Songhua Li

Inhibitory effects of a traditional Chinese herbal formula TBL-II on type II collagen-induced arthritis in mice

AIM OF THE STUDY TBL-II is the water extract of an anti-arthritic Chinese herbal formula Tongbiling (TBL), which has been used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for many years. We herein aimed to confirm its anti-arthritic effect and explore the potential mechanism of action on collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS Four weeks after the first collagen immunization, mice were treated with TBL-II orally at a lower dose of 100mg/kg/d and higher dose of 300 mg/kg/d for 2 or 8 weeks. The severity of arthritis was evaluated by symptoms, radiological scores and histological assessment. Levels of IL-1β, IL-6, TNFα and IgG2a type anti-collagen II (CII) antibody in serum were measured by ELISA. Competitive RT-PCR and immunohistochemical analysis were used to investigate MMP-2, -3, -9 mRNA and protein expression. RESULTS Our results revealed treatment with higher dose of TBL-II for 2 weeks attenuated significantly acute inflammation, and decreased the amounts of IL-1β and TNFα in serum; treatment for 8 weeks could obviously suppress chronic inflammation, ameliorate cartilage and bone destruction, and reduce the levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, -3, -9 mRNA and protein expression in joints. The levels of IgG2a type anti-CII antibody in serum were significantly reduced by treatment with higher dose of TBL-II for either 2 or 8 weeks. In contrast, treatment with lower dose of TBL-II for 8 weeks had no effect on articular destruction. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggested that TBL-II at higher dose not only ameliorated symptoms but also modified disease of CIA. TBL-II would be a potent candidate as a novel botanical drug for further investigation.

SUPPRESSIVE EFFECTS OF A HERBAL FORMULA, TBL-1, ON TYPE II COLLAGEN-INDUCED ARTHRITIS IN DBA/1J MICE

1. The effects of a formula of traditional Chinese medicine, TBL‐1, on collagen‐induced arthritis (CIA) were investigated in DBA/1J mice.

Efficacy of a Novel Herbal Multicomponent Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapy Approach in Patients with Atopic Dermatitis

Background: In Western medicine, the application of topical steroids and oral antihistaminic or antiallergic agents is the main treatment option for atopic dermatitis (AD). However, instead of these therapies the disease may remain intractable in some patients, resulting in long-term exposure to these chemical agents and consequently leading to concerns about possible adverse drug reactions. Methods: In the present open-label clinical study, the efficacy and safety of a novel multi component TCM therapy approach for AD was investigated. Therefore, 94 patients received the formula I (10 crude drugs) orally, combined with both the lotion II (7 crude drugs), and the ointment III (8 crude drugs). Each crude drug was extracted with boiling water in a defined manner, concentrated, and reworked into the preparations. Standardized scores were used for evaluating the severities of AD (clinical severity 0-4) and pruritus (pruritus score 0-4). Results: Both scores had significantly improved at the end of a 12 month treatment (P<0.001). Eosinophil ratio and serum IgE levels, which were elevated in AD patients, were significantly reduced at the end of therapy (P<0.01). In 32 of 94 treated patients the condition markedly improved, in 59 cases AD improved, and in 3 patients there was a slight improvement with no case of ineffective treatment. There was no hint of renal or hepatic toxicity or any other adverse effects. Conclusion: The present study confirms that the 3 newly developed herbal TCM combination preparations are clinically efficacious on AD, accomplishing a significant reduction in both clinical and pruritus scores as well as in eosinophil ratios and serum IgE levels.

Study of efficacy of 'Tsu-hi rei' on collagen-induced arthritis.

It was demonstrated that the oriental medication‘Tsu-hi-rei’is clinically useful and effective in treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis in China. This effect was supposed to be due to immunomodulation by decreasing of rheumatoid factor and immunoglobulin levels and various parameters of inflammation.So a basic experiment to investigate its mechanism of action was scheduled by using collageninduced arthritis in DBA/1J mice. From 4 weeks after booster injection of type II collagen, “Tsu-hi-rei”and western medication such as indomethacin and an immunomodulator were given, and their effects were compared by clinical observation, X-ray findings and pathologic examination. Anti-collagen antibody was also measured in each treatment group by ELISA.“Tsu-hi-rei”showed suppression of collagen-induced arthritis in frequency and severity. The soft X-ray study revealed decreased bone-destruction and, in sera, titers of anticollagen antibody were lower than in controls.These data suggest that“Tsu-hi-rei”has an antiinflammatory and immunosuppressive effect on collagen-induced arthritis.