scholarly journals Effect of Moxibustion on the Serum Levels of MMP-1, MMP-3, and VEGF in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Zeyun Yu ◽  
Yingni Wang ◽  
Yuan Li ◽  
Chenxi Liao ◽  
Jingyang Dai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Treatment Group ◽  
Matrix Metalloproteinase ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Interleukin 1 ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Matrix Metalloproteinase 3 ◽  
Disease Markers ◽  
Matrix Metalloproteinase 1

Background. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease, which will eventually lead to joints deformity and functional damage. The aim of this research is to evaluate the effect of moxibustion on the serum indicators related to bone and cartilage metabolism, matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP-1), matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP-3), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in patients with RA and to explore the mechanism of moxibustion in the treatment of RA. Methods. We recruited 70 RA patients who met the inclusion criteria, and they were randomly divided into two groups, a treatment group and a control group in equal ratio. The control group took methotrexate, folate, or leflunomide orally, while the treatment group received methotrexate, folate, or leflunomide orally and moxibustion at ST36 (Zusanli), BL23 (Shen shu), and Ashi points. We compared the clinical symptoms, RA serological disease markers and serum contents of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), MMP-1, MMP-3, and VEGF of RA patients before and after treatment. Results. (1) The clinical symptoms and RA serological disease markers of the two groups improved after treatment (P < 0.05), while the clinical symptoms of the treatment group were significantly improved in comparison with the control group (P < 0.05). (2) The levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, and VEGF decreased in both groups after treatment (P < 0.05), but the treatment group was significantly decreased compared with the control group (P < 0.05). (3) There were significant differences in MMP-1 and MMP-3 contents after treatment in the treatment group (P < 0.05, P < 0.05), while there were no significant differences in the control group (P > 0.05, P > 0.05). Above all, the contents of IL-1β, TNF-α, MMP-1, MMP-3, and VEGF in the treatment group decreased more significantly than those in the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion. The improvement effect of moxibustion on the clinical symptoms of RA patients may be related to influence on the contents of IL-1β, TNF-α, MMP-1, MMP-3, and VEGF, and moxibustion may play a potential role in bone protection.

scholarly journals Effect of Moxibustion on HIF-1α and VEGF Levels in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanyuan Gong ◽  
Zeyun Yu ◽  
Yingni Wang ◽  
Yan Xiong ◽  
Yumei Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Treatment Group ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Conventional Medicine ◽  
Hypoxia Inducible Factor ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
Serum Markers ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Analgesic Effects ◽  
Before And After

Background. Moxibustion has a therapeutic effect of reducing swelling and relieving pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) but its mechanism is uncertain. Objective. To evaluate the effect of moxibustion on serum levels of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in patients with RA and to explore the possible mechanism of moxibustion. Methods. This study involved 46 RA patients who had fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were randomly assigned to a treatment group and a control group in an equal ratio. The control group was treated with methotrexate or leflunomide, while the treatment group received methotrexate or leflunomide and moxibustion at ST 36 (Zusanli), BL 23 (Shenshu), and Ashi points. Patients’ clinical symptoms, RA-associated serum markers, and serum levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, HIF-1α, and VEGF were compared in the two groups before and after intervention. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 21.0 statistical software. Results. 37 of 46 RA patients eventually completed the whole treatment course. Compared with the control group, the treatment group significantly improved the clinical symptoms (P<0.05) but with no significant differences in RA-associated serum markers (P>0.05). There were significant differences in TNF-α and IL-1β among the groups after 8 weeks of treatment (P<0.05). HIF-1α and VEGF were decreased in the treatment group after therapy (P<0.05). VEGF was reduced in the control group (P<0.05), while HIF-1α was not significantly improved (P>0.05). The reductions of HIF-1α and VEGF in the treatment group were superior to the control group (P<0.05). Conclusions. Moxibustion enhanced the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of conventional medicine and can enhance the effect of conventional medicine, downregulating HIF-1α/VEGF contents to inhibit angiogenesis.

scholarly journals The Efficacy of Moxibustion on the Serum Levels of CXCL1 and β-EP in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Siyu Tao ◽  
Xue Wang ◽  
Chenxi Liao ◽  
Yan Xiong ◽  
Jie Tang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Drug Therapy ◽  
Treatment Group ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
Inflammatory Factors ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Tnf Α ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Chemokine Ligand ◽  
Pain Symptoms

Objective. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of moxibustion on joint swelling and pain and the levels of C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 1 (CXCL1), β-endorphin (β-EP) in serum of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and to investigate the anti-inflammatory and analgesic mechanism of moxibustion on improving RA. Methods. Sixty-eight patients with RA were randomly and equally classified into the control and treatment groups. The control group was treated with routine drug therapy, while the treatment group received routine drug therapy and moxibustion. Both groups were treated for eight weeks. The symptoms and laboratory indicators of RA patients were compared in the two groups before and after intervention. Results. Sixty-one patients completed the study: four patients dropped out from the treatment group and three from the control group. Trial endpoints were change (∆) in symptoms, measured by Ritchie’s articular index (RAI), swollen joint count (SJC), and laboratory indicators, measured by the level of CXCL1, β-EP, tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-α), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β). ∆RAI, ∆SJC, ∆CXCL1, ∆β-EP, ∆TNF-α, and ∆IL-1β in the treatment group were superior to the control group (13.50 [14.50] versus 6.00 [13.00] in ∆RAI, 4.00 [3.00] versus 2.00 [4.00] in ∆SJC, 0.04 ± 0.79 ng/mL versus -0.01 ± 0.86 ng/mL in ∆CXCL1, -2.43 [5.52] pg/mg versus -0.04 [4.09] pg/mg in ∆β-EP, 3.45 [5.90] pg/mL versus 1.55 [8.29] pg/mL in ∆TNF-α, and 6.15 ± 8.65 pg/mL versus 1.28 ± 8.51 pg/mL in ∆IL-1β; all P  < 0.05). Conclusion. Moxibustion can improve the joint swelling and pain symptoms in patients with RA, which may be related to the fact that moxibustion can reduce the release of inflammatory factors in patients with RA and downregulate the level of CXCL1 and increase the level of β-EP at the same time. This trial is registered with ChiCTR-IOR-17012282.

scholarly journals Dissecting the Molecular Mechanism of Wang-Bi Capsule in the Treatment of Experimental Rheumatoid Arthritis Based on Synovial Tissue Proteomic Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Haiyang Shu ◽  
Yingjie Shi ◽  
Li Li ◽  
Ning Zhao ◽  
Cheng Lu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Synovial Tissue ◽  
Proteomic Analysis ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Interleukin 1 ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
Expression Levels ◽  
Matrix Metalloproteinase 3 ◽  
Cxcr4 Signaling ◽  
Wang Bi

Wang-Bi capsule (WB) is a traditional Chinese medicine formula and has been applied for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment for many years. However, its underlying molecular mechanisms still remain unclear. In this study, collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rats were used to observe the therapeutic effect of WB used at different time points, and the proteomic analysis of synovial tissue was applied to reveal its basic molecular mechanisms. The results demonstrated that WB not only effectively ameliorated the symptoms and synovitis, but also downregulated the serum levels of inflammatory cytokines/chemokines in CIA rats. Furthermore, the proteomic analysis of synovial tissue showed that WB could regulate several signaling pathways associated with inflammation or cell migration, such as “IL