Triptolide (TP), a major active component of Triptelygium wilfordii Hook.F. (TWHF), is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, it has a narrow therapeutic window due to its serious toxicities. To increase th...Triptolide (TP), a major active component of Triptelygium wilfordii Hook.F. (TWHF), is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, it has a narrow therapeutic window due to its serious toxicities. To increase the therapeutic index, a new triptolide-loaded transdermal delivery system, named triptolide-loaded liposome hydrogel patch (TP-LHP), has been developed. In this paper, we used a micro-needle array to deliver TP-LHP to promote transdermal absorption and evaluated this treatment on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of TP-LHP in a rat model of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). The pharmacokinetic results showed that transdermal delivery of microneedle TP-LHP yielded plasma drug levels which fit a one compartment open model. The relationship equation between plasma concentration and time was C=303.59 x (e(-0.064t)-e(-0.287t)). The results of pharmacodynamic study demonstrated that TP-LHP treatment mitigated the degree of joint swelling and suppressed the expressions of fetal liver kinase-1, fetal liver tyrosine kinase-4 and hypoxia-inducible factor-1a in synovium. Other indicators were also reduced by TP-LHP, including hyperfunction of immune, interleukin-1/3 and interleukin-6 levels in serum. The therapeutic mechanism of TP-LHP might be regulation of the balance between Thl and Th2, as well as inhibition of the expression and biological effects of vascular endothelial growth factor. (C) 2015 Chinese Pharmaceutical Association and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.展开更多
Objective： To study the effect of Wenhua Juanbi Recipe （温化蠲痹方, W JR） on proliferation and apoptosis of synoviocytes in rats with collagen-inducing arthritis （CIA）. Methods： A CIA model was induced by intrad...Objective： To study the effect of Wenhua Juanbi Recipe （温化蠲痹方, W JR） on proliferation and apoptosis of synoviocytes in rats with collagen-inducing arthritis （CIA）. Methods： A CIA model was induced by intradermal injection of bovine collagen type 1[ emulsion at the base of rat tails. Thirty modeled healthy Wistar rats were randomly assigned to one of three groups （10 per group）： the model group, the methotrexate （MTX）- treated group （0.78 mg/kg） and the WJR-treated group （22.9 g/kg）. A group of 10 healthy rats was used as normal control. Treatments or normal saline for the control group were administered by oral gavage once daily. Rats were sacrificed after 30-day treatment and subjected to the following examinations： arthritis index （AI） was estimated, inflammatory cell infiltration and proliferation in synovial membrane were evaluated by microscopy, the synoviocyte apoptosis was determined by TUNEL assay, and the cell apoptosis index was calculated. Results： AI was lowered significantly in the WJR group compared to the model group （P〈0.01）. The pathological findings observed in the model group were reversed in the WJR group, including increase in inflammatory cell infiltration and synoviocyte proliferation in synovial membrane and reduction in cell apoptosis index （all P〈0.01）. Conclusions： Synoviocyte proliferation and apoptosis reduction were present in CIA rats. WJR was effective in treating the rat model of CIA. The therapeutic effect might be exerted through inducing apoptosis and suppressing proliferation of synoviocytes.展开更多
Objective： To investigate whether the dried root of Phellodendron amurense Ruprecht（Phellodendri cortex; PC） extract improves arthritic symptoms through anti-inflammatory and immune-modulatory effects in collagen-i...Objective： To investigate whether the dried root of Phellodendron amurense Ruprecht（Phellodendri cortex; PC） extract improves arthritic symptoms through anti-inflammatory and immune-modulatory effects in collagen-induced arthritis in mice. Methods： Rheumatoid arthritis（RA） was induced in male DBA/1 mice by immunization with type Ⅱ collagen（ColⅡ）. CIA mice were divided into 5 groups（n=10 per a group） with normal, CIA control, PC extract（50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg）-treated, and meloxicam（50 mg/kg）-treated as the reference drug. The PC extract or meloxicam were administered orally in CIA mice once a day for 14 days after arthritis induction. Arthritic score, levels of anti-ColⅡ IgG2a antibody, prostaglandin E2（PGE2）, tumor necrosis factor（TNF）-α, and interleukin（IL）-17 in the sera of CIA mice were measured. Histopathological changes in the ankle joints of CIA mice were also analyzed by staining with hematoxylin and eosin（H and E）, safranin-O and immunohistochemistry using anti-TNF-α and anti-IL-17 antibodies. Results： The arthritic score was increased in CIA mice in a