Effects of Fengshi II Capsule on Tumor Necrosis Factor-α and Interleukin in Adjuvant Arthritis Rats

Objective To observe the effects of Fengshi Ⅱ capsule on TNF-α,IL-4 and IL-10 in adjuvant arthritis(AA) rats,and explore its mechanism.Methods The AA models were built by Freund's complete adjuvant.The rats were randomly divided into normal group,model group,positive control(tripterygium polyglucoside) group,and low-,medium-and high-dose herbs groups.The herbs groups were treated for 28 days with Fengshi Ⅱ capsule 0.648,0.324,0.162 g/kg respectively,the positive control group with tripterygium polyglucoside at a dose of 6.0 mg/kg,normal group and model group with same volume of distilled water.The health condition,body weight and arthritis index were observed,and TNF-α,IL-4 and IL-10 in the serum were determined.Results In the model group,the level of TNF-α increased compared with the normal group(P 0.01),but the levels of IL-4 and IL-10 significantly descended(P 0.01).After treatment with tripterygium polyglucoside and herbs,the level of TNF-α and arthritis index were lower than that in model group and the levels of IL-4 and IL-10 were higher than that in model group(P 0.05 or P 0.01).The level of TNF-α and arthritis index of the high-dose herbs group significantly descended compared with the positive control group,but the levels of IL-4 and IL-10 of the medium-dose and high-dose herbs groups increased(P 0.01).Conclusion Fengshi Ⅱ capsule could treat rheumatoid arthritis by decreasing TNF-α,increasing IL-4 and IL-10 to adjusting the levels of cytokines.