For rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts (RA-SFs), BPNSs exert cytoprotective effects by inhibiting early-stage autophagy through the regulation of AMP-activated protein kinase-mammalian target of rapamycin (AMPK-mTOR) pathway, increasing intracellular ATP levels via the restoration of oxidative phosphorylation, resisting apoptosis, suppressing inflammation and oxidative stress, as well as down-regulating senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP)-related genes (Fig. 1B). This evidence concerns the gene MTOR and rheumatoid arthritis.