title: Reduction of urate crystal-induced inflammation by root extracts from traditional oriental medicinal plants: elevation of prostaglandin D2 levels.
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.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, University of Pennsylvania, 3600 Spruce St, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Sung Mun
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: H Ralph
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Schumacher
authors.forename: Hocheol
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Miyeon
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Seoung Hoon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pessler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015210:Arthritis, Gouty / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D015232:Dinoprostone / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D028001:Eleutherococcus / Q000737:chemistry*; D005122:Exudates and Transudates / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008518:Medicine, East Asian Traditional; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000737:chemistry; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry; D015230:Prostaglandin D2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014527:Uric Acid
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D015850:Interleukin-6; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D014527:Uric Acid; D015232:Dinoprostone; D015230:Prostaglandin D2