The Protective Effects of the Ethyl Acetate Part of Er MiaoSan on Adjuvant Arthritis Rats by Regulating the Function of Bone Marrow‐Derived Dendritic Cells

Abstract

Aims. The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective effects of Er Miao San (EMS) and the regulative function of bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) on adjuvant arthritis (AA) in rats. Methods. The ethyl acetate part of EMS (3 g/kg, 1.5 g/kg, and 0.75 g/kg) was orally administered from day 15 after immunization to day 29. The polyarthritis index and paw swelling were measured, the ankle joint pathological changes were observed using hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, and the spleen and thymus index were determined. Moreover, T and B cell proliferation were determined using the CCK-8 assay. The expression of BMDC surface costimulatory molecules and inflammatory factors were determined using flow cytometry and ELISA kits, respectively. Results. Compared with the AA model rats, the ethyl acetate fraction of EMS obviously reduced paw swelling (from 1.0 to 0.7) and the polyarthritis index (from 12 to 9) P < 0.01 and improved the severity of histopathology P < 0.01 . The treatment using ethyl acetate fraction of EMS significantly reduced the spleen and thymus index P < 0.01 and inhibited T and B cell proliferation P < 0.01 . Moreover, EMS significantly modulated the expression of surface costimulatory molecules in BMDCs, including CD40, CD80, CD86, and major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) P < 0.01 . The results also showed that the ethyl acetate part of EMS significant inhibited the levels of proinflammatory cytokines interleukin- (IL-) 23 tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) α and inflammatory factor prostaglandin (PG) E2 in the supernatant of BMDCs. However, the level of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 was significantly increased P < 0.01 . Conclusion. These results suggest that the ethyl acetate part of EMS has better protective effects on AA rats, probably by regulating the function of BMDCs and modulating the balance of cytokines.

Effect of Er Miao San on rheumatoid arthritis via the NF-κB signaling pathway: Based on network pharmacology and experimental validation

“…One specimen of each (ID: EMS-19-01) was preserved in the Herbarium of Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Hefei, China). The extraction method can be found in our group's previous research 15 .…”

“…EMS has been used for the treatment of immunological liver injury 13 and hyperuricemia 14 . Meanwhile, an increasing number of studies have shown that EMS is one of the classic prescriptions for the treatment of RA 15 . We previously reported that EMS could signi cantly reduce pathological changes, regulate the balance of cytokines and attenuate synovial hyperplasia and in ammatory cell in ltration in joint tissues in AA rats.…”