Abstrakt

Antiarthritic Effects of Daphne giraldii Nitsche (Thymelaeaceae) Mainly through Suppression of the Secondary Inflammation

Sheng Wang

The present study focuses on the anti-arthritic effect of Zushima cataplasms (ZC) in adjuvant arthritic (AA) rats. AA rats were treated with ZC from the 3rd day before immunization and continued until the 20th day after immunization. The severity of arthritis was evaluated by swelling, heat, nociceptive, histopathology and radiological changes. The levels of IL-1β, TNF-α in the serum were measured by ELISA. ZC showed no effect on alleviating swelling in primary inflammation, while ZC 0.75 g/kg dramatically reduced the swelling, and showed a significant increment of mechanical pain thresholds in secondary inflammation. The synovial hyperplasia and inflammatory cells infiltration were suppressed by ZC in secondary inflammation but not in primary inflammation. The radiographic studies further provided supportive evidence for histopathology analysis. Additionally, There was significant reduction in production of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) in serum of AA rats treated with ZC. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), characterized by severe morbidity, functional impairment, permanent disability, and increased mortality, is a chronic, destructive inflammatory polyarticular joint and systemic autoimmune disease which leads to the destruction of synovial membranes, cartilage and bone . Although the etiology remains unknown, the recent advancements have demonstrated that many different cell components are involved in the RA development, including neutrophils, T and B lymphocytes, and monocytes/macrophages .