Geniposide Improves Glycolysis Driven Angiogenesis in Experimentary Arthritis by Inhibiting SphK1-PI3K-Akt-PFKFB3 Signal

Angiogenesis driven by aerobic glycolysis in endothelial cells sustains rheumatoid arthritis (RA) progression. Geniposide (GE), an iridoid ether extracted from the Rubiaceae plant Gardenia jasminoides J. Ellis, has shown anti-angiogenic potential in experimental arthritis. However, its role in metabolic regulation of angiogenesis remains unclear. The purpose was to explore the roles of GE on metabolism in angiogenesis and potential mechanisms. Adjuvant arthritis (AA) rat models and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were established. Network pharmacology predicted potential targets of GE, while metabolomics analysis was conducted on RA patient serum and AA rat synovial tissue. The role of PFKFB3, a key glycolytic enzyme, was validated by gene silencing and pharmacological interventions. The signaling axis was further explored using inhibitors, agonists, and protein interaction assays. The role of the key glycolytic enzyme PFKFB3 and the upstream–downstream relationship of the signaling axis were validated through gene silencing and pharmacological intervention. GE improved angiogenesis in vivo and in vitro models, and PFKFB3 may be a potential target. Metabolomics has shown that GE significantly inhibited the elevated levels of glycolysis metabolism in arthritis rats, which may be related to the inhibition of PFKFB3 expression. PFKFB3-siRNA down-regulated angiogenesis in HUVECs, demonstrating that PFKFB3-mediated glycolysis was involved in angiogenesis. SphK1-siRNA indicated that PFKFB3 was regulated and activated by the SphK1-PI3K-AKt signal and induced a high level of glycolytic metabolism phenotype. GE intervention significantly downregulated the levels of glycolysis metabolism in arthritis models by inhibiting the SphK1-PI3K-AKt-PFKFB3 signal. The SphK1-PI3K-Akt-PFKB3 signal is the metabolic mechanism of the natural product active ingredient GE in anti-angiogenesis, revealing the important role of glycolytic metabolism in RA angiogenesis. This provides new insights into metabolic regulation in RA treatment and potential therapeutic strategies for metabolic targeted interventions.