time-dependent manner, as were the serum levels of anti-ColⅡ IgG2a antibody, PGE2, TNF-α, and IL-17. However, the oral administration of PC extract at 50 and 100 mg/kg in CIA mice significantly decreased the arthritic scores, and the serum levels of anti-ColⅡ IgG2a, PGE2, TNF-α, and IL-17 compared with those in the CIA group（P〈0.05 or P〈0.01）. Furthermore, histopathological improvement of the joint architecture in CIA mice was observed after administration of PC extract. PC extract also significantly inhibited the expression of TNF-α and IL-17 in the joints of CIA mice by suppressing the expression of their m RNA and proteins. Conclusion： PC extract may improve the pathological progression of RA through the inhibition of joint destruction by synovial inflammation and immune-stimulation, therefore, it would be a potential anti-arthritic agent in RA.展开更多
Objective： To observe the effect of norcantharidin（NCTD） on collagen-induced arthritis（CIA） rats. Methods： Sixty Sprague-Dawley（SD） rats were randomly divided into 6 groups（n=10）： normal group, CIA model gr...Objective： To observe the effect of norcantharidin（NCTD） on collagen-induced arthritis（CIA） rats. Methods： Sixty Sprague-Dawley（SD） rats were randomly divided into 6 groups（n=10）： normal group, CIA model group（model group）, NCTD low-dose group [1.35 mg/（kg·d）], NCTD middle-dose group [2.7 mg/（kg·d）], NCTD high-dose group [5.4 mg/（kg·d）] and methotrexate（MTX） group [1.8 mg/（kg/w）]. Anesthetized rats were sacrificed by luxation of cervical vertebra after 4 weeks of administration. The arthritis scores were evaluated twice a week. The pathological changes in the ankle joints of rats were observed by hematoxylin-eosin（H＆E） staining. The serum levels of interleukin（IL） 1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor（TNF）-α, vascular endothelial growth factor（VEGF）, IL-17 and transform growth factor（TGF） β were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA）. The mRNA expression of retinoid-related orphan nuclear receptor γ t（ROR γ t） and forkhead box P3（Foxp3） in peripheral blood lymphocytes were confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results： MTX and high-dose NCTD not only decreased the arthritis scores but also alleviated the pathological changes in CIA rats＇ ankle joints compared with the model group（P〈0.05 or P〈0.01）. All doses of NCTD significantly inhibited the serum levels of IL-6, IL-17 and TNF-α in CIA rats（P〈0.05）. Only middle-and high-dose of NCTD prominently decreased serum IL-1β and TGF-β levels of CIA rats（P〈0.05）. However, NCTD has no effect on vascular endothelial growth factor（VEGF） level in CIA rats. The Foxp3 mRNA expression in all NCTD groups were increased significantly than in the model group（P〈0.05）. The mRNA expression of RORγt in NCTD high-dose group was decreased apparently in comparison with the model group（P〈0.05）. Conclusion： NCTD showed therapeutic effect on CIA rats by inhibition of cytokines and regulation of Th17/Treg cells.展开更多
Objective To investigate the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-arthritic effects of Centello asiatica methanolfraction （CAME） on collagen-induced arthritis （ClA）, an animal model of rheumatoid arthritis. Met...Objective To investigate the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-arthritic effects of Centello asiatica methanolfraction （CAME） on collagen-induced arthritis （ClA）, an animal model of rheumatoid arthritis. Methods Arthritis was induced in female wistar rats by immunization with porcine type II collagen. The CIA rats were treated orally with CaME （50, 150, and 250 mg/kg/day） for 15 d （beginning on day 21 of the experimental period）. The clinical, histological, biochemical, and immunological parameters were assessed. Results CaME treatment （150 and 250 mg/kg） significantly attenuated the severity of CIA and reduced the synovial inflammation, cartilage erosion, and bone erosion as evident from both histological and radiographic data. The escalated plasma levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-12 alongwith nitric oxide in CIA rats decreased significantly on CaME treatment. The serum levels of type-Ⅱ collagen antibody were significantly lower in rats of CaME （150 and 250 mg/kg） treated group than those in the arthritic group. Furthermore, by inhibiting the above mediators, CaME also contributed towards the reversal of the disturbed antioxidant levels and peroxidative damage. Conclusion Our results clearly indicate that oral administration of CaME suppresses joint inflammation, cytokine expression as well as antioxidant imbalance, thereby contributing to an amelioration of arthritis severity in CIA rats.展开更多
To develop a simple and highly sensitive high performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization mass spectrometric(LC-ESI-MS) method for the simultaneous determination of madecassoside and its major metab...To develop a simple and highly sensitive high performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization mass spectrometric(LC-ESI-MS) method for the simultaneous determination of madecassoside and its major metabolite madecassic acid in rat plasma, and compare the pharmacokinetics of the two compounds in normal and collagen-induced arthritis(CIA) rats. Glycyrrhetinic acid was used as the internal standard(IS). Chromatographic separation was accomplished on an Inertsil ODS-3 column, using a gradient elution with the mobile phase composed of acetonitrile and water acidified with 0.1%(V/V) formic acid. Detection was achieved by ESI-MS under the negative selected ion monitoring(SIM) mode. In normal and CIA rats, madecassoside(30 mg·kg-1) was orally administered for 21 consecutive days from the day of arthritis onset. For madecassoside, the linear range was 10–1 000 ng·mL-1 with the square regression coefficient(r) of 0.998 9, while for madecassic acid, the linear range was 10–500 ng·mL-1 with the square regression coefficient(r) of 0.996 1. The lower limit of quantification was 10 ng·mL-1 for both analytes. The intra- and inter-day precision ranged from 1.78% to 13.42% for madecassoside and 2.30% to 14.90% for madecassic acid, and the accuracy was between –0.95% and 6.30% for madecassoside and between –1.48% and 5.34% for madecassic acid. The average recoveries of madecassoside, madecassic acid and IS from spiked plasma samples were > 81%. The developed method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of madecassoside and madecassic acid in rats after an oral administration of madecassoside. During initial 7 days of dosing, the cmax and AUC of madecassoside were greatly decreased and Vd/F was markedly increased in CIA rats, and no significant difference was observed on the first day of dosing. In contrast, the T1/2, cmax and AUC of madecassic acid were significantly increased, and Ke of madecassic acid was greatly decreased in CIA rats compared with normal rats. Along with repeated admini展开更多
The therapeutic actions of Qing Luo Yin (QLY清络饮) with heat property and Wen Luo Yin (WLY温络饮) with cold property on pain, swelling of the ankle, arthritis index and ultrastructures of synoviocytes were compared i...The therapeutic actions of Qing Luo Yin (QLY清络饮) with heat property and Wen Luo Yin (WLY温络饮) with cold property on pain, swelling of the ankle, arthritis index and ultrastructures of synoviocytes were compared in rats of type II collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), with tripterygium glycosidorum (TG) used as control. The results indicated that both QLY and WLY could reduce pain, swelling of the ankle and the arthritis index of CIA, and QLY had better effects in reducing the swelling of the ankle and controlling the secondary pathological lesions as compared with WLY. Investigation on the ultrastructures of synoviocytes indicated that both QLY and WLY could reduce the number of Golgi apparatus, rough surface endoplasmic reticulum, dense bodies, matrix filaments and vacuoles so as to suppress the excessive secretion of synoviocytes in rats of CIA.展开更多
Objective: Rheumatoid arthritis(RA) is a chronic inflammatory and destructive arthritis, characterized by inflammatory infiltration and bone destruction. Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Decoction(HGWD) is traditional Chinese medi...Objective: Rheumatoid arthritis(RA) is a chronic inflammatory and destructive arthritis, characterized by inflammatory infiltration and bone destruction. Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Decoction(HGWD) is traditional Chinese medicine, which has been applied in the treatment of RA in clinical. The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effect of HGWD on collagen-induced arthritis(CIA) mouse model.Methods: DBA/1J female mice were used to establish the collagen-induced arthritis(CIA) model. HGWD was administered intragastrically once a day for four weeks starting on the 22nd day after the first immunization. The body weight, hind paw thickness and clinical score were measured every five days. Gait analysis, histopathological staining, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA), ultrasound imaging and micro-computed tomography imaging were performed to determine the effects of HGWD treatment on inflammation and bone structure in this model. Moreover, Real-time PCR and Western blot analysis were used to detect inflammatory factors m RNA and protein levels after HGWD intervention in RAW264.7 cells.Results: HGWD attenuated symptoms of arthritis, suppressed inflammatory synovium area and the serum levels of inflammatory factors, inhibited joint space enlargement in the knee and ankle joints,reduced numbers of osteoclasts, protected bone destruction, as well as improved motor function.HGWD decreased the expression of m RNA for inflammatory factors and the protein expression levels of p-NF-ΚB and IL-17.Conclusion: These results suggested that HGWD suppresses inflammation, attenuates bone erosion and maintains motor function in collagen-induced arthritis mice.展开更多
