Articular cartilage defect is challenged by insufficient regenerative ability of cartilage. Catalpol (CA), the primary active component of Rehmanniae Radix, could exert protective effects against various diseases. However, the impact of CA on the treatment of articular cartilage injuries is still unclear. In this study, full‐thickness articular cartilage defect was induced in a mouse model via surgery. The animals were intraperitoneally injected with CA for 4 or 8 weeks. According to the results of macroscopic observation, micro‐computed tomography CT (μCT), histological and immunohistochemistry staining, CA treatment could promote mouse cartilage repair, resulting in cartilage regeneration, bone structure improvement and matrix anabolism. Specifically, an increase in the expression of CD90, the marker of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), in the cartilage was observed. In addition, we evaluated the migratory and chondrogenic effects of CA on MSCs. Different concentration of CA was added to C3H10 T1/2 cells. The results showed that CA enhanced cell migration and chondrogenesis without affecting proliferation. Collectively, our findings indicate that CA may be effective for the treatment of cartilage defects via stimulation of endogenous MSCs.

中文翻译：

---

梓醇通过增强内源性间充质干细胞的募集来促进关节软骨修复

关节软骨缺损面临着软骨再生能力不足的挑战。梓醇（CA）是地黄的主要活性成分，对多种疾病具有保护作用。然而，CA对关节软骨损伤治疗的影响仍不清楚。在这项研究中，通过手术在小鼠模型中诱导全层关节软骨缺损。动物腹腔注射CA 4或8周。根据宏观观察、显微计算机断层扫描（μCT）、组织学和免疫组织化学染色的结果，CA治疗可以促进小鼠软骨修复，从而导致软骨再生、骨结构改善和基质合成代谢。具体来说，观察到软骨中间充质干细胞（MSC）的标记物CD90的表达增加。此外，我们还评估了 CA 对 MSC 的迁移和软骨形成作用。 C3H10 T1/2细胞中添加不同浓度的CA。结果表明，CA 增强细胞迁移和软骨形成而不影响增殖。总的来说，我们的研究结果表明，CA 可能通过刺激内源性 MSC 来有效治疗软骨缺陷。