Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease with significant degenerative changes of articular cartilage, which is reported to be closely related to the integrity of chondrocytes extracellular matrix (ECM). Alendronate belongs to the family of bisphosphonates with promising cartilage repair function. In the present study, the effects of Alendronate on the gene expression of chondrocytes ECM and the potential mechanism will be investigated to explore the potential therapeutic property of Alendronate on OA.
Human SW1353 chondrocytes were stimulated with 1 and 2 μM Alendronate for 12 h. The gene expression of 
Treatment with Alendronate increased the levels of ECM related genes (
Our data indicated that Alendronate might promote the gene expression of extracellular matrix through SOX-9 mediated by the ERK1/2/SP1 signaling pathway.