A Natural Plant Ingredient, Menthone, Regulates T Cell Subtypes and Lowers Pro-inflammatory Cytokines of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease with nearly 1.6 billion patients worldwide and an incidence of 0.5−1%. In recent years, basic and clinical studies have revealed that immune cell responses and corresponding secretion of inflammatory factors are important in the control of RA development. Our study found that a natural plant ingredient, menthone, could be used as a potential antirheumatism compound. In vivo observations demonstrated that menthone alleviates collagen II-induced arthritis (CIA) in mice. Furthermore, we found that menthone regulates the number of Th1 and Th17 cells in CIA mice. Importantly, menthone significantly inhibits the release of proinflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, in CIA mice. Our study suggests a potential component for the development of drugs to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

Immune Defences: A View from the Side of the Essential Oils

“…A study by Karimian et al [ 66 ] demonstrates that another mint species, M. longifolia , likely reduces NO secretion in macrophages by inhibiting iNOS mRNA expression and also decreases the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF, thus, showing its utility in inflammatory disease processes. The most likely cause of this biological activity is menthone; in fact, a recent study in mice with artificially induced arthritis found that menthone significantly reduced the release of cytokines that promote inflammation, including TNF-, IL-1, and IL-6 [ 67 ].…”