Summary:Huai Qi Huang(HQH)exerts great effects in clinic,such as anti-inflammation,immune-regulation,anti-cancer,and so on.However,the mechanism by which HQH protects juvenile idiopathic arthritis(JIA)is obscure.Thus,...Summary:Huai Qi Huang(HQH)exerts great effects in clinic,such as anti-inflammation,immune-regulation,anti-cancer,and so on.However,the mechanism by which HQH protects juvenile idiopathic arthritis(JIA)is obscure.Thus,we explored deeply the protective mechanisms in juvenile collagen-induced arthritis(CIA)rat model.Pyroptosis is Gasdermin D(GSDMD)-dependent programmed cell death,involved in many diseases,such as sepsis.We investigated whether GSDMD-induced pyroptosis take part in mechanisms of juvenile CIA arthritis.Juvenile Wistar rats(3-4 weeks)were injected intradermally with fully emulsified bovine typeⅡcollagen and complete Freund's adjuvant to establish CIA rat models.Later,the CIA rats received oral administration of HQH(4.16 g/kg)once a day from the day 21 of modeling,with the treatment lasting for 28 days.Varieties of indicators were measured for evaluation of anti-inflammation effect of HQH,including hind paw swelling,arthritis scores,micro CT,and histopathological changes and the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the serum,including tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α)and interleukin-18(IL-18).The expression of GSDMD and caspasein the joint synovial tissues was detected.The results demonstrated that the expression of the pyroptotic protein GSDMD and its upstream caspase-1 was significantly increased in the synovial tissues of CIA rats.The treatment of HQH ameliorated the symptoms in CIA rats,reduced levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and hind paw swelling,down-regulated the expression of GDSMD and caspase-1.GSDMDinduced pyroptosis participated in the pathogenesis of CIA rats.The study supported that HQH can effectively improve joints inflammation of juvenile collagen-induced arthritis rats by inhibiting pyroptosis pathway in the joint synovial tissues.展开更多
Collagen-induced arthritis （CIA） is an animal model, which closely resembles human rheumatoid arthritis （RA） in pathogenesis and pathology. Evidence suggests that the inhibition of T lymphocytes or their functions...Collagen-induced arthritis （CIA） is an animal model, which closely resembles human rheumatoid arthritis （RA） in pathogenesis and pathology. Evidence suggests that the inhibition of T lymphocytes or their functions can alleviate the progression of arthritis. So the administration of arthritogenic T cell receptor （TCR） variable region peptide or DNA vaccines encoding pathogenic TCR Vβ variable region may provide useful information for designing specific immunotherapies against autoimmune diseases. Heat shock proteins （HSPs） have the function of raising antigenic immunogenicity and HSP70 has a protective effect against arthritis. We previously demonstrated the presence of pathogenic predominant T cell receptor Vβ5.2 and Vβ8.2 clonotypes in the joints of CIA rats. In this study, we constructed the recombinant eukaryotic expression vectors pTARGET-TCR Vβ5.2/8.2-HSP70, and evaluated their protective effects on CIA rats. Protective effects were observed in CIA rats by injecting these recombinant DNA vaccines, which could alleviate arthritis index, decrease the levels of IFN-~ and anti-CII antibody in serum, and increase the levels of IL-4. Pathological changes were not as serious as those observed in control CIA rats. The rat injected with two combined vaccines showed better protective effects than CIA rats administered with individual vaccine. These results showed that recombinant DNA vaccines pTARGET-TCR Vβ5.2-HSP70 and pTARGET-TCR Vβ8.2-HSP70 could significantly alleviate the arthritic symptoms of CIA rats, and better protective effects could be achieved if these two vaccines were used in combination. Cellular ＆ Molecular Immunology.展开更多
