Xinfeng capsule for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis patients with decreased pulmonary function--a randomized controlled clinical trial / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To determine the effectiveness and safety of Xinfeng Capsules (XFC) for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with decreased pulmonary function.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This was a randomized controlled clinical trial of 80 RA patients. Participants were assigned to the trial group (40 cases) and the control group (40 cases) by block randomization. The trial group was treated with XFC, three pills each time three times daily for 2 months. The control group was treated with tripterygium glycoside (TPT), two pills each time three times daily for 2 months. Both groups were followed up after 2 months. The clinical effects, changes in joint and pulmonary function, and quality of life before and after treatment were observed; safety indices were also evaluated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Pain, swelling, tenderness, and duration of morning stiffness of joints were obviously decreased after treatment in both the trial and the control groups compared with baseline (P<0.01). Compared with before treatment, hand grip strength increased significantly after treatment in the trial group (P=0.0000); pulmonary function parameters such as forced expiratory volume in the first second of expiration/forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC), 50% of the expiratory flow of forced vital capacity (FEF50), carbon monoxide diffusing capacity (DLco) were increased (P<0.01 or P<0.05); measures of quality of life such as role-physical, body pain, vitality and mental health were also improved after treatment in the trial group (all P<0.05). Joint swelling in the trial group decreased compared with the control group (P=0.0043), while hand grip strength was increased after treatment (P=0.0000). The increase in FEF50, DLco, and the dimensions of quality of life such as vitality and mental health were all significantly greater in the trial group than the control group (P<0.05 or P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>XFC not only relieved joint pain in RA patients, but also significantly improved the ventilation and diffusion function of the lungs. Therefore, XFC could improve the whole body function and enhance the quality of life of RA patients.</p>

Effect of triptolide on expressions of Notch receptors and ligands in rats with adjuvant- induced arthritis and reduced pulmonary function / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effects of triptolide on Notch receptor and ligand expressions in rats with adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty rats were randomly divided into normal control (NC) group, model (MC) group, methotrexate group and triptolide groups. Rat models of AA were established by an intradermal injection of 0.1 mL Freund's complete adjuvant into the right paw. Twelve days after the injection, the rats were treated with corresponding drugs for 30 days; the rats in NC group and MC group were given saline only. Paw edema volume (E), arthritis index (AI), pulmonary function, histomorphologies, and Notch receptor/ ligand expression in the lung tissue were analyzed after the treatments.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the NC group, E, AI, Notch3, Notch4, and Delta1 expressions in the lung tissues significantly increased while pulmonary function and pulmonary expressions of Notch1, Jagged1, and Jagged2 significantly decreased the model rats (P<0.01). Compared with the MC group, triptolide-treated rats showed significantly improved pulmonary functions, increased expressions of Notch1, Jagged1, and Jagged2 and decreased expressions of Notch3, Notch4, and Delta1 in the lungs (P<0.05, P<0.01); the therapeutic effect of triptolide was better than that of methotrexate.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Triptolide can reduce inflammatory reaction and immune complex deposition to improve joint and pulmonary symptoms in rats with AA possibly by up-regulating the expressions of Notch3, Notch4, and Delta1 and down-regulating the expressions of Jagged1, Jagged2, and Notch1.</p>

Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis by xinfeng capsule: an efficacy observation / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the curative effect of Xinfeng Capsule (XC) in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Recruited were 80 active RA patients, who were randomly assigned to the normal control group and the treatment group, 40 in each group. All patients received the same routine anti-rheumatic treatment: Methotrexate 10 mg per week; Diclofenac 50 mg when pain was obvious, twice daily. Patients in the treatment group took XC 3 tablets each time, thrice daily. All treatment lasted for 12 consecutive weeks. Serum iron (SI), serum ferritin (SF), transferrin (TRF); and RA disease activity index (DAS-28) were detected in all patients.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>XC could improve HAQ, DAS-28, hypersensitive C reactive protein (hs-CRP), prostaglandins A (PGA), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), number of swelling joints, number of tender joints, and morning stiffness time in acute RA patients, showing statistical difference when compared with those of the control group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, SI, SF, DAS-28, and TRF significantly decreased in the treatment group (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>XC could improve DAS-28, and SI reserve in patients with active RA, and lower DAS-28 related indicators.</p>

