Effects of Modified Duhuo Jisheng Decoction Combined with Arthroscopic Surgery on Bone Metabolism, Oxidative Stress, and Serum TLR4 and TGF-β1 in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis

Abstract

Objective. To analyze the effects of modified Duhuo Jisheng Decoction combined with arthroscopic surgery on bone metabolism, oxidative stress, and serum TLR4 and TGF-β1 in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Methods. Prospectively select 82 patients with KOA from January 2020 to January 2022 in our hospital and divide them into the control group and observation group according to the random number table method, with 41 patients in each group. The control group was treated with arthroscopic surgery alone and routine anti-infection after operation. The observation group was treated with Duhuo Jisheng Decoction on the basis of the treatment of the control group. The patients in the two groups were treated continuously for 4 weeks. The improvement of patients’ symptoms was evaluated by the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). Before treatment and 4 weeks after treatment, the scores of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) symptoms, bone metabolism indicators (cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), collagen type II carboxy terminal peptide (ctx-II), and matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3)), oxidative stress indicators (superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx), malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO)), serum Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) level were compared between the two groups. Results. After treatment, the WOMAC score of the two groups decreased ( $42.45\pm 10.83$ ) in the observation group and ( $67.81\pm 14.63$ ) in the control group. The WOMAC score of the observation group was lower than that of the control group ( $P<0.05$ ). After treatment, the levels of COMP, CTX-II, and MMP-3 in the two groups decreased, and the levels of COMP, CTX-II, and MMP-3 in the observation group were lower than those in the control group ( $P<0.05$ ). After treatment, the levels of SOD and GSHPx increased, while the levels of MDA and NO decreased in the two groups. The levels of SOD and GSHPx in the observation group were higher than those in the control group, while the levels of MDA and NO were lower than those in the control group ( $P<0.05$ ). After treatment, the TLR4 level in the observation group was lower than that of the control group, and the level of TGF-β in the observation group was higher than that of the control group ( $P<0.05$ ). Conclusion. Compared with arthroscopic surgery alone, combined with modified Duhuo Jisheng Decoction can better alleviate the clinical symptoms of patients with KOA, improve their bone metabolism, oxidative stress indicators, and serum TLR4 and TGF-β 1 level, and reduce the inflammatory injury of knee joint.