Introduction:
It has been reported that the NF-κB and MMP-9 signaling pathways were involved in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA), while the treatment of OA by YSY01 could inhibit the proteasome activity. Therefore, we aimed to study the therapeutic effect of YSY01A treatment on OA via interfering with expression of NF-κB and MMP-9.

Material and methods:
Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry (IHC) assays were used to measure the expression of NF-κB and MMP-9 in animal models established via SH treatment or cellular models established via sodium nitroprusside (SNP) treatment. MTT assay and flow cytometry analysis were performed to observe the effect of YSY01 treatment on cell viability and apoptosis.

Results:
The decreased expression of NF-κB and MMP-9 was observed in OA rabbits and cells treated by YSY01A, thus indicating the inhibitory effect of YSY01A on NF-κB and MMP-9 expression. And YSY01A exhibited a positive therapeutic effect on OA both in vivo and in vitro by inhibiting the expression of NF-κB and MMP-9. Meanwhile, YSY01A treatment could increase cell viability to a certain degree and decrease the apoptosis index, which suggested the application of YSY01A in OA therapy.

Conclusions:
The levels of NF-κB and MMP-9 which were associated with aggravated apoptosis were up-regulated in OA models in vivo and in vitro. YSY01A treatment could down-regulate the expression of NF-κB and MMP-9 and inhibit cell apoptosis, thus reducing the severity of OA.