Planta Med 2003; 69(10): 899-904
DOI: 10.1055/s-2003-45097
Original Paper
Pharmacology
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Antirheumatoid Arthritis Effect of Rhus verniciflua and of the Active Component, Sulfuretin

Jongwon Choi1 , Byung-Jae Yoon1 , Yong Nam Han2 , Kyung-Tae Lee3 , Joohun Ha4 , Hyun-Ju Jung5 , Hee-Juhn Park5
  • 1College of Pharmacy, Kyungsung University, Busan, Korea
  • 2Natural Products Research Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
  • 3College of Pharmacy, Kyung-Hee University, Seoul, Korea
  • 4College of Medicine, Kyung-Hee University, Seoul, Korea
  • 5Division of Applied Plant Sciences, Sangji University, Wonju, Korea
This research was supported by a grant (PF002104-07) from the Plant Diversity Research Center of 21st Frontier Research Program funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Korean Government
Further Information

Publication History

Received: February 13, 2003

Accepted: July 12, 2003

Publication Date:
02 December 2003 (online)

Abstract

Oral administration of the MeOH extract of Rhus verniciflua or of an EtOAc fraction containing an EtOAc-soluble portion of the MeOH extract slightly decreased rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and C-reactive protein (CRP) factors in Freund's complete adjuvant reagent FCA-treated rats, indicating that they are active extracts for rheumatoid arthritis, the EtOAc extract being more active. Treatment with these two extracts prevented histological changes such as synovial cell proliferation, inflammatory cell infiltration and fat necrosis compared with an FCA-treated group. Oral administration (30 mg/kg) of sulfuretin and fustin, which were isolated from the EtOAc extract by activity-guided separation, significantly decreased RA and CRP factors, the former being more active than the latter. Treatment with the EtOAc fraction (p. o.) containing sulfuretin significantly decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) formation, and highly increased the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase. Inhibition of xanthine oxidase and aldehyde oxidase in FCA-treated rats was also evident. Since treatment with sulfuretin and the EtOAc extract decreased the concentration of infiltrated mast cells in the rat knee exhibiting rheumatoid arthritis, we suggest that the Rhus verniciflua extract, which contains sulfuretin as an active component, may prevent rheumatoid syndromes by inhibiting reactive oxygen species.

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Prof. Associate Hee-Juhn Park

Division of Applied Plant Sciences

Sangji University

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Korea

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