Rock2 Regulates Proliferation and Differentiation of Chondrocytes in Osteoarthritis through β-catenin Signaling

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) adversely affects quality of life of elderly patients and is among hotspots and challenges of current research efforts. However, mechanism of occurrence and development of OA has not been fully elucidated. MethodsThrough qRT-PCR and Western blot assays, the current study established that levels of Rock2, a key protein in Rho signaling pathway, were significantly higher in OA cartilage. Furthermore, the current study explored effect of down-regulating Rock2 expression on growth and apoptosis of cartilage cells using CCK-8, Edu and Flow cytometry assays. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and Alizarin Red S (ARS) assays were then used to determine differentiation effects.ResultsFindings showed that expression of Rock2 is closely related to proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation of chondrocytes. Furthermore, the current study confirmed that Rock2 affects growth and differentiation of chondrocytes by activating β-catenin signaling pathway. Conclusionthe current study provided novel insights to targeted therapy of OA.