Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment of Gout：A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Gout is a metabolic disorder characterized by elevated uric acid levels， often caused by purine metabolism disturbances or abnormalities in uric acid （UA） excretion. Currently， western medicine is the primary treatment approach for gout， but it often comes with significant side effects. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has gained significant development in the field of gout treatment due to its safety and effectiveness. This article aimed to explore TCM strategies in the management of gout， providing insights for the development and application of TCM in the field of gout treatment. Relevant literature retrieved from PubMed， Web of Science， China National Knowledge Infrastructure （CNKI）， Wanfang Data， and VIP databases was systematically analyzed with such keywords as "Chinese herbal medicine"， "traditional Chinese medicine"， "TCM"， and "gout". The findings suggest that TCM can treat gout through a syndrome differentiation approach that encompasses four pathological mechanisms： phlegm， blood stasis， dampness， and deficiency， simultaneously addressing both excess and deficiency syndromes in gout. Based on the pathological characteristics of four syndromes， namely dampness-heat retention， blood stasis-heat obstruction， phlegm-turbidity obstruction， and liver and kidney Yin deficiency， TCM adopts specific treatment approaches including clearing heat and promoting diuresis， activating blood and resolving stasis， resolving phlegm and reducing turbidity， and nourishing the liver and kidneys. These targeted approaches have proven to be effective in gout management. The main mechanisms of TCM in gout management include inflammation resistance ［regulating inflammatory pathways such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha （TNF-α）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-8 （IL-8）， and other chemokines， as well as inflammatory signaling pathways like nuclear factor-kappa B （NF-κB） and NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3）］， uric acid reduction （modulating uric acid transporters and inhibiting xanthine oxidase （XOD） activation）， antioxidant stress mitigation （suppressing reactive oxygen species and regulating nitric oxide， malondialdehyde， and other oxidative markers）， and immune system regulation.