title: Berberine ameliorates collagen-induced arthritis in rats associated with anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic effects.
abstract: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation and joint destruction. In this study, we explored the effect of berberine on rats with bovine type II collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), an animal model for RA. Following treatment, berberine attenuates arthritic scores and suppresses collagen-specific immune responses in CIA rats. Compared with the un-treated CIA group, berberine reversed pathological changes, which showed a significant improvement in synovial hyperplasia and inflammatory infiltration. The expression levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-17 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were obviously reduced in the sera of berberine-treated rats (all P<0.05). Moreover, berberine showed marked inhibition of the expression of VEGF and CD34 (all P<0.05). Interestingly, berberine significantly suppresses p-ERK, p-p38 and p-JNK activation (all P<0.05), which may partially explain the anti-RA activity of berberine. These results suggest that berberine ameliorates CIA in rats associated with anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic effects, which might be of great therapeutic value for RA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Wuhan General Hospital of Guangzhou Command, People's Liberation Army, 627 Wuluo Road, Wuhan, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Zhigang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Sisi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhaoyi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Jianfei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Shenghao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.forename: Zhiguo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Rao
mesh_terms: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001169:Arthritis, Experimental / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001599:Berberine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002417:Cattle; D024043:Collagen Type II / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D024043:Collagen Type II; D001599:Berberine