The pharmacological mechanism study of traditional prescription Meng-He Long-Huo-Tang on the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

A Chinese traditional prescription Meng-He Long-Huo-Tang (LHT) has been used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for long time, but the pharmacological mechanism is unknown. A collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rat model was established to study the effects of LHT on CIA rats by recording body weight, paw thickness, arthritis score and peripheral blood analysis. In vitro, rat fresh synovial fibroblasts (SFbs) were extracted, and the effects of LHT on SFbs proliferation, migration and apoptosis were investigated using cell viability and migration assays, gelatin zymography, western blot and immunocytochemistry. In vivo experiments show that LHT can reduce the joint swelling, decrease the levels of MMP-2/9 and inflammatory factors in the blood of CIA rats. In vitro experiments showed that LHT inhibited cell proliferation, migration and promoted apoptosis of activated SFbs. To sum up, this study revealed the underlying mechanism that LHT can effectively alleviate rheumatoid arthritis symptoms by reducing inflammatory factors and inhibiting SFbs excessive proliferation.