Anti-arthritic effect of total anthraquinone from Polygonum cuspidatum on type II collagen-induced arthritis in rats

摘要

Purpose: To study the anti-arthritic effect of total anthraquinone from Polygonum cuspidatum (TAPC) on type II collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in rats, and to investigate the underlying mechanism(s). Methods: CIA rats were prepared and treated orally with TAPC at doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg/day, for 24 days. Paw volume and arthritis score were measured prior to TAPC treatment, and subsequently at 3-day intervals on days 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21 and 24. Serum levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-17 were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), while synovial tissue TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-17mRNA ex pressions were assayed by real time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Thymus and spleen indices were also determined. Results: TAPC (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg) significantly alleviated paw swelling (p 0.05), arthritis scores (p 0.05) and thymus and spleen indices (p 0.05) of CIA rats, when compared with the control rats. In addition, TAPC significantly decreased serum levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-17 (p 0.01); and down-regulated their mRNA ex pressions in synovial tissues (p 0.01). Conclusion: These results suggest that TAPC exerts good anti-arthritic activity in rats, most probably via suppression of inflammatory responses.