Pharmacologic Effect of Miao Medicine Illicium simonsii Maxim. on Collagen-Induced Arthritis in Rats.

OBJECTIVES: To study the pharmacologic effect and mechanism of action of Miao medicine Illicium simonsii Maxim. (ISM) in treating rheumatoid arthritis. METHODS: Sixty rats were randomly divided to six groups: normal control (normal), collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model (model), CIA + tripterygium glycosides (TG), CIA + ISM high dose oral (ISM-H), CIA + ISM low-dose oral (ISM-L), and CIA + ISM topical application (ISM-T). The treatment doses were selected based on published reports and folk medicine practice. The outcome measurements included paw swelling, joint pathology, organ index, blood count, T helper 17 (Th17) cell count, and interleukin-6 (IL-6) level. RESULTS: Compared to the CIA model group, all treatment groups showed a significant reduction in paw swelling, blood vessel pathology, Th17 cell count, and IL-6 levels (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01). All treatment groups showed alleviated foot swelling and lower total number of white blood cells, and these effects were observed earlier with oral ISM than topical ISM. The effect of ISM was weaker than that of TG. In addition, less organ damage was observed with topical ISM than oral ISM but better than TG. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that, by downregulating Th17 cells, ISM inhibits the production of Il-6, thereby alleviating the proliferation of endothelial and rheumatoid-like cells and leukocytosis in CIA rats, ultimately eliminating foot swelling.

[Swimming plus medication reduces the expressions of cytokines in rats with chronic abacterial prostatitis].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of swimming plus medication on the expressions of cytokines in rats with chronic abacterial prostatitis (CAP). METHODS: Forty healthy adult male SD rats were randomly divided into five groups of equal number, normal control, CAP model control, medication, exercise therapy, and exercise + medication. The CAP model was made by Xiaozhiling injection, and at 7 days after modeling, the rats in the medication and exercise + medication groups were treated intragastrically with Qianlie Shutong Capsules (0.016 g/ml) at 20 ml per kg of the body weight qd, those in the exercise therapy and exercise + medication groups were made swim at a regular time once a day, 35 minutes on the first day and 5 minutes more on the second until 50 minutes once, for 4 successive weeks, and those in the normal control, model control and exercise therapy groups received normal saline only. After 14 and 28 days of treatment, all the rats were killed and their prostates harvested for observation of histopathological changes and determination of the expressions of TNF- α, IL-1ß and IL-6 in the prostatic tissue homogenate by ELISA. RESULTS: After 14 days of treatment, the expression levels of TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6 were significantly elevated in the groups of CAP model control (ï¼»183.08±8.07ï¼½ pg/ml, ï¼»57.55±3.53ï¼½ pg/ml and ï¼»256.15±13.95ï¼½ ng/L), medication (ï¼»118.49±8.06ï¼½ pg/ml, ï¼»42.64±4.64 ï¼½ pg/ml and ï¼»200.74±9.33ï¼½ ng/L), exercise therapy (ï¼»169.63±10.64ï¼½ pg/ml, ï¼»50.45±5.71ï¼½ pg/ml and ï¼»245.23±6.49ï¼½ ng/L), and exercise + medication (ï¼»107.82±7.81ï¼½ pg/ml, ï¼»40.35±6.93ï¼½ pg/ml and ï¼»187.04±10.85ï¼½ ng/L) as compared with those in the normal control (ï¼»20.36±1.82ï¼½ pg/ml, ï¼»14.64±1.91ï¼½ pg/ml and ï¼»70.58±2.09ï¼½ ng/L) (P<0.05). At 28 days, the levels of TNF- α, IL-1ß, IL-6 were remarkably lower in the exercise + medication group (ï¼»29.30±3.78ï¼½ pg/ml, ï¼»16.91±1.24ï¼½ pg/ml and ï¼» 88.65±6.74ï¼½ ng/L) than in the medication group (ï¼»39.67±3.19ï¼½ pg/ml, ï¼»26.27±3.49ï¼½ pg/ml and ï¼»110.26±6.33ï¼½ ng/L) (P<0.05) and close to those of the normal control group (ï¼»19.34±1.76ï¼½ pg/ml, ï¼»13.68±1.06ï¼½ pg/ml and ï¼»71.34±2.50ï¼½ ng/L). During the treatment, no obvious pathological changes were found in the prostate tissue of the normal control rats, while significant chronic prostatic inflammation was observed in the CAP models, and the inflammation was relieved in different degrees after intervention, most significantly in the exercise + medication group. CONCLUSIONS: Swimming can relieve prostatic inflammation and swimming plus medication can effectively reduce the expressions of cytokines and alleviate histological damage in the prostatic tissue of CAP rats.

[Effect of gamma-interferon on hepatic granuloma formation in mice infected by cysticerci of Taenia saginata asiatica].

Immunohistochemical streptavidin biotin-peroxidase complex method was used to investigate the effect of gamma-interferon (IFN-gamma) on the hepatic granuloma formation and liver fibrosis in mice infected with Taenia saginata in Duyun area of Guizhou Province. The results reveal contrary relation between the level of IFN-gamma in the liver and the degree of liver fibrosis (p<0.01). The injection of IFN-gamma considerably decreased (p<0.01) the area and size of granuloma (p<0.01).