RESUMO
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effects of Geniposide on SNP(sodium nitroprusside)-induced apoptosis of chondrocyte in vitro and cell cycle.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The chondrocyte of three-week-old SD rats were separated and cultivated. The second generation of chondrocyte cells were involved in experiment. Chondrocyte proliferation was measured by assay; flow cytometer were adopted to observe cell cycle and apoptosis rate; NO examination adopted nitrate reductase method.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Geniposide could significantly decrease the percentage of SNP-induced chondrocytes in G0/G1 phase and increased percentage in S phase and G2/M phase. The apoptosis of chondrocyte and the concentration of NO in the culture supernatants was reduced significantly (r=0.917, P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Geniposide could impact SNP-induced apoptosis of chondrocyte by reducing the concentration of NO in the culture supernatants, promoting proliferation of chondrocytes, which is a probable and important mechanism of Geniposide preventing osteoarthritis.</p>