Objective:To demonstrate the rheumatoid arthritis(RA)mechanisms by determining the biochemical changes.To investigate the therapeutic mechanism of moxibustion in RA-model rats using a gas chromatography-mass spectrome...Objective:To demonstrate the rheumatoid arthritis(RA)mechanisms by determining the biochemical changes.To investigate the therapeutic mechanism of moxibustion in RA-model rats using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS)metabolomics approach.Methods:A total of 24 rats were divided into three groups as follows:normal control group,model group and moxibustion group.Rats in model group and moxibustion group were set up collagen-induced arthritis(CIA)model.Rats in moxibustion group were treated by moxibustion.After 3 weeks of intervention,right ankle joint,serum and articular synovium samples were collected.Right ankle joint samples were used for histopathological evaluation between 3 groups to get the pathological changes of tissues and cells.Serum and articular synovium samples were used to analyze the changed metabolites of moxibustion on RA rats by the GC-MS based metabolomics.Results:Treatment of moxibustion not only significantly increased the weight of CIA rats,reduced the swelling of hind paw,arthritic scores,IL-1β,TNF-αbut also improved histopathological evaluation in right ankle joint samples.Sixteen significantly altered metabolites were found in RA rats as potential biomarkers of arthritis.Thirteen metabolites,significantly adjusted by moxibustion to help relieve arthritis,were selected out as biomarkers of antiarthritic mechanism of moxibustion,which were mainly involved in phenylalanine,tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis,glycine,serine and threonine metabolism,phenylalanine metabolism,alanine,aspartate and glutamate metabolism,glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis.Conclusions:We have indicated moxibustion treatment is able to resist inflammation in CIA rats effectively.Using GC-MS metabolomics technique,we detect novel metabolites in the moxibustion antiarthritic process,which may aid in advanced understanding of arthritis and therapeutic mechanism of moxibustion.展开更多
基金supported by National Science and Technology Major Project on Significant Creation of New Drugs of China(2009ZX09502-019)
文摘Triptolide (TP), a major active component of Triptelygium wilfordii Hook.F. (TWHF), is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, it has a narrow therapeutic window due to its serious toxicities. To increase the therapeutic index, a new triptolide-loaded transdermal delivery system, named triptolide-loaded liposome hydrogel patch (TP-LHP), has been developed. In this paper, we used a micro-needle array to deliver TP-LHP to promote transdermal absorption and evaluated this treatment on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of TP-LHP in a rat model of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). The pharmacokinetic results showed that transdermal delivery of microneedle TP-LHP yielded plasma drug levels which fit a one compartment open model. The relationship equation between plasma concentration and time was C=303.59 x (e(-0.064t)-e(-0.287t)). The results of pharmacodynamic study demonstrated that TP-LHP treatment mitigated the degree of joint swelling and suppressed the expressions of fetal liver kinase-1, fetal liver tyrosine kinase-4 and hypoxia-inducible factor-1a in synovium. Other indicators were also reduced by TP-LHP, including hyperfunction of immune, interleukin-1/3 and interleukin-6 levels in serum. The therapeutic mechanism of TP-LHP might be regulation of the balance between Thl and Th2, as well as inhibition of the expression and biological effects of vascular endothelial growth factor. (C) 2015 Chinese Pharmaceutical Association and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.
基金Supported by the Zhejiang Provincial Project of Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Plan(No. 2007CB195,2008CA086)
文摘Objective： To study the effect of Wenhua Juanbi Recipe （温化蠲痹方, W JR） on proliferation and apoptosis of synoviocytes in rats with collagen-inducing arthritis （CIA）. Methods： A CIA model was induced by intradermal injection of bovine collagen type 1[ emulsion at the base of rat tails. Thirty modeled healthy Wistar rats were randomly assigned to one of three groups （10 per group）： the model group, the methotrexate （MTX）- treated group （0.78 mg/kg） and the WJR-treated group （22.9 g/kg）. A group of 10 healthy rats was used as normal control. Treatments or normal saline for the control group were administered by oral gavage once daily. Rats were sacrificed after 30-day treatment and subjected to the following examinations： arthritis index （AI） was estimated, inflammatory cell infiltration and proliferation in synovial membrane were evaluated by microscopy, the synoviocyte apoptosis was determined by TUNEL assay, and the cell apoptosis index was calculated. Results： AI was lowered significantly in the WJR group compared to the model group （P〈0.01）. The pathological findings observed in the model group were reversed in the WJR group, including increase in inflammatory cell infiltration and synoviocyte proliferation in synovial membrane and reduction in cell apoptosis index （all P〈0.01）. Conclusions： Synoviocyte proliferation and apoptosis reduction were present in CIA rats. WJR was effective in treating the rat model of CIA. The therapeutic effect might be exerted through inducing apoptosis and suppressing proliferation of synoviocytes.
