Pathogenesis of Gouty Arthritis and Intervention with Chinese Medicines： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Gouty arthritis （GA） is the metabolic rheumatism caused by purine metabolism disorder， which can be acute or chronic. The main manifestations of GA include recurrent redness， swelling， heat pain， and dysfunction of the affected joints. According to the theory of modern medicine， GA is closely associated with the increase in uric acid， the participation of inflammatory cytokines， the weakening of antioxidant response， apoptosis， and the imbalance of intestinal flora and bone metabolism， whereas the specific pathogenesis remains unclear. GA is characterized by easy diagnosis， difficult treatment， and high recurrence rate， which seriously affects the life quality of patients. Colchicine， corticosteroids， non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs， and selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors are the commonly used western medicines for this disease， which demonstrate remarkable short-term therapeutic effect. However， long-term use of these medicines will bring serious adverse reactions. Chinese medicines， with high safety and causing few adverse reactions， have a variety of active components which can act on multiple pathways and targets to exert synergistic effects， thus attracting wide attention. This paper systematically reviews the literature reporting the Chinese medicines in improving antioxidant response， reducing chondrocyte apoptosis， and regulating intestinal flora and bone metabolism， aiming to further clarify the pathogenesis of GA and provide a scientific basis for the clinical application of Chinese medicines in the prevention and treatment of GA.