Therapeutic Mechanism of Huangqi Guizhi Wuwutang on Rheumatoid Arthritis / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

ObjectiveTo reveal the mechanism of action of Huangqi Guizhi Wuwutang in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis by pharmacological research based on its clinical application. MethodThe collagen-induced arthritis （CIA） rat model was established by injecting bovine type Ⅱ collagen and Freund's adjuvant at the tail， and was treated with different concentrations of Huangqi Guizhi Wuwutang. The rats were randomly divided into blank group， model group， methotrexate （0.9 mg·kg-1） group， and Huangqi Guizhi Wuwutang low- and high-dose （5.13， 20.52 g·kg-1·d-1） groups， with continuous intragastric administration for 4 weeks. The degree of joint swelling， weight， degree of foot swelling and arthritis index score were determined and the pathological changes of ankle joints were detected by hematoxylin and eosin （HE） staining to observe the therapeutic effect of Huangqi Guizhi Wuwutang on rheumatoid arthritis. In addition， enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） and Western blot were used to measure the expression of interleukin 1β （IL-1β）， interleukin 6 （IL-6）， interleukin 10 （IL-10） and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in serum and the expression of nuclear factor kappa-B （NF-κB） pathway related proteins in synovial tissue， respectively to clarify the molecular mechanism of Huangqi Guizhi Wuwutang in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. ResultCompared with the conditions in blank group， the body weight and IL-10 level were decreased （P<0.01）， and the degree of foot swelling and arthritis index score， the levels of IL-1β， IL-6 and TNF-α， and the expression of NF-κB pathway related proteins were increased （P<0.01，） in the model group， with impaired morphology and function of the ankle joint. Additionally， compared with the model group， Huangqi Guizhi Wuwutang low- and high-dose groups had increased body weight of rats and IL-10 level （P<0.01）， and reduced degree of foot swelling and arthritis index score （P<0.05， P<0.01）， levels of IL-1β， IL-6 and TNF-α （P<0.01） and expression of NF-κB pathway related proteins （P<0.05， P<0.01）， with improved function and morphology of the ankle joint. ConclusionHuangqi Guizhi Wuwutang can significantly alleviate joint inflammatory injury by down-regulating NF-κB pathway and reducing the inflammatory response in CIA rats.