The Inhibitory Effect Of Thyme On Rheumatoid Arthritis And Inflammatory Swelling

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a kind of chronic autoimmune systemic diseasecharacterized by articular synovial inflammation. Synovitis repeated outbreakresulting in destruction of joint cartilage and subchondral bone, articular dysfunction,resulting in joint deformities and rigidity. RA is one of the most common types ofrheumatoid disease and the safe and effective method at the treatment of RA is stillrare at present. The medicinal ingredient of thyme showed antibacterial,anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and other functions. However, the reports abouttreatment at rheumatoid arthritis by thyme have not been seen. By using the methodestablished rheumatoid arthritis model and acute inflammation, the effects of thymeon the model of rat’s toes swelling and pain threshold was studied treated by thymeextract respectively. The research is aveluable for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritison the use of thyme theoretically and experimentally.Method: The inflammatory model of rheumatoid arthritis was established byusing multi-point injection Ⅱ type collagen (CⅡ) to the toes. The treatment ofthyme extract was administrated at the15th day after the inflammation whencollagen-induced arthritis(CIA) began to stable in animal. The treatment of thymeextract was administrated1times a day for28d. Blank control group and modelgroup was administrated by vegetable oil (5mL/kg), external group was applied to thesurface of the skin at the swollen parts by the thyme extract. The dose of thymeextract gavage was divided into high dose group(2.5mL/kg) and low-dose group (5mL/kg). The positive control group was administrated to tripterygiumpolyglycosidium at300mg/kg.Acute inflammatory models of foot plantar swelling were respectively used byinjecting egg white and carageen glue to the toes.1%carageen glue mixed suspensionwas injected at0.1mL to induce inflammatory at carrageen experiment groups. At the4h treated to inflammatoion and swelling at the peak, thyme and safflower oil (selledin market) was applied to the surface of the skin at the swollen parts respectively. Thefresh egg white0.1mL was injected to the toes to induced inflammation at egg whiteinduced foot swelling experiments. At the2h treated to inflammatory swelling at thepeak, thyme extract and safflower oil was applied to the surface of the skin at the local preparations of foot plantar swelling respectively.The test of the foot plantar swelling was used by capillary suction amplificationmethod and the level of serum TNF-α and IL-1β were measured by ELISA method.The pain threshold was measured by hot point method.Results: Thyme extract decreased significantly rheumatoid arthritis foot swellingdegree by topical drug delivery after7d and its inhibitory effect on swelling continuedto exist with the time of administration. Thyme extract lavage of high dose group, lowdose group and tripterygium polyglycosidium groups also had certain inhibitory effectto swelling after the treatment (P<0.05) which was weaker than external treatmentgroup. Thyme could be significantly reduced the level of serum TNF-α and IL-1β atrheumatoid arthritis rats. The pain threshold in external group treated by thyme extractwas increased by100.88%compared with CIA group at7d with the pain potentialperiod of18.30s.Thyme extract decreased significantly foot swelling degree of carrageen-inducedinflammation by topical drug delivery after3h (P<0.01) and its inhibitory effect onswelling continued to exist with the time of administration. The potential period ofpain threshold was17.28s in external treatment group of thyme extract after5h drugdelivery and the pain threshold increased by53.87%compared with CIA group. Thepotential period of pain threshold in safflower oil at external treatment groupincreased by24.49%compared with CIA group. The foot swelling degree of eggwhite-induced inflammation reduced significantly (P<0.05) after1h at thymeadministration group. The potential period of pain threshold increased by69.06%atexternal treatment group of thyme extract compared with CIA group after5h drugadministration.Conclusions: thyme extract could effectively inhibit CII induced response of therheumatoid arthritis rats and significantly reduce the toes swelling degree andincreased the pain threshold. The detumescence and analgesic effect of thyme extractwas significantly greater than that of tripterygium polyglycosidium and theanti-inflammatory effect of thyme extract at external treatment group wassignificantly greater than the lavage groups.Thyme extract could effectively inhibit acute inflammatory respone induced by carrageen glue and egg white and significantly reduce foot plantar swelling degreeand pain threshold. The detumescence and analgesic effect of thyme extract wassignificantly greater than that of external treatment group of safflower oil.