Ganghwaljetongyeum is a traditional Korean herbal medicine used to treat joint pain, limited motion, fever, and swelling; it also inhibits inflammatory processes associated with arthritis. ChondroT, a water extract of Ganghwaljetongyeum, is a new complex herbal medicine. This study investigated the effects of ChondroT using a rat model of monosodium iodoacetate- (MIA-) induced osteoarthritis. Thirty-six rats were randomly divided into three ChondroT groups and a normal, control, and positive control group. Changes in paw edema volume, histopathology, and plantar withdrawal response were analyzed. Further, inflammatory cytokines, arachidonic acids, liver and kidney function, and hematological features were measured. ChondroT significantly decreased paw edema by the 5th day and notably improved articular cartilage damage; it also significantly improved the plantar withdrawal response in terms of both reaction time and force intensity. Moreover, treatment with ChondroT significantly decreased the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, and prostaglandin E2 and significantly increased serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels. This study demonstrates that ChondroT has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects in a MIA-induced osteoarthritis rat model. These results support the clinical relevance of ChondroT for future use in patients with osteoarthritis. However, further studies are required to elucidate the corresponding mechanisms.

A 57-year-old male patient was diagnosed as Incomplete cervical spinal cord injury and Neurogenic bladder after falling accident and suffered from tetraplegia and urinary retention. The patient was hospitalized and treated with Complex Korean Medical treatment such as acupuncture, electro-acupuncture, bee venom pharmacopuncture and herbal medication for 13 weeks. International Standard for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI) was adopted to evaluate the functional recovery and Korean version of Modified Barthel Index (K-MBI) was adopted to evaluate the recovery of activities of daily living (ADL). After treatment, Total scores of ISNCSCI and K-MBI were improved. Also patient's micturition reflex was recovered and symptoms of neurogenic bladder were improved. This result shows that Korean Medical treatment may be an effective treatment option for spinal cord injury and neurogenic bladder patients. Further clinical studies are needed to clarify the effect of Korean Medical treatment on spinal cord injury. (J Korean Med Rehabil 2016;26(3):143-151)

Objectives This study was designed to review animal studies about the efficacy of herbal medicine for Rheumatoid arthritis animal model which was published in Korea after 2008. We also systematically investigated the reporting quality of the animal studies. Methods We systematically searched original articles in 8 databases since 2008. And manual searching was conducted through 10 Korean medicine journals from 2008. Studies were included if they used animal experimental model(s) with orally administered herbal medicine. Data were extracted regarding animal model, rheumatoid arthritis indicator and detail of intervention. Reporting quality of each study was also assessed by the STARA and ARRIVE guidelines. Results Nine hundred two articles were screened. Finally, 35 articles were included. 35 studies all showed that the herbal medicine used in the studies has significant effect on alleviating the macroscopic indicators, hematological indicators, histological indicators, genetic indicators, osteological indicator of Rheumatoid Arthritis and others. Species of animals was reported in 100% while ventilation and noise were reported in 0% in STRASA guidelines. Ethical statement was reported in 42.9%, experimental animals and sample size were reported in 24%, 29% and there was no study reporting funding. Conclusions These results suggest that herbal medicine might be effective treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis. It should be improved by clinical studies. And there is a need for studying about efficacy and safety of each specific herbal medicine. And we should improve the Reporting quality of the animal studies published in Korea.

Treatment of MVCI with TKM provided effective management of complex symptoms such as pain, disability, and loss of quality of life. A comprehensive plan must be implemented for treatment and research in cases of MVCIs owing to the correlation between physical symptoms and psychological profifiles.

Objectives The purpose of this study is to analyze the osteoarthritis-related effect of each constituent herb of ChondroT, the herbal medicine that used for osteoarthritis. Methods We searched osteoarthritis-related studies on each constituent herb of ChondroT via five Korean Medicine web databases. We classified these studies by each constituent herb (Ostericii Radix, Angelica Gigas Nakai, Clematidis Radix, Lonicerae Flos, Phellodendri Cortex) and researched the osteoarthritis-related effect. Results We collected 18 studies (two studies of Ostericii Radix, five studies of Angelica Gigas Nakai, three studies of Clematidis Radix, six studies of Lonicerae Flos, and two studies of Phellodendri Cortex). All of these studies were composed of in vivo and in vitro, and there were six pharmacopuncture experimental study. All experiments showed the significant effects on specific inflammatory mediators. Conclusions These results suggest that ChondroT will be able to apply to the treatment of osteoarthritis through continuous research and development.