Effects of herbal preparation EM 1201 in adjuvant arthritic rats: comparison with diclofenac

The aim of this study was to investigate anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of preparation EM 1201 on adjuvant induced arthritis in rats. Material and methods. Adjuvant arthritis (AA) was induced in 24 female Wistar rats by intradermal injection of complete Freund’s adjuvant into the left hind paw. The course of disease and pro-/antioxidant status of blood serum in response to the prophylactic treatment with EM 201 has been investigated in animals that received oral injection preparation of EM 1201 in dose 110 mg/kg 5 times a week and the effect was compared not only with the control AA group without the treatment but also with the group treated with diclofenac. Body weight, joint swelling, and the blood parameters like ESR, leukocyte and erythrocyte count were checked. Indices of pro-/antioxidant status of blood serum such as malondialdehyde (MDA), the activities of antioxidant enzyme catalase (CAT), total antioxidant activity (AOA), and histological changes in joints and the liver were investigated. Original article Effects of herbal preparation EM 1201 in adjuvant arthritic rats: comparison with diclofenac L. Leonavičienė1, R. Bradūnaitė1, D. Vaitkienė2, A. Vasiliauskas1, D. Zabulytė1, I. Jonauskienė1, G. Bižanov1, T. Normantienė1, L. Akramas3, 4 1 State Research Institute Center for Innovative Medicine, 2 Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine 3 Pharmaceutical company “Aconitum” 4 Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Address : L. Leonavičienė State Research Institute Center for Innovative Medicine, Žygimantų str. 9, LT-01102 Vilnius, Lithuania E. mail: [email protected] Tel.: +370 5 2616703 Fax: +370 5 2123073 Results. Preparation EM 1201 showed anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effect, improved blood indices, significantly decreased joint swelling and histological changes in them. Joint swelling was suppressed by 29–46% and 18–37% in response to administration of EM 1201 and diclofenac during the all experiment. Any usuries, pannus formation and thinning of cartilage and significant decrease of erosion, inflammatory infiltration, edema, angiomatosis, synovial villy proliferation in the treated groups were observed. The effect of preparation EM 1201 was more potent than diclofenac in suppression of soft articular tissue edema and infiltration with macrophages. More effectively than diclofenac EM 1201 decreased MDA level and elevated CAT activity in the blood serum. Diclofenac