基金supported by the research fund from Korean Medicine R&D Center, Dongguk University, Republic of Korea
文摘Objective： To investigate whether the dried root of Phellodendron amurense Ruprecht（Phellodendri cortex; PC） extract improves arthritic symptoms through anti-inflammatory and immune-modulatory effects in collagen-induced arthritis in mice. Methods： Rheumatoid arthritis（RA） was induced in male DBA/1 mice by immunization with type Ⅱ collagen（ColⅡ）. CIA mice were divided into 5 groups（n=10 per a group） with normal, CIA control, PC extract（50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg）-treated, and meloxicam（50 mg/kg）-treated as the reference drug. The PC extract or meloxicam were administered orally in CIA mice once a day for 14 days after arthritis induction. Arthritic score, levels of anti-ColⅡ IgG2a antibody, prostaglandin E2（PGE2）, tumor necrosis factor（TNF）-α, and interleukin（IL）-17 in the sera of CIA mice were measured. Histopathological changes in the ankle joints of CIA mice were also analyzed by staining with hematoxylin and eosin（H and E）, safranin-O and immunohistochemistry using anti-TNF-α and anti-IL-17 antibodies. Results： The arthritic score was increased in CIA mice in a time-dependent manner, as were the serum levels of anti-ColⅡ IgG2a antibody, PGE2, TNF-α, and IL-17. However, the oral administration of PC extract at 50 and 100 mg/kg in CIA mice significantly decreased the arthritic scores, and the serum levels of anti-ColⅡ IgG2a, PGE2, TNF-α, and IL-17 compared with those in the CIA group（P〈0.05 or P〈0.01）. Furthermore, histopathological improvement of the joint architecture in CIA mice was observed after administration of PC extract. PC extract also significantly inhibited the expression of TNF-α and IL-17 in the joints of CIA mice by suppressing the expression of their m RNA and proteins. Conclusion： PC extract may improve the pathological progression of RA through the inhibition of joint destruction by synovial inflammation and immune-stimulation, therefore, it would be a potential anti-arthritic agent in RA.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.81273837)
文摘Objective： To observe the effect of norcantharidin（NCTD） on collagen-induced arthritis（CIA） rats. Methods： Sixty Sprague-Dawley（SD） rats were randomly divided into 6 groups（n=10）： normal group, CIA model group（model group）, NCTD low-dose group [1.35 mg/（kg·d）], NCTD middle-dose group [2.7 mg/（kg·d）], NCTD high-dose group [5.4 mg/（kg·d）] and methotrexate（MTX） group [1.8 mg/（kg/w）]. Anesthetized rats were sacrificed by luxation of cervical vertebra after 4 weeks of administration. The arthritis scores were evaluated twice a week. The pathological changes in the ankle joints of rats were observed by hematoxylin-eosin（H＆E） staining. The serum levels of interleukin（IL） 1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor（TNF）-α, vascular endothelial growth factor（VEGF）, IL-17 and transform growth factor（TGF） β were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA）. The mRNA expression of retinoid-related orphan nuclear receptor γ t（ROR γ t） and forkhead box P3（Foxp3） in peripheral blood lymphocytes were confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results： MTX and high-dose NCTD not only decreased the arthritis scores but also alleviated the pathological changes in CIA rats＇ ankle joints compared with the model group（P〈0.05 or P〈0.01）. All doses of NCTD significantly inhibited the serum levels of IL-6, IL-17 and TNF-α in CIA rats（P〈0.05）. Only middle-and high-dose of NCTD prominently decreased serum IL-1β and TGF-β levels of CIA rats（P〈0.05）. However, NCTD has no effect on vascular endothelial growth factor（VEGF） level in CIA rats. The Foxp3 mRNA expression in all NCTD groups were increased significantly than in the model group（P〈0.05）. The mRNA expression of RORγt in NCTD high-dose group was decreased apparently in comparison with the model group（P〈0.05）. Conclusion： NCTD showed therapeutic effect on CIA rats by inhibition of cytokines and regulation of Th17/Treg cells.
基金financial assistance received from University Grants Commission to undertake the present study
文摘Objective To investigate the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-arthritic effects of Centello asiatica methanolfraction （CAME） on collagen-induced arthritis （ClA）, an animal model of rheumatoid arthritis. Methods Arthritis was induced in female wistar rats by immunization with porcine type II collagen. The CIA rats were treated orally with CaME （50, 150, and 250 mg/kg/day） for 15 d （beginning on day 21 of the experimental period）. The clinical, histological, biochemical, and immunological parameters were assessed. Results CaME treatment （150 and 250 mg/kg） significantly attenuated the severity of CIA and reduced the synovial inflammation, cartilage erosion, and bone erosion as evident from both histological and radiographic data. The escalated plasma levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-12 alongwith nitric oxide in CIA rats decreased significantly on CaME treatment. The serum levels of type-Ⅱ collagen antibody were significantly lower in rats of CaME （150 and 250 mg/kg） treated group than those in the arthritic group. Furthermore, by inhibiting the above mediators, CaME also contributed towards the reversal of the disturbed antioxidant levels and peroxidative damage. Conclusion Our results clearly indicate that oral administration of CaME suppresses joint inflammation, cytokine expression as well as antioxidant imbalance, thereby contributing to an amelioration of arthritis severity in CIA rats.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.81374038,81173631)the Jiangsu Overseas Research&Training Program for University Prominent Young&Middle-aged Teachers and Presidents+1 种基金sponsored by Qing Lan Project,College Students Innovation Project for the R&D of Novel Drugs(No.J1030830)partially funded by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions
