[Therapeutic effect and hepatotoxicity of Tripterygium wilfordii compound recipe gel on adjuvant-induced arthritis rat].

Objective: To investigate the therapeutic effect and the impact on liver function of different-dose Tripterygium wilfordii compound recipe gel (TWCG) for external use on adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA) rats.
Methods: Freund's adjuvant-induced arthritis rats were dressed with different doses of TWCG, voltaren as positive control and blank gel as blank control. The ankle swelling degrees were evaluated; the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) were detected by ELISA; the levels of matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) in ankle cartilage were determined by immunohistochemical method; the serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were tested with the automatic biochemical analyzer.
Results: Compared with the model group (dressed with blank gel), the ankle swelling degrees in TWCG groups and voltaren group were significantly reduced (P<0.05); the levels of TNF-α markedly decreased and IL-4 increased in sera (P<0.05); the content of MMP-3 in ankle joint tissues was significantly reduced (P<0.05). The effects in high-dose TWCG group and median-dose TWCG group were better than that in voltaren group and low-dose TWCG group (P<0.05). However, the levels of ALT and AST were not statistically different among the groups (P>0.05).
Conclusion: TWCG has obvious anti-inflammatory and detumescence effects on AA rat. It can protect cartilage tissue effectively without significant hepatotoxicity.