Peedanil Gold attenuates IL-6-mediated articular pathologies in a collagen antibody-induced murine model of rheumatoid arthritis.

INTRODUCTION

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a globally prevalent, chronic, systemic disorder of articular joints, with an auto-immune etiology, which eventually leads to physical disability. Peedanil Gold (PG), an Ayurvedic herbo-mineral medicine, has demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity in in vitro assays. Furthermore, it has also exhibited pharmacological effects in animal models of osteoarthritis and neuropathic pain. The present study was specifically designed to assess the preclinical anti-arthritic potential of Peedanil Gold in a well-established murine model of arthritis, induced by the administration of collagen antibodies.

METHODS

In this study, BALB/c mice were intraperitoneally induced with a cocktail of five monoclonal antibodies against Type II collagen epitopes, followed by lipopolysaccharide. Peedanil Gold was administered as a gavage post-initiation of disease induction. Orally administered methotrexate (MTX) was used as a method control. Animals were humanely sacrificed on 13th day, post-antibody induction.

RESULTS

Collagen antibodies led to the development of arthritis in animals, evident as swelling of the paws and ankles. Arthritis scoring of animals revealed that Peedanil Gold could alleviate the arthritic symptoms in a dose-related manner, with the highest dose demonstrating maximal pharmacological effects. Similarly, paw and ankle thicknesses were also reduced post-treatment with Peedanil Gold, signifying reduction in inflammatory changes in paw and ankle regions. Disease-modifying effects of Peedanil Gold were additionally substantiated by radiological observations of decreased soft tissue swelling and cartilage erosion with treatment. Furthermore, histopathological analysis of the knee and ankle demonstrated that treatment with Peedanil Gold could diminish the disease-evoked pathological alterations, such as bone degeneration and inflammatory cell infiltration. Peedanil Gold could also attenuate the elevated serum levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6).

CONCLUSION

The outcomes of the present experiments demonstrate that Peedanil Gold has pharmacological effects in an animal model of rheumatoid arthritis, as evident by reduced arthritis score, alleviation of paw and ankle swelling, improvement in pathological lesions as observed radiologically and histopathologically. Consequently, it possesses preclinical potential for the management of rheumatoid arthritis, which warrants detailed investigations.