yuxin Liu, Yaozhong Hu, Daqing Zhao & Yu Zhao

  2. Innovation Practice Center, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, 130117, China

    Mei Zhang

  3. The Affiliated Hospital of Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, 130117, China

    Xiangyang Leng

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  1. Baojin Yao
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Correspondence to Daqing Zhao or Yu Zhao.

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Fig. S1

Visualization and quantification of DAE protein. a Coomassie blue staining of DAE. DAE proteins were separated by a 12% SDS-PAGE and then stained by Coomassie brilliant blue R-250 dye with a set of molecular weight standards. A standard curve was created by plotting the absorbance at 595 nm against a series of bovine serum albumin (BSA) standards in the 0 to 500 μg/ml range. A trend line based on the collected data was given at y = 0.0018x − 0.0048 with a R2 = 0.996 correlation. The protein concentration of DAE was determined according to the standard curve. (GIF 5 kb)

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Fig. S2

Gene expression levels of differentially expressed gene validated by qRT-PCR. Data are presented as the mean with standard deviation for technical triplicates in an experiment representative of several independent ones. *p < 0.05 and **p < 0.001 in a t test for the difference in gene expression level. The gene expression level is presented as the fold change compared to untreated group separately. (GIF 11 kb)

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Yao, B., Zhang, M., Leng, X. et al. Antler extracts stimulate chondrocyte proliferation and possess potent anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and immune-modulatory properties. In Vitro Cell.Dev.Biol.-Animal 54, 439–448 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11626-018-0266-2

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