ABSTRACT
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disorder primarily occurred in small joints.Our previous studies suggested that sufficient lymphatic drainage was favorable for the recovery of RA.This study aimed at exploring the effect of Er Chen combined with Tao Hong Si Wu Tang (ECSWT) on RA in TNF transgenic (TNF-Tg) mice.Ten-week old TNF-Tg mice and WT littermates were detected with indocyanine green-nearinfrared (ICG-NIR) lymphatic imaging system before and after accepting the 12-week intragastric administration of ECSWT.All ankle joints were assessed by micro-CT scanning.According to three dimensional images of Micro-CT,it was found that the ankle joints in the TNF-Tg group were much eroded compared with the control group.The bone mass and structure were protected after the treatment of ECSWT.ICG-NIR results showed that lymphatic clearance rate of the TNF-Tg group decreased compared with those of the control group.In comparison with the TNF-Tg group,ECSWT promoted the repair of lymphatic function.Compared with the control group,the pulse value of the TNF-Tg group declined;while this condition could be rescued by ERSWT.In conclusion,ECSWT mitigated bone erosion of astragalus bone area in TNF-Tg mice in contrast to the saline mice,while promoted the pulse value and clearance of lymphatic vessels afferent from footpad to popliteal lymph node,implying that ECSWT was a promising agent for treating RA through its promoting lymphatic drainage function effects.