Huangqin-Tang Ameliorates TNBS-Induced Colitis by Regulating Effector and Regulatory CD4(+) T Cells.

Huangqin-Tang decoction (HQT) is a classic traditional Chinese herbal formulation that is widely used to ameliorate the symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This study was designed to investigate the therapeutic potential and immunological regulatory activity of HQT in experimental colitis in rats. Using an animal model of colitis by intrarectally administering 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS), we found that administration of HQT significantly inhibited the severity of TNBS-induced colitis in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, treatment with HQT produced better results than that with mesalazine, as shown by improvedweight loss bleeding and diarrhoea scores, colon length, and intestinal inflammation. As for potential immunological regulation of HQT action, the percentages of Th1 and Th17 cells were reduced, but those Th2 and Treg cells were enhanced in LPMCs after HQT treatment. Additionally, HQT lowered the levels of Th1/Th17-associated cytokines but increased production of Th2/Treg-associated cytokines in the colon and MLNs. Furthermore, we observed a remarkable suppression of the Th1/Th17-associated transcription factors T-bet and ROR-γt. However, expression levels of the Th2/Treg-associated transcription factors GATA-3 and Foxp3 were enhanced during treatment with HQT. Our results suggest that HQT has the therapeutic potential to ameliorate TNBS-induced colitis symptoms. This protective effect is possibly mediated by its effects on CD4(+) T cells subsets.

Anti-allodynic effects of obtusifolin and gluco-obtusifolin against inflammatory and neuropathic pain.

Inflammatory pain and neuropathic pain are major health issues that represent considerable social and economic burden worldwide. In this study we investigated the potential of obtusifolin and gluco-obtusifolin, two anthraquinones found in the seeds of the widely used traditional Chinese medical botanical Cassia obtusifolia, to reduce neuropathic and inflammatory pain. The potential analgesic effects of obtusifolin and gluco-obtusifolin were evaluated by mice formalin test and complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced nociceptive behaviors in rats. Chronic constriction injury (CCI), L5 spinal nerve ligation (L5 SNL), diabetes, and chemotherapeutics inducing allodynia were used to test whether repeated treatment with obtusifolin and gluco-obtusifolin ameliorated neuropathic pain. Finally, we explored whether obtusifolin and gluco-obtusifolin altered the degree of neuroinflammation in rat spinal cord after CFA administration and CCI induction. Obtusifolin and gluco-obtusifolin (0.25, 0.5, 1, and 2 mg/kg) reduced licking/biting time in dose-dependent manner in phase 2 of formalin-induced behavior in mice. Furthermore, repeated administration of obtusifolin and gluco-obtusifolin (0.25, 0.5, 1, and 2 mg/kg) reversed mechanical allodynia induced by CFA, CCI, L5 SNL, diabetes, and oxaliplatin in a dose-dependent manner in rats. Levels of activated nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and proinflammatory cytokines (interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α)) in lumbar spinal cord were elevated in rats following CFA treatment and CCI induction, and obtusifolin and gluco-obtusifolin significantly inhibited these effects. Our results demonstrate that obtusifolin and gluco-obtusifolin produce significant antinociceptive action in rodent behavioral models of inflammatory/neuropathic pain, and that this activity is associated with modulation of neuroinflammation in spinal cord.

[Efficacy observation on osteoarthritis of the knee treated with the ultrastructural acupotomy therapy at the counter-Ashi points].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the difference in the efficacy on osteoarthritis of the knee between the ultrastructural acupotomy therapy at the counter-Ashi points and the conventional acupuncture-moxibustion therapy. METHODS: Sixty cases were randomly devided into an ultrastructural acupotomy therapy group (group A) and a conventional acupuncture-moxibustion group (group B), 30 cases in each one. In the group A, the ultrastructural acupotomy therapy was applied to the counter-Ashi points in which pain was alleviated or disappeared on pressure. The treatment was given once a week, lasting for 1 month. In the group B, the acupuncture-moxibustion therapy was applied to Dubi (ST 35), Neixiyan (EX-LE 4), Zusanli (ST 36), Yanglingquan (GB 34), etc. The treatment was given once daily, lasting for 1 month. Before and after treatment, the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Lysholm knee joint scale and the affected knee joint flexion angle were observed in the two groups. The clinical efficacy was compared between the two groups. RESULTS: After treatment, the scores of VAS, Lysholm knee joint scale and the affected knee joint flexion angle were improved obviously as compared with those before treatment in either group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). The results of them in the group A were superior apparently to those in the group B (all P < 0.05). The total effective rate in the group A was superior to that in the group B [80.0% (24/30) vs 60.0% (18/30), P < 0.05]. CONCLUSION: The ultrastructural acupotomy therapy at the counter-Ashi points achieves the superior clinical efficacy on osteoarthritis of the knee as compared with the conventional acupuncture therapy. It relieves pain and improves the motion range of knee joint effectively. It is simple in operation and less in treatment frequency.