OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effects of Artesunate on tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP-1), and on reduced activation normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) in the serum and the synoviocyte culture supernate of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rats.

METHODSEighty male Wistar rats were selected to establish the CIA rat model. On the 6th day after modeling, 60 rats with the sum of arthritis index of right metapedes and two propodium > or = 6 were selected, and randomly divided into 6 groups (n = 10), i.e., the blank control group, the CIA model control group (treated with normal saline, abbreviated as the CIA group), the MTX positive control group (abbreviated as the MTX group), the large dose Artesunate group (at the daily dose of 20 mg/kg), the moderate dose Artesunate group (at the daily dose of 10 mg/ kg), and the small dose of Artesunate group (at the daily dose of 2.5 mg/kg). Mice were sacrificed 7 days of immune injection and their venous blood was collected to obtain the serum. Meanwhile, the synovial tissues of the knee joint were taken by aseptic techniques and primary cultured for 48 h. The supernate was collected by centrifuge. The changes of MCP-1, RANTES, and TNF-alpha in the serum and the synoviocyte culture supernate were observed in each group before and after treatment using ELISA.

RESULTSArtesunate significantly decreased the expressions of TNF-alpha in the serum and the synoviocyte culture supernate, showing significant difference when compared with the model control groups (P < 0.05). There was no statistical difference in the large dose Artesunate group and the moderate dose Artesunate group when compared with the MTX group (P > 0.05). But statistical difference existed in the large dose Artesunate group, the moderate dose Artesunate group, and the MTX group when compared with the small dose Artesunate group (P < 0.05). Artesunate could significantly decrease the expressions of MCP-1 and RANTES in the serum and the synoviocyte culture supernate, showing statistical difference when compared with the model control group (P < 0.05). But no statistical difference existed when compared with the MTX group (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe mechanism of anti-inflammatory action and immune regulation of Artesunate might be correlated with the inhibition of inflammatory factor TNF-alpha and chemotactic factors MCP-1 and RANTES.