Immunomodulatory activity of a Chinese herbal drug Yi Shen Juan Bi in adjuvant arthritis.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the immunomodulating mechanisms of a Chinese herbal medicine Yi Shen Juan Bi (YJB) in treatment of adjuvant arthritis (AA) in rats.


METHODS
Levels of serum tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) were measured by the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Expression of TNF-alpha mRNA and IL-1beta mRNA in synovial cells was measured with the semi-quantitative technique of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), while caspase-3 was examined by western blot analysis.


RESULTS
The administration of YJB significantly decreased the production of serum TNF-alpha and IL-1beta. It also decreased significantly the TNF-alpha mRNA, IL-1beta mRNA, and caspase-3 expression in synoviocytes.


CONCLUSIONS
YJB produces the immunomodulatory effects by downregulating the over-activated cytokines, while it activates caspase-3, which is the key executioner of apoptosis in the immune system. This may be the one of the underlying mechanisms that explains how YJB treats the rheumatoid arthritis.
Perera
Pathirage Kamal
PK
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, China Pharmaceutical University, Mailbox 207 Tongjiaxiang 24, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210009, People's Republic of China.
Li
Yunman
Y
Peng
Cheng
C
Fang
Weirong
W
Han
Caifeng
C