OBJECTIVE: No medication currently available for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis is universally effective, and all can produce adverse effects. It is well known that the Acanthopanax koreanum extract has an anti-inflammatory action without any adverse effects reported. It is also reported that diterpenoid which is a partially purified product ectracted from Acanthopanax koreanum has an anti-inflammatory effect. We conducted this study whether diterpenoid extracted from Acanthopanax koreanum has a regressive effect of collagen induced arthritis in DBA/1 mice. METHODS: Four groups of DBA/1 mice were immunized by intradermal injection of 1mg/kg chicken type II collagen with complete Freund's adjuvant. Group II received 5mg/kg of diterpenoid extracted from Acanthopanax koreanum orally daily and Group III receive 5mg/kg of phenylpropranoids extracted from Acanthopanax koreanum orally daily. Group IV received 1mg/kg dexamathasone intraperitoneally twice weekly. Group I received no treatment. The prevalence of arthritis were assessed twice weekly. Seoum anti-collagen antibody was measured by ELISA. Stimulation index of caltured splenocytes were measured. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-10 levels in the supernatant of cultured splenocytes stimulated with Con. A were also measured by ELISA. RESULT: Collagen induced arthritis(CIA) started to develop 5 weeks after collagen injections. In diterpenoid treated group, CIA seemed to be regressed, but in phenylpropranoid group, regressive effect of artiritis was not observed. In dexamathasone treated group, both of suppression of CIA could be observed. Levels of anti-collagen antibodies were reduced in dexamethasone treated group, but not in both diterpenoid and phenylpropranoid group. No significant differences of splenic mononuclear cell SI among the groups was observed. There was an increased secretion of interleukin-10 in the supernatant of cultured splenocytes stimulated by Con A of the diterpenoid treated group. CONCLUSION: These findings showed that the diterpenoid extracted from Acanthopanax koreanum have an effect on supression of CIA.
Eleutherococcus* ; Animals ; Antibodies ; Arthritis* ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Chickens ; Collagen Type II ; Collagen* ; Dexamethasone ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Freund's Adjuvant ; Injections, Intradermal ; Interleukin-10 ; Mice* ; Prevalence ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha