1. Academic Validation
  2. Curcumin alleviates rheumatoid arthritis-induced inflammation and synovial hyperplasia by targeting mTOR pathway in rats

Curcumin alleviates rheumatoid arthritis-induced inflammation and synovial hyperplasia by targeting mTOR pathway in rats

  • Drug Des Devel Ther. 2018 Dec 3;12:4095-4105. doi: 10.2147/DDDT.S175763.
Qiaoding Dai 1 Di Zhou 2 Liping Xu 1 Xinwei Song 1
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310006, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China, daiqiaoding@outlook.com.
  • 2 Nephrology Department, First People's Hospital of Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou 311200, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.
Abstract

Purpose: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, progressive autoimmune disease characterized by aggressive and symmetric polyarthritis. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) was reported to be a new target for RA therapy and its inhibitor rapamycin can significantly reduce the invasive force of fibroblast-like synoviocytes. Here, we determined the effect of curcumin to alleviate inflammation and synovial hyperplasia for the therapy of RA.

Materials and methods: Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) was developed in Wistar rats and used as a model resembling RA in humans. Rats were treated with curcumin (200 mg/kg) and the mTOR Inhibitor rapamycin (2.5 mg/kg) daily for 3 weeks. Effects of the treatment on local joint, peripheral blood, and synovial hyperplasia in the pathogenesis of CIA were analyzed.

Results: Curcumin and rapamycin significantly inhibited the redness and swelling of ankles and joints in RA rats. Curcumin inhibited the CIA-induced mTOR pathway and the RA-induced infiltration of inflammatory cells into the synovium. Curcumin and rapamycin treatment inhibited the increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines including IL-1β, TNF-α, MMP-1, and MMP-3 in CIA rats.

Conclusion: Our findings show that curcumin alleviates CIA-induced inflammation, synovial hyperplasia, and the other main features involved in the pathogenesis of CIA via the mTOR pathway. These results provide evidence for the anti-arthritic properties of curcumin and corroborate its potential use for the treatment of RA.

Keywords

collagen-induced arthritis; curcumin; mammalian target of rapamycin; rapamycin; rheumatoid arthritis.

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