Melatonin Prevents Osteoarthritis-Induced Cartilage Degradation via Targeting MicroRNA-140

Osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by the progressive destruction of articular cartilage, which is involved in the imbalance between extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis and degradation. MicroRNA-140-5p (miR-140) is specifically expressed in cartilage and plays an important role in OA-induced matrix degradation. The aim of this study was to investigate (1) whether intra-articular injection of melatonin could ameliorate surgically induced OA in mice and (2) whether melatonin could regulate matrix-degrading enzymes at the posttranscriptional level by targeting miR-140. In an in vitro OA environment induced by interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), melatonin treatment improved cell proliferation of human chondrocytes, promoted the expression of cartilage ECM proteins (e.g., type II collagen and aggrecan), and inhibited the levels of IL-1 beta-induced proteinases, such as matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9), MMP13, ADAMTS4 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 4), and ADAMTS5. Both the microarray and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) experiments revealed that miR-140 was a melatonin-responsive microRNA and melatonin upregulated miR-140 expression, which was suppressed by IL-1 beta stimulation. In vivo experiments demonstrated that intra-articular injection of melatonin prevented disruptions of cartilage matrix homeostasis and successfully alleviated the progression of surgery-induced OA in mice. Transfection of miR-140 antagomir completely counteracted the antiarthritic effects of melatonin by promoting matrix destruction. Our findings demonstrate that melatonin protects the articular cartilage from OA-induced degradation by targeting miR-140, and intra-articular administration of melatonin may benefit patients suffering from OA.