Effects of Yanghe Decoction on IL-1 and TNF-αof Papain in Rabbit Knee Osteoarthritis

Objective:To observe the effect of Yanghe decoction on interleukin 1(IL-1)and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)in rabbit knee osteoarthritis model,and to explore the mechanism of Yanghe decoction in the prevention and treatment of osteoarthritis.Methods:The 32 healthy New Zealand rabbits aged 4-6 months,half male and female,body weight(2.25±0.25)kg,were randomly divided into the control group,the model group,the Yanghe decoction group and the Jingu Tongxiao pill group according to the method of random number table,with 8 cases in each group.After two weeks of adaptive feeding,in addition to the control group,the remaining three groups were injected with papain into the articular cavity to replicate the rabbit model of knee osteoarthritis.The rabbit knee joint was slightly bend,insert the needle through the middle or both sides of the joint,and 0.5 mL 1.6%Papain saline solution was injected into the knee joint cavity through the superior patellar ligament,all were injected every three days,three consecutive times.The control group and the model group were given 0.9%saline,the Yanghe decoction group was given 6 g/(kg·d)Yanghe decoction,the Jingu Tongxiao pill group was given 6 g/(kg·d)Jingu Tongxiao pills.All groups were intervened once a day,seven times a week,continuous intervention for five weeks.One week after drug withdrawal,all experimental animals were sacrificed,and the rabbit femoral medial condyle articular cartilage was taken.The morphological changes of articular cartilage stained with hematoxylin-eosin were further observed by naked eye and light microscope,and the degree of cartilage degeneration was evaluated by modified Mankin's score standard.The levels of interleukin-1(IL-1)and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)in serum and synovial fluid were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Results:Compared with the control group,the model group's cartilage surface was uneven and local defects,the morphology and structure of cartilage was disordered,the number of chondrocytes decreased,the tidal line disorder disappeared,the Mankin's score increased,and the contents of IL-1 and TNF-αin serum and synovial fluid increased,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).Compared with the model group,the cartilage defects in the Yanghe decoction group and the Jingu Tongxiao pill group were alleviated,the morphology and structure of cartilage was neat,the number of chondrocytes increased,the tidal line was clear,the Mankin's score decreased,and the levels of IL-1 and TNF-αin serum and synovial fluid decreased,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).Compared with the Jingu Tongxiao pill group,there was no significant difference in the morphology and structure of cartilage and the contents of IL-1 and TNF-αin serum and synovial fluid in Yanghe decoction group(P>0.05).Conclusion:Yanghe decoction can repair the cartilage injury of osteoarthritis and effectively delay the degeneration of articular cartilage,and its mechanism may be related to the inhibition of the expression of inflammatory factors such as IL-1 and TNF-α.