| RESEARCH ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2010 | Volume
: 42
| Issue : 2 | Page : 65-69 |
Immunomodulatory activity of a Chinese herbal drug Yi Shen Juan Bi in adjuvant arthritis
Pathirage Kamal Perera1, Yunman Li1, Cheng Peng1, Weirong Fang1, Caifeng Han2
1 Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, China Pharmaceutical University, Mailbox 207 Tongjiaxiang 24, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210009, People's Republic of China
2 Jiangsu Chiatai Qingjiang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Huaian Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
Correspondence Address:
Yunman Li
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, China Pharmaceutical University, Mailbox 207 Tongjiaxiang 24, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210009, People's Republic of China
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/0253-7613.64489
Objective: To investigate the immunomodulating mechanisms of a Chinese herbal medicine Yi Shen Juan Bi (YJB) in treatment of adjuvant arthritis (AA) in rats.
Materials and Methods: Levels of serum tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) were measured by the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Expression of TNF-α mRNA and IL-1β 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-α and IL-1β. It also decreased significantly the TNF-α mRNA, IL-1β 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.
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