Response to 'TNF/TNFR signal transduction pathway-mediated anti-apoptosis and anti-inflammatory effects of sodium ferulate on IL-1β-induced rat osteoarthritis chondrocytes in vitro' - authors' reply

Arthritis Research and Th erapy could draw such great interest from the readers. Th e following is our response to Ma and colleagues' concerns [1]. In response to the fi rst question, at the beginning of the research we had screened the entire apoptotic pathways using the Rat Apoptosis RT2 Profi ler™ PCR Array (SABiosciences, Frederick, MD, USA), and the result (Table 1 in the original paper [2]) showed that mRNA expression of Bcl-2 family members regulating the intrinsic pathway did not appear to be signifi cantly changed. We therefore subsequently focused on the extrinsic apop-totic pathway based on the screening data. Th is does not represent negligence of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. In response to the second question, there is not enough evidence to support the hypothesis that miRNAs are essential for the apoptotic process in osteoarthritis. Furthermore, it is even rare to see any study that indicates the anti-apoptosis eff ect of sodium ferulate is mediated by miRNAs. Confi rmation of these factors is another scientifi c issue. In response to the third question, we appreciate Ma and colleagues pointing out our inaccurate description. A correction has now been published to delete the sentence ' All of these results show that diff erent concentrations of SF [sodium ferulate] from 125 to 1,000 μmol/l have no eff ect on normal chondrocyte viability' in the fi rst section of Results [3]. Accordingly, we argue that it is not necessary to conduct the additional investigation on the intrinsic apop-totic pathway and the mechanism involved in miRNAs. Th is extra work recommended by Ma and colleagues would not enhance the persuasive capability of the conclusion in our paper. Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Response to 'TNF/TNFR signal transduction pathway-mediated anti-apoptosis and anti-infl ammatory eff ects of sodium ferulate on IL-1β-induced rat osteoarthritis chondrocytes in vitro'. TNF/TNFR signal transduction pathway-mediated anti-apoptosis and anti-infl ammatory eff ects of sodium ferulate on IL-1β-induced rat osteoarthritis chondrocytes in vitro. Correction: TNF/TNFR signal transduction pathway-mediated anti-apoptosis and anti-infl ammatory eff ects of sodium ferulate on IL-1β-induced rat osteoarthritis chondrocytes in vitro. Response to 'TNF/TNFR signal transduction pathway-mediated anti-apoptosis and anti-infl ammatory eff ects of sodium ferulate on IL-1β-induced rat osteoarthritis chondrocytes in vitro' – authors' reply