Berberine-loaded lipid nanoparticle inhibits H2O2-induced chondrocyte injury by promoting mitochondria autophagy in C28/I2 cells

Abstract

Abstract Although berberine (BBR) is considered to be of therapeutic value in treating various disorders; however, its low bioavailability hinders its further development on clinical application. To evaluate the effects of BBR against chondrocyte damage, we synthesized liposomal nanoparticles loaded with BBR (BBR@LNPs) with an average particle size of 137 nm using microfluidic technology. The CCK8 assay was used to determine the cytotoxicity of the BBR@LNPs in C28/I2. Additionally, flow cytometry and western blotting were used to investigate the mechanism of its protect chondrocytes from H2O2-induced oxidative damage in C28/I2. Our findings showed that BBR@LNPs had stable nanoscale structure and low cytotoxicity. Importantly, administration of BBR@LNPs significantly inhibited ROS release and cell apoptosis in H2O2-induced C28/I2, BBR@LNPs enhanced mitochondrial autophagy by up-regulating PINK1 and Parkin expression. Our findings may provide some guidance BBR-loaded lipid nanoparticle delivery system in cartilage injury.