Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) has been identified to be an important factor leading to chondrocyte apoptosis in osteoarthritis (OA). Previous studies have confirmed that Achyranthes bidentata polysaccharides (ABPS) can inhibit chondrocyte apoptosis; however, the mechanism of action of ABPS on chondrocyte ERS remains unclear. Thus in this study, we aim to investigate whether ABPS could inhibit OA-associated chondrocyte apoptosis by regulating ERS, especially by observing the relationship between the lncRNA NEAT1 and miR-377-3p, to explore further the protective mechanism of ABPS in OA. In vitro and in vivo experiments showed that ABPS inhibited chondrocyte ERS by regulating the expression of lncRNA NEAT1 and miR-377-3p. Moreover, both lncRNA NEAT1 silencing and miR-377-3p inhibition could attenuate the therapeutic effect of ABPS on ERS. Dual-luciferase results indicated that miR-377-3p targets the lncRNA NEAT1 gene in mouse chondrocytes. Therefore, we concluded that ABPS could inhibit thapsigargin (TG)-induced chondrocyte ERS through the lncRNA NEAT1/miR-377-3p axis.
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