Berberine Ameliorates Collagen-Induced Arthritis in Rats Associated with Anti-inflammatory and Anti-angiogenic Effects

• DOI: 10.1007/s10753-014-9909-y
• Publication Date: 2014-05-06T11:09:43Z
• Authors: Zhigang Wang; Zhe Chen; Sisi Yang; Yu Wang; Zhaoyi Huang; Jianfei Gao; Shenghao Tu; Zhiguo Rao
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; Berberine; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Angiogenesis Inhibitors; Arthritis, Experimental; Rats; 3. Good health; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; 03 medical and health sciences; Animals; Cattle; Female; Collagen Type II

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation and joint destruction. In this study, we explored the effect of berberine on rats with bovine type II collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), an animal model for RA. Following treatment, berberine attenuates arthritic scores and suppresses collagen-specific immune responses in CIA rats. Compared with the un-treated CIA group, berberine reversed pathological changes, which showed a significant improvement in synovial hyperplasia and inflammatory infiltration. The expression levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-17 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were obviously reduced in the sera of berberine-treated rats (all P<0.05). Moreover, berberine showed marked inhibition of the expression of VEGF and CD34 (all P<0.05). Interestingly, berberine significantly suppresses p-ERK, p-p38 and p-JNK activation (all P<0.05), which may partially explain the anti-RA activity of berberine. These results suggest that berberine ameliorates CIA in rats associated with anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic effects, which might be of great therapeutic value for RA.