文摘To develop a simple and highly sensitive high performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization mass spectrometric(LC-ESI-MS) method for the simultaneous determination of madecassoside and its major metabolite madecassic acid in rat plasma, and compare the pharmacokinetics of the two compounds in normal and collagen-induced arthritis(CIA) rats. Glycyrrhetinic acid was used as the internal standard(IS). Chromatographic separation was accomplished on an Inertsil ODS-3 column, using a gradient elution with the mobile phase composed of acetonitrile and water acidified with 0.1%(V/V) formic acid. Detection was achieved by ESI-MS under the negative selected ion monitoring(SIM) mode. In normal and CIA rats, madecassoside(30 mg·kg-1) was orally administered for 21 consecutive days from the day of arthritis onset. For madecassoside, the linear range was 10–1 000 ng·mL-1 with the square regression coefficient(r) of 0.998 9, while for madecassic acid, the linear range was 10–500 ng·mL-1 with the square regression coefficient(r) of 0.996 1. The lower limit of quantification was 10 ng·mL-1 for both analytes. The intra- and inter-day precision ranged from 1.78% to 13.42% for madecassoside and 2.30% to 14.90% for madecassic acid, and the accuracy was between –0.95% and 6.30% for madecassoside and between –1.48% and 5.34% for madecassic acid. The average recoveries of madecassoside, madecassic acid and IS from spiked plasma samples were > 81%. The developed method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of madecassoside and madecassic acid in rats after an oral administration of madecassoside. During initial 7 days of dosing, the cmax and AUC of madecassoside were greatly decreased and Vd/F was markedly increased in CIA rats, and no significant difference was observed on the first day of dosing. In contrast, the T1/2, cmax and AUC of madecassic acid were significantly increased, and Ke of madecassic acid was greatly decreased in CIA rats compared with normal rats. Along with repeated admini
文摘The therapeutic actions of Qing Luo Yin (QLY清络饮) with heat property and Wen Luo Yin (WLY温络饮) with cold property on pain, swelling of the ankle, arthritis index and ultrastructures of synoviocytes were compared in rats of type II collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), with tripterygium glycosidorum (TG) used as control. The results indicated that both QLY and WLY could reduce pain, swelling of the ankle and the arthritis index of CIA, and QLY had better effects in reducing the swelling of the ankle and controlling the secondary pathological lesions as compared with WLY. Investigation on the ultrastructures of synoviocytes indicated that both QLY and WLY could reduce the number of Golgi apparatus, rough surface endoplasmic reticulum, dense bodies, matrix filaments and vacuoles so as to suppress the excessive secretion of synoviocytes in rats of CIA.
基金sponsored by National Natural Science Foundation(No.81822050,81920108032,81904227)Shanghai“Science and Technology Innovation Action Plan”Medical Innovation Research Project(No.21Y11921400)+4 种基金the Program for Innovative Research Team of Ministry of Science and Technology of China(No.2015RA4002)“Innovation Team”Development Projects(No.IRT1270)Innovative Team Project of Scientific Research Project of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Shanghai Municipal Health Commission(No.2022CX001)Shanghai TCM Medical Center of Chronic Disease(No.2022ZZ01009)Jing'an District Health Research Project of Shanghai(No.2022MS03).
文摘Objective: Rheumatoid arthritis(RA) is a chronic inflammatory and destructive arthritis, characterized by inflammatory infiltration and bone destruction. Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Decoction(HGWD) is traditional Chinese medicine, which has been applied in the treatment of RA in clinical. The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effect of HGWD on collagen-induced arthritis(CIA) mouse model.Methods: DBA/1J female mice were used to establish the collagen-induced arthritis(CIA) model. HGWD was administered intragastrically once a day for four weeks starting on the 22nd day after the first immunization. The body weight, hind paw thickness and clinical score were measured every five days. Gait analysis, histopathological staining, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA), ultrasound imaging and micro-computed tomography imaging were performed to determine the effects of HGWD treatment on inflammation and bone structure in this model. Moreover, Real-time PCR and Western blot analysis were used to detect inflammatory factors m RNA and protein levels after HGWD intervention in RAW264.7 cells.Results: HGWD attenuated symptoms of arthritis, suppressed inflammatory synovium area and the serum levels of inflammatory factors, inhibited joint space enlargement in the knee and ankle joints,reduced numbers of osteoclasts, protected bone destruction, as well as improved motor function.HGWD decreased the expression of m RNA for inflammatory factors and the protein expression levels of p-NF-ΚB and IL-17.Conclusion: These results suggested that HGWD suppresses inflammation, attenuates bone erosion and maintains motor function in collagen-induced arthritis mice.
基金This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.81270949).
