1
|
Liu C, Zhao Q, Zhong L, Li Q, Li R, Li S, Li Y, Li N, Su J, Dhondrup W, Meng X, Zhang Y, Tu Y, Wang X. Tibetan medicine Ershiwuwei Lvxue Pill attenuates collagen-induced arthritis via inhibition of JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. J Ethnopharmacol 2021; 270:113820. [PMID: 33465441 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2021.113820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Revised: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Ershiwuwei Lvxue Pill (ELP, མགྲིན་མཚལ་ཉེར་ལྔ།), a traditional Tibetan medicine preparation, has been used hundreds of years for the clinical treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the highland region of Tibet, China. However, the underlying mechanism of its therapeutic effect remains unclear. AIM OF THE STUDY The present study aimed to investigate the potential pharmacological mechanisms of anti-arthritic effect of ELP. MATERIALS AND METHODS The main chemical constituents of ELP were analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole-time-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS). Forty-eight male Wistar rats (220 ± 20 g) were randomly divided into six groups: normal group, collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) group, methotrexate group (1.05 mg/kg), ELP groups (115, 230 and 460 mg/kg). CIA rat models were assigned to evaluate the anti-RA activity of ELP by determining the paws swelling, arthritis score, organ coefficients of spleen and thymus, and histopathological analysis of knee joints of synovial tissues. The levels of TNF-α, IL-10, IL-6 and IL-17 in serum were measured by ELISA. In addition, mRNA and protein expression levels associated with JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway in synovial tissues of CIA rats were detected by qRT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and Western blot analyses. RESULTS Fourteen main chemical constituents of ELP were quantitatively determined by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS analysis. Treatment with ELP reduced the paw swelling, arthritis score and organ coefficients of spleen and thymus. Histopathological examination revealed the protective effects of ELP on CIA rats with knee joint injury. The levels of serum pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-17) were markedly reduced while the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 was significantly increased with the treatment of ELP. Further investigations showed ELP down-regulated the mRNA and protein expression levels of Bcl-2, whereas up-regulated Bax, SOCS1 and SOCS3. Meanwhile, the ratios of p-JAK2/JAK2 and p-STAT3/STAT3 proteins from synovial tissues were dramatically decreased with the treatment of ELP, whereas no changes of the mRNA and protein expression levels of JAK2 and STAT3 were observed. CONCLUSION These results indicated that ELP reduced the severity of arthritis and joint swelling, suggesting an antirheumatic effect on CIA rats. The possible mechanism is related to inhibiting inflammatory response and inducing apoptosis in synovial tissues by regulating JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. However, further in vivo and in vitro investigations are still needed to clarify the underlying mechanism of ELP in treating RA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chuan Liu
- School of Ethnic Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China; Ethnic Medicine Academic Heritage Innovation Research Center, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China
| | - Qian Zhao
- School of Ethnic Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China; Ethnic Medicine Academic Heritage Innovation Research Center, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China
| | - Lu Zhong
- School of Ethnic Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China; Ethnic Medicine Academic Heritage Innovation Research Center, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China
| | - Qiuyue Li
- School of Ethnic Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China; Ethnic Medicine Academic Heritage Innovation Research Center, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China
| | - Rui Li
- College of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China
| | - Shuang Li
- College of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China
| | - Yangxin Li
- College of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China
| | - Ning Li
- School of Ethnic Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China; Ethnic Medicine Academic Heritage Innovation Research Center, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China
| | - Jinsong Su
- School of Ethnic Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China; Ethnic Medicine Academic Heritage Innovation Research Center, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China
| | - Wüntrang Dhondrup
- School of Ethnic Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China; Ethnic Medicine Academic Heritage Innovation Research Center, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China
| | - Xianli Meng
- Innovative Institute of Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China
| | - Yi Zhang
- School of Ethnic Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China; Ethnic Medicine Academic Heritage Innovation Research Center, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China; NMPA Key Laboratory for Quality Evaluation of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Traditional Chinese Patent Medicine), Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China.
| | - Ya Tu
- School of Ethnic Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China; Development Research Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100700, China.
| | - Xiaobo Wang
- Innovative Institute of Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China.
| |
Collapse
|