title: Therapeutic effects of standardized Vitex negundo seeds extract on complete Freund's adjuvant induced arthritis in rats.
abstract: The seeds of Vitex negundo L. (Verbenaceae) have been commonly used as a folk remedy for the treatment of rheumatism and joint inflammation in Traditional Chinese Medicine. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-arthritic activity of the extract of V. negundo seeds (EVNS) using Freund's complete adjuvant (CFA) induced arthritis (AA) in rat model. As a result, EVNS, with abundant phenylnaphthalene-type lignans, significantly inhibited the paw edema, decreased the arthritis score and spleen index, and reversed the weight loss of CFA-injected rats. Histopathological studies showed a marked decrease of synovial inflammatory infiltration and synovial lining hyperplasia in the joints of EVNS-treated animals. The remarkable decrement of serum inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6) were observed in EVNS-treated rats, whereas, IL-10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine, was found to be significantly increased by EVNS. The expressions of COX-2 and 5-LOX in PBMC were also inhibited by administration of EVNS. Our results demonstrated that V. negundo seeds possessed potential therapeutic effect on adjuvant induced arthritis in rats by decreasing the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 and increasing that of IL-10 in serum as well as down-regulating the levels of COX-2 and 5-LOX, and therefore may be an effective cure for the treatment of human rheumatoid arthritis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, PR China.
authors.forename: Cheng-Jian
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, PR China.
authors.forename: Xiang-Xiang
authors.initials: XX
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, PR China.
authors.forename: Hong-Wei
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Ai
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, PR China.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, PR China.
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, PR China.
authors.forename: Yi-Ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, PR China. Electronic address: xingxin56@yahoo.com.cn.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, PR China; Shanghai Key Laboratory for Pharmaceutical Metabolite Research, Shanghai 200433, PR China. Electronic address: qinsmmu@126.com.
authors.forename: Lu-Ping
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Qin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001169:Arthritis, Experimental / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000097:blood; D015536:Down-Regulation; D004487:Edema; D005620:Freund's Adjuvant; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000097:blood*; D007378:Interleukins / Q000097:blood; D007596:Joints / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000187:drug effects; D017705:Lignans / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D058945:Lipoxygenases / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009281:Naphthalenes / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000592:standards / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012639:Seeds; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood; D020950:Vitex / Q000737:chemistry*; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D007378:Interleukins; D017705:Lignans; D009281:Naphthalenes; D010936:Plant Extracts; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D005620:Freund's Adjuvant; D058945:Lipoxygenases; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2
keywords: Adjuvant arthritis; Anti-arthritis; Rheumatoid arthritis; Vitex negundo