Prevention and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis through traditional Chinese medicine: role of the gut microbiota

Abstract

Recently, despite the increasing availability of treatments for Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the incidence of RA and associated disability-adjusted life years have been on the rise globally in the late decades. At present, accumulating evidence has been advanced that RA is related to the gut microbiota, therefore, the therapeutic approaches for RA by regulating the gut microbiota are anticipated to become a new means of treatment. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can regulate immunity, reduce inflammation and improve quality of life in various ways. Moreover, it can treat diseases by affecting the gut microbiota, which is a good way to treat RA. In this review, we mainly explore the relationship between TCM and gut microbiota regarding the perspective of treating RA. Moreover, we comprehensively summarize the roles of gut microbiota in the onset, development, progression, and prognosis of RA. Additionally, we elucidate the mechanism of TCM prevention and treatment of RA by the role of microbiota. Finally, we provide an evidence-based rationale for further investigation of microbiota-targeted intervention by TCM.

Aconitine and its derivatives: bioactivities, structure-activity relationships and preliminary molecular mechanisms

“…The findings revealed distinct variations in analgesic effects among the three alkaloids. Specifically, at a dosage of 2 mg/kg, the mice exhibited pain inhibition rates of 81.6%, 58.5%, and 51.2% for compounds 15 , 38 , and 39 , respectively ( Liang et al, 2023 ). Furthermore, the LD 50 values for the three alkaloids were determined as 4.06 mg/kg, 2.81 mg/kg, and 12.00 mg/kg, respectively.…”

Investigating the molecular mechanism of Mori Cortex against osteosarcoma by bioinformatics analysis and in vitro experimental

“…With the exploration of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), increasing evidence suggests that Chinese herbs have beneficial therapeutic effects on cancer patients. [ 7 ] Therefore, Chinese medicine treatments as complementary or alternative therapies have been widely accepted. [ 8 ] Mori Cortex is derived from the white inner bark of young mulberry roots, and possesses antiinflammatory, antioxidative stress, and immune-boosting properties.…”

Causal associations between gut microbiota and synovitis–tenosynovitis: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study

“…At present, a plethora of evidence has confirmed that gut microbiota dysbiosis is closely related to the occurrence and development of RA and OA and can further lead to synovitis and tenosynovitis, which is called the gut–joint axis ( Xiang et al, 2022 ; Xu et al, 2022 ). Based on the research of Liang et al, fecal comparative analysis of RA patients and healthy people indicated that the contents of Flavobacterium , Eisenbergia , Escherichia coli , and Klebsiella in the feces of RA patients were higher, while the contents of Enterococcus , Pseudomonas , and Fusobacterium in the feces of healthy individuals were higher ( Liang et al, 2023 ). According to some studies, fecal samples from RA patients were analyzed and showed an increase in Wallemia and Candida species abundance, while Trichosporon , Scedosporium , and Pholiota species abundance decreased, which further indicated that the difference in the fungal microbiome might contribute to the inflammatory reaction in RA patients ( Dagar et al, 2022 ).…”