Kaempferol protects chondrogenic ATDC5 cells against inflammatory injury triggered by lipopolysaccharide through down-regulating miR-146a
Authors: Chuanan Liu
Guisheng Yu
Chuandong Yu
Peng Hao
Yongkun Wang
Rui Jiang
Yan Huang
Journal: International Immunopharmacology (2019)
Discipline: PHARMACOLOGY & TOXICOLOGY
Keywords: ATDC5 cell; Decorin; Kaempferol; Lipopolysaccharide (LPS); Osteoarthritis (OA)
Affiliations: Department of Orthopaedics, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130033, Jilin, China., Department of Orthopaedics, Heze Municipal Hospital, Heze 274031, Shandong, China., Department of Orthopaedics, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130033, Jilin, China. Electronic address: .

Abstract:  Kaempferol is a kind of bioflavonoid exerts diverse pharmacological activities, including anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory activities. Kaempferol has been recognized as an effective agent for alleviating the clinical symptoms of osteoarthritis (OA). This study aimed to provide evidence that Kaempferol has potential in the management of OA. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation induced a significant cell death and inflammatory injury in ATDC5 cells, as evidenced by the decreased cell viability, the induced apoptosis, the activated caspase-3, and the excessive production of IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-Œ±. Precondition of cells with Kaempferol prevented apoptosis and the release of proinflammatory cytokines triggered by LPS. miR-146a was down-regulated by Kaempferol treatment, and Decorin was up-regulated by miR-146a overexpression. Consistently, both silence of miR-146a and Decorin exhibited Kaempferol-like effects towards ATDC5 cells stimulated by LPS. Moreover, Decorin silence activated PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. In rat model of OA, the expression of miR-146a and Decorin in cartilage tissues was repressed by Kaempferol. Also, the activated PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in OA animal model was enhanced by Kaempferol administration. These data suggested that Kaempferol exerted potential anti-OA effects through down-regulation of miR-146a, and thus repressing the expression of Decorin. 

Retracted: No

PubPeer comments:
 We have so far identified over 200 papers where all protein data have been falsified. Here is a new one with the characteristic repetitive patterns in the Western immunoblot background (seen by adjusting the contrast).  , 
 This paper belongs to a set of over 400 papers (as per February 2020) that share very similar Western blots with tadpole-like shaped bands, the same background pattern, and striking similarities in title structures, paper layout, bar graph design, and - in a subset - flow cytometry panels. Despite these similarities, these papers are authored by researchers from different departments and institutes, with almost no overlap in authors. The list of these papers is available here: https: docs.google.com spreadsheets d 1KXqTAyl4j-jVorFPMD2XRpr76LcIKJ0CVyIvRj0exYQ edit?usp=sharing A more detailed description of this set of papers, suspected to all be generated by a common source, a paper mill , can be found here: * https: forbetterscience.com 2020 01 24 the-full-service-paper-mill-and-its-chinese-customers (January 2020) * https: scienceintegritydigest.com 2020 02 21 the-tadpole-paper-mill (February 2020) The same paper mill has been described in these papers: * Jana Christopher - Systematic fabrication of scientific images revealed - FEBS Letters (2018) - https: febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com doi full 10.1002 1873-3468.13201 * Jennifer A Byrne and Jana Christopher - Digital magic, or the dark arts of the 21st centuryu2014how can journals and peer reviewers detect manuscripts and publications from paper mills? - FEBS Letters (2020) - https: febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com doi full 10.1002 1873-3468.13747 , 
 Expression of Concern - [November 2021] . ------------------------- The journal would like to alert readers to the fact that the publication u201cKaempferol protects chondrogenic ATDC5 cells against inflammatory injury triggered by lipopolysaccharide through down-regulating miR-146au201d, which was published in the *International Immunopharmacology* 69 (2019) 373u2013381 https: doi.org 10.1016 j.intimp.2019.02.014, has been included in a general set of allegations of over 400 papers described here: https: scienceintegritydigest.com 2020 02 21 the-tadpole-paper-mill . Particularly, concern has been raised about Figure 3C: https: pubpeer.com publications 4936E909A3B6E7CC323960C282EB7E#1. Since the authors have not been able to provide raw data of sufficient quality and detail for the journal to independently audit the provenance and validity of the data, we are issuing this Expression of Concern to alert readers with regard to the concerns raised about the reliability of the published images and data. Editor-in-Chief International Immunopharmacology. ,