Chondroprotective effect of pomegranate seed oil in papain-induced knee osteoarthritis through animal modeling

Osteoarthritis is a chronic joint disorder with numerous pathophysiological implications. People have been looking for alternative and complementary therapies as a result of the side effects and higher costs of pharmaceuticals being used. The current in vivo study was designed to investigate the anti-inflammatory and immune-modulatory effects of Punica granatum L. or pomegranate seed oil (PGSO) in papain-induced osteoarthritis rat model. The rats were classified into seven groups with 10 rats in each group; normal control, untreated control, standard drug control and experimental diet receiving groups at doses of 2g, 3g, 4g and 5g PGSO/kg b.w./d orally. For disease induction, rats right knee joints were treated with a single intra-articular injection of an admixture of 4 % papain (10 μl) and its activator 0.03 M cysteine (10 μl) and diet intervention was started as early intervention along with induction and continues till seventh week of study. The physical analysis revealed improved joint swelling by 7.45 %–7.9 % in the treatment groups than positive control group. Rats treated with PGSO interventions also showed significantly lower levels of erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein and interleukins (IL-1, IL-6) and improved IL-10 levels. Conversely, higher doses significantly increased serum levels of superoxide dismutase and catalase. Likewise, radiological and histological analyses revealed the administration of PGSO dose dependently prevented the papain induced arthritic changes in knee joints of rats. PGSO may serve as a potent preventive agent for osteoarthritis progression with no side effects as its chondroprotective effect in vivo is highlighted in the present study. Experimental design to assess chondroprotective potential of pomegranate seed oil. • Effective utilization of pomegranate seed waste allows healthy oil extraction. • Pomegranate seed oil (PGSO) contains potent bioactive fatty acid “punicic acid”. • PGSO phyto-composition lowers arthritis risk by reducing inflammation. • PGSO acts as a therapeutic agent for osteoarthritis management by reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines.