title: Immunomodulatory activity of a Chinese herbal drug Yi Shen Juan Bi in adjuvant arthritis.
abstract: 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.
authors: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, China Pharmaceutical University, Mailbox 207 Tongjiaxiang 24, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210009, People's Republic of China.
authors: Pathirage Kamal
authors: PK
authors: Perera
authors: Yunman
authors: Y
authors: Li
authors: Cheng
authors: C
authors: Peng
authors: Weirong
authors: W
authors: Fang
authors: Caifeng
authors: C
authors: Han