Herb Combo May Alleviate Rheumatoid Arthritis

Herb Combo May Alleviate Rheumatoid Arthritis

SEOUL, South Korea--Researchers at Seoul NationalUniversity in cooperation with a team from Los Angeles-based PanGenomics believethey have identified a potential therapy for rheumatoid arthritis. Their animalresearch, which is scheduled for publication in the May issue of Rheumatologyand was released Feb. 28 online (www.rheumatology.oupjournals.org),demonstrated a therapeutic effect against collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) withoral administration of PG201, an ethanol extract developed to have therapeuticeffects in inflammatory diseases involving cartilage destruction such asrheumatoid arthritis.

Researchers noted PG201 appeared to inhibit the production ofproinflammatory cytokines (immune cells) in the affected paws of mice withcollagen-induced arthritis. They also suggested PG201 might have suppressiveeffects on collagen-induced arthritis by protecting cartilage, probably throughits regulation of proteolytic enzymes and/or anti-inflammatory cytokines such asIL-4. PG201 was not found to cause adverse events.

"We demonstrated the marked effectiveness of oraladministration of PG201 in protecting CIA mice against joint destruction,"the authors said in their discussion. "Histological analysis revealedpronounced protection against cartilage and bone erosion."

This study was supported in part by a grant from PanGenomics Co.Ltd., which owns a provisional patent for the PG201 formulation.