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Benzoxime carbaldehyde prevents rheumatoid arthritis in a rat model by inhibition of oxidative damage


Zhi-ming Li
Yanming Wang
Shujun Gai
Tao He

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the effect of benzoxime carbaldehyde (BXCD) on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in a rat model.

Methods: Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned randomly to 5 groups (6 rats per group): normal control, RA, and three treatment groups. Rats in the normal control and RA groups received normal saline, whereas those in the three treatment groups were given 2, 5 or 10 mg/kg of BXCD daily for 30 days by intraperitoneal injection. Pressure pain was analysed using electronic pressure pain detector, while the expressions of interleukin (IL)-6, interleukin (IL)-1β, nuclear factor (NF)-κB p65 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in serum were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits.

Results: Treatment of RA rats with BXCD for 30 days led to significant (p < 0.05) recovery in pain threshold. At a dose of 10 mg/kg, BXCD decreased pain threshold value to a level comparable to that in normal control rats, and decreased arthritis score to 1, relative to arthritis score of 16 in untreated animals. Malondialdehyde (MDA) level was 4-fold higher in untreated RA rats than in normal and BXCD-treated groups. BXCD treatment increased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and blocked increases in the blood levels of IL-6, IL-1β, NF-κB p65 unit, and TNF-α. Western blot assay showed that BXCD treatment prevented increase in the level of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in RA rat tissues.

Conclusion: These results indicate that BXCD prevents RA in a rat model via inhibition of expressions of inflammatory cytokines and decrease in oxidative stress. Thus, BXCD has a strong potential for the management of RA.

Keywords: Rheumatoid arthritis, Pain threshold, Antioxidant enzymes, Inflammation, Inflammatory cytokines


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eISSN: 1596-9827
print ISSN: 1596-5996