Effect of tetramethylpyrazine on paw MMP-13 protein expression and serum VEGF,IL-17 and IL-23 levels in rats with collagen-induced arthritis

AIM: To investigate the mechanism of tetramethylpyrazine(TMP) in treating collagen-induced arthritis(CIA) in rats.METHODS: The rat model of type II collagen-induced arthritis was established and the rats were randomly divided into normal control group,CIA group and TMP treatment group.The protein expression of matrix metalloproteinase 13(MMP-13) in paw tissues was detected by immunohistochemical staining and Western blotting.The histopathological changes of the skin in the rat paws were observed with HE staining.The levels of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF),interleukin 17(IL-17) and interleukin 23(IL-23) in the serum of CIA rats were detected by ELISA.RESULTS: Compared with CIA group,TMP at a dose of 100 mg /kg significantly reduced the weight loss in CIA rats and decreased the protein expression of MMP-13 by 31.82%.TMP also attenuated the pathological changes of the paw subcutaneous tissues.TMP obviously decreased the levels of VEGF by 33.33%,IL-17 by 27.40% and IL-23 by 33.33% in the serum.CONCLUSION: TMP significantly inhibits the development of CIA by decreasing the protein expression of MMP13,inhibiting the inflammatory cell infiltration and vascular proliferation,and reducing the production of VEGF,IL-17 and IL-23 in CIA rats.