Study of sokei-kakketu-to (shu-jing-huo-xue-tang) in adjuvant arthritis rats.
To examine the effectiveness of the herbal medicine prescription, Shu-Jing-Huo-Xue-Tang (SJHXT), for pain relief, we performed a study using rats with adjuvant arthritis (AA). After injecting the adjuvant, AA rats were maintained for 6 months as a chronic pain model. Starting at 6 months, SJHXT was administered for 12 weeks. We measured the tail skin temperature and locomotor activity of rats using thermography and a metabolism measuring system, respectively, before and after 12 weeks of SJHXT administration. Normal rats were used as controls. Before SJHXT administration, the tail surface temperature and locomotor activity were significantly lower in the AA rats than in the control rats. The tail skin temperature and locomotor activity of SJHXT-treated AA rats were significantly higher than those of the control rats. These findings suggest that the pain relief effects of SJHXT may be primarily due to increased blood circulation.
Kansai College of Oriental Medicine, Osaka 590-0482, Japan. kanai@kansai.ac.jp
Shigeyuki
S
Kanai
Norimasa
N
Taniguchi
Hideaki
H
Higashino
D000818:Animals; D001169:Arthritis, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001831:Body Temperature; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013623:Tail; D013817:Thermography; D014867:Water
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D014867:Water