Title |
Reduction of urate crystal-induced inflammation by root extracts from traditional oriental medicinal plants: elevation of prostaglandin D2levels
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Published in |
Arthritis Research & Therapy, July 2007
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DOI | 10.1186/ar2222 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Sung Mun Jung, H Ralph Schumacher, Hocheol Kim, Miyeon Kim, Seoung Hoon Lee, Frank Pessler |
Abstract |
Dried roots of the plants Acanthopanax senticosus, Angelica sinensis and Scutellaria baicalensis are used in traditional oriental medicine and reportedly possess anti-inflammatory properties. Using the murine air pouch model of inflammation, we investigated the efficacy and mode of action of an extract from these three plants in crystal-induced inflammation. Air pouches were raised on the backs of 8-week-old BALB/c mice. Mice were fed 100 mg/kg body weight of root extracts (A. senticosus:A. sinensis:S. baicalensis mixed in a ratio of 5:4:1 by weight) or vehicle only on days 3-6. Inflammation was elicited on day 6 by injecting 2 mg of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals into the pouch. Neutrophil density and IL-6 and TNF-alpha mRNA levels were determined in the pouch membrane, and the leukocyte count and IL-6, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) levels were determined in the pouch exudate. Treatment with the root extracts led to a reduction in all inflammatory parameters: the leukocyte count in the pouch exudate decreased by 82%; the neutrophil density in the pouch membrane decreased by 68%; IL-6 and TNF-alpha mRNA levels in the pouch membrane decreased by 100%; the IL-6 concentration in the pouch fluid decreased by 50%; and the PGE2 concentration in the pouch fluid decreased by 69%. Remarkably, the concentration of the potentially anti-inflammatory PGD2 rose 5.2-fold in the pouch exudate (p < 0.005), which led to a normalization of the PGD2:PGE2 ratio. A 3.7-fold rise in hematopoietic PGD synthase (h-PGDS) mRNA paralleled this rise in PGD2 (p = 0.01). Thus, the root extracts diminished MSU crystal-induced inflammation by reducing neutrophil recruitment and expression of pro-inflammatory factors and increasing the level of the potentially anti-inflammatory PGD2. These results support a need for further studies of the efficacy of these extracts in the treatment of inflammatory arthropathies and suggest elevation of PGD2 levels as a novel mechanism for an anti-inflammatory agent. |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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Unknown | 24 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
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Student > Bachelor | 6 | 25% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 5 | 21% |
Student > Master | 4 | 17% |
Researcher | 2 | 8% |
Lecturer | 1 | 4% |
Other | 1 | 4% |
Unknown | 5 | 21% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 5 | 21% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 4 | 17% |
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science | 3 | 13% |
Chemical Engineering | 1 | 4% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 1 | 4% |
Other | 4 | 17% |
Unknown | 6 | 25% |