文摘Summary:Huai Qi Huang(HQH)exerts great effects in clinic,such as anti-inflammation,immune-regulation,anti-cancer,and so on.However,the mechanism by which HQH protects juvenile idiopathic arthritis(JIA)is obscure.Thus,we explored deeply the protective mechanisms in juvenile collagen-induced arthritis(CIA)rat model.Pyroptosis is Gasdermin D(GSDMD)-dependent programmed cell death,involved in many diseases,such as sepsis.We investigated whether GSDMD-induced pyroptosis take part in mechanisms of juvenile CIA arthritis.Juvenile Wistar rats(3-4 weeks)were injected intradermally with fully emulsified bovine typeⅡcollagen and complete Freund's adjuvant to establish CIA rat models.Later,the CIA rats received oral administration of HQH(4.16 g/kg)once a day from the day 21 of modeling,with the treatment lasting for 28 days.Varieties of indicators were measured for evaluation of anti-inflammation effect of HQH,including hind paw swelling,arthritis scores,micro CT,and histopathological changes and the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the serum,including tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α)and interleukin-18(IL-18).The expression of GSDMD and caspasein the joint synovial tissues was detected.The results demonstrated that the expression of the pyroptotic protein GSDMD and its upstream caspase-1 was significantly increased in the synovial tissues of CIA rats.The treatment of HQH ameliorated the symptoms in CIA rats,reduced levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and hind paw swelling,down-regulated the expression of GDSMD and caspase-1.GSDMDinduced pyroptosis participated in the pathogenesis of CIA rats.The study supported that HQH can effectively improve joints inflammation of juvenile collagen-induced arthritis rats by inhibiting pyroptosis pathway in the joint synovial tissues.
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Beijing(No.7052011).
文摘Collagen-induced arthritis （CIA） is an animal model, which closely resembles human rheumatoid arthritis （RA） in pathogenesis and pathology. Evidence suggests that the inhibition of T lymphocytes or their functions can alleviate the progression of arthritis. So the administration of arthritogenic T cell receptor （TCR） variable region peptide or DNA vaccines encoding pathogenic TCR Vβ variable region may provide useful information for designing specific immunotherapies against autoimmune diseases. Heat shock proteins （HSPs） have the function of raising antigenic immunogenicity and HSP70 has a protective effect against arthritis. We previously demonstrated the presence of pathogenic predominant T cell receptor Vβ5.2 and Vβ8.2 clonotypes in the joints of CIA rats. In this study, we constructed the recombinant eukaryotic expression vectors pTARGET-TCR Vβ5.2/8.2-HSP70, and evaluated their protective effects on CIA rats. Protective effects were observed in CIA rats by injecting these recombinant DNA vaccines, which could alleviate arthritis index, decrease the levels of IFN-~ and anti-CII antibody in serum, and increase the levels of IL-4. Pathological changes were not as serious as those observed in control CIA rats. The rat injected with two combined vaccines showed better protective effects than CIA rats administered with individual vaccine. These results showed that recombinant DNA vaccines pTARGET-TCR Vβ5.2-HSP70 and pTARGET-TCR Vβ8.2-HSP70 could significantly alleviate the arthritic symptoms of CIA rats, and better protective effects could be achieved if these two vaccines were used in combination. Cellular ＆ Molecular Immunology.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China:81774383,81904274supported by"Nursing Advantageous Discipline Construction Project in Jiangsu Universities"of Nanjing University of Chinese medicine:2019YSHL008,2019YSHL021。
文摘Objective:To demonstrate the rheumatoid arthritis(RA)mechanisms by determining the biochemical changes.To investigate the therapeutic mechanism of moxibustion in RA-model rats using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS)metabolomics approach.Methods:A total of 24 rats were divided into three groups as follows:normal control group,model group and moxibustion group.Rats in model group and moxibustion group were set up collagen-induced arthritis(CIA)model.Rats in moxibustion group were treated by moxibustion.After 3 weeks of intervention,right ankle joint,serum and articular synovium samples were collected.Right ankle joint samples were used for histopathological evaluation between 3 groups to get the pathological changes of tissues and cells.Serum and articular synovium samples were used to analyze the changed metabolites of moxibustion on RA rats by the GC-MS based metabolomics.Results:Treatment of moxibustion not only significantly increased the weight of CIA rats,reduced the swelling of hind paw,arthritic scores,IL-1β,TNF-αbut also improved histopathological evaluation in right ankle joint samples.Sixteen significantly altered metabolites were found in RA rats as potential biomarkers of arthritis.Thirteen metabolites,significantly adjusted by moxibustion to help relieve arthritis,were selected out as biomarkers of antiarthritic mechanism of moxibustion,which were mainly involved in phenylalanine,tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis,glycine,serine and threonine metabolism,phenylalanine metabolism,alanine,aspartate and glutamate metabolism,glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis.Conclusions:We have indicated moxibustion treatment is able to resist inflammation in CIA rats effectively.Using GC-MS metabolomics technique,we detect novel metabolites in the moxibustion antiarthritic process,which may aid in advanced understanding of arthritis and therapeutic mechanism of moxibustion.
