2026-10-11T13:56:41Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/34033446 2026-09-30T15:45:34Z category_24544 item_type_3 month_year_09_2026

Acupotomy Alleviates Knee Osteoarthritis by Regulating Chondrocyte Apoptosis via the IFT88-Mediated TRPV4 Signaling Axis Xiuyu Yue (24459332) Rheumatology and arthritis Acupotomy; Knee osteoarthritis; Chondrocyte apoptosis; IFT88; Primary cilia; TRPV4; Calcium homeostasis; Extracellular matrix <p dir="ltr">Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is characterized by cartilage degeneration with no disease-modifying therapy available. Primary cilia, maintained by IFT88, regulate TRPV4-mediated calcium signaling in chondrocyte homeostasis, but their role in KOA remains unclear. Acupotomy shows clinical efficacy in KOA, yet its mechanism via this signaling axis is unknown. This study investigated whether acupotomy alleviates KOA by regulating chondrocyte apoptosis through the IFT88-primary cilia-TRPV4 axis. Transcriptomic analysis, Lequesne MG scoring, Mankin scores,histology, electron microscopy, flow cytometry, immunoblotting, and qRT-PCR were performed on rabbit KOA models treated with acupotomy and/or the TRPV4 inhibitor HC067047. Transcriptomics identified 85 core reversal genes enriched in apoptosis, TRP channel regulation, ECM-receptor interaction, and PI3K-Akt pathways. Acupotomy improved Lequesne scores, cartilage pathology, and chondrocyte ultrastructure. Both acupotomy and HC067047 reduced elevated intracellular Ca²⁺, decreased calmodulin, and increased ACAN expression, with combination showing greatest effects. Both treatments reversed abnormal expression of Caspase-3, -9, -12, ACAN, COL2, and IFT88 at protein and mRNA levels, with greater combined effects in the combination group. These findings suggest that acupotomy alleviates KOA in association with IFT88 upregulation and TRPV4-related signaling, which may contribute to reestablished calcium balance, suppressed calmodulin/caspase-mediated apoptosis, and promoted ECM synthesis. In conclusion, this study provides evidence supporting the IFT88–primary cilia–TRPV4 axis as a potential mechanism for acupotomy intervention in KOA. Acupotomy is associated with IFT88 upregulation and normalization of TRPV4-related signaling, which may contribute to restored calcium homeostasis, suppressed calmodulin/caspase-mediated apoptosis, and enhanced ACAN/COL2 matrix synthesis.</p> 2026-09-30T15:45:34Z Dataset Dataset 10.6084/m9.figshare.34033446.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Acupotomy_Alleviates_Knee_Osteoarthritis_by_Regulating_Chondrocyte_Apoptosis_via_the_IFT88-Mediated_TRPV4_Signaling_Axis/34033446 CC BY 4.0