HMOX1 and osteoarthritis: Yifan Wu et al. also found that Sinomenine activated the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2/ heme oxygenase-1 (Nrf2/HO-1) signaling pathway and suppressed the NF-κB signaling pathway to inhibit the inflammatory response and cartilage destruction in osteoarthritis (OA) mice51.