Hypoxia induced by CoCl2 influencing the expression and the activity of matrix metalloproteinase-2 in rat hepatic stellate cells / 中华肝脏病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effects of hypoxia induced by cobalt chloride on the expression and the activity of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) in rat hepatic stellate cells (HSC-T6) and to clarify the possible mechanisms.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>HSC-T6 cell line was grown in Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium with 10% fetal calf serum at 37 degrees C and 5% CO2. When reaching confluence, the cells were incubated with serum-free medium in the presence of cobalt chloride (0, 50, 100, 200 micromol/L) for six hours, and then the supernatant and the cells were harvested. The expression of the MMP-2 mRNA and HIF-1alpha protein in HSC-T6 cells was detected using RT-PCR and Western blot respectively. The activity of the MMP-2 in the supernatant was detected by zymography. The binding reaction between HIF-1a protein and MMP-2 gene sequence was investigated by electrophoresis mobility shift assay.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>When the concentration of CoCl2 increased from 0 micromol/L to 200 micromol/L, the expressions of MMP-2 mRNA (the rate of light density) were increased from 0.53+0.12 to 1.57+0.11 and the differences among these four groups were significant (F=34.21). The activity of MMP-2 (the value of light density*band area) decreased gradually from 84.49+5.38 to 53.70+3.42, and the differences among these four groups were also significant (F=29.54). The expressions of HIF-1a were increased gradually with the increase of the CoCl2 concentration. The shift band in the lane of the nuclear protein extraction and the MMP-2 probe containing hypoxia response element showed delays when compared with the lane of the sole probe, and the binding was partially abolished when competing sense oligonucleotides were used.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Our results suggest that chemical hypoxia can up-regulate the expression of MMP-2 mRNA and decrease the activity of the enzyme. HIF-1alpha may play a part in the regulation of MMP-2 transcription under hypoxic conditions.</p>

Effect of combination glycyrrhiizin and triptolide on TNF-alpha and IL-10 in serum of collagen induced arthritis rats / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effects of combination therapy with glycyrrhizin (GL) and triptolide (TP) on collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rats.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Sixty male SD rats were randomly divided into 6 groups: the model group, the TP group, the GL group, and combination 1, 2, 3 groups. The models were induced by collagen type II. The arthritis index (AI) and the edema rate were detected as curative effect, and the level of antibodies to collagen, TNF-alpha and IL-10 were measured by ELISA.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>The combination therapy with GL and TP significantly reduced the paw edema and arthritis index of CIA rats (P <0. 01 ), and the combination therapy can increase the level of IL-10, while decrease the level of TNF-alpha, and the level of antibodies to collagen decreased too (P <0.05, P <0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Combine 26.78 mg x kg(-1) GL with 13.40 microg x kg(-1) TP can significantly inhibited the CIA, and the effect equal to the dosage of 17. 86 microg x kg(-1) TP. It supports the possible of GL in combination with TP to reduce the dose and side effects related to TP.</p>

Therapeutic effect of xinfeng capsule in treating adjuvant arthritis in rats and its effect on fas, fasL and bcl-2 expression in synovial membrane / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the therapeutic effect of Xinfeng Capsule (XFC) in treating adjuvant arthritis of rats and its effect on fas, fasL and bcl-2 expression in synovial membrane.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Rats were randomly divided into the normal group, the model group, the model group, the methotrexate (MTX) group, the TPT group and the XFC group. Except for the rats in the normal group, animals were modelled to adjuvant arthritis with Freund's complete adjuvant, and the latter three groups were treated with MTX, Tripterygium wilfordii polysaccharide (TPT) and XFC respectively. The arthritis index (AI), change of body weight (BW) of rats were recorded, and the expressions of fas, fasL and bcl-2 in rats' synovial membrane were determined.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with before treatment, the AI in the three treated groups was lowered significantly (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). The BW increment in the XFC group after treatment was insignificantly different to that in the normal group (P > 0.05), while it was significantly lower in the other two treated groups than that in the normal group and the XFC group (P < 0.01). Compared with the model group, fasL expression was increased in the XFC group significantly (P < 0.05), but bcl-2 expression decreased, fas expression showed insignificant difference (P > 0.05). Comparison of the three gene expressions between the three treated groups showed no significant difference (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>XFC could decrease AI in rats with adjuvant arthritis in the same way as MTX and TPT, it effected better in increasing BW than the latter two. The effect of XFC might be performed by its action in enhancing fasL expression, inhibiting bcl-2 expression and promoting apoptosis of proliferated synovial membranous cell so as to restrain hyperplasia of synovial membrane.</p>