title: Topical dermal application of essential oils attenuates the severity of adjuvant arthritis in Lewis rats.
abstract: This study was aimed at examining the effect of an ointment containing essential oils (EO) on the severity of adjuvant arthritis (AA), an experimental model of human rheumatoid arthritis (RA), in Lewis rats and to define the underlying mechanisms. At the onset of AA, the rats received topical application twice daily of an ointment containing 20% EO or placebo ointment. The synovial fluid (SF) and synovium-infiltrating cells (SIC) of rats were tested for pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-1β. The hind paws and skin were examined histologically. The activity/level of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and anti-mycobacterial heat-shock protein 65 (Bhsp65) antibodies were tested. Arthritic rats treated with ointment containing EO developed less severe clinical arthritis compared with the controls, and this activity was attributable to EO and not to the carrier oil. The levels of TNF-α and IL-1β, and the activity of MMPs in SF and SIC-lysate were significantly reduced in EO-treated arthritic rats compared with the controls. However, the levels of anti-Bhsp65 antibodies were unaffected by treatment. Thus, topical dermal delivery of EO-containing ointment down-modulates the severity of AA in Lewis rats by inhibiting defined mediators of inflammation. Such ointments should be tested in patients with RA and other arthritic conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, 21201, USA.
authors.forename: Steva A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Komeh-Nkrumah
authors.forename: Siddaraju M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Nanjundaiah
authors.forename: Rajesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rajaiah
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Kamal D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Moudgil
mesh_terms: D000287:Administration, Topical; D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001169:Arthritis, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D007249:Inflammation / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000378:metabolism*; D053583:Interleukin-1beta / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases / Q000378:metabolism; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009824:Ointments; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D053583:Interleukin-1beta; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D009824:Ointments; D010936:Plant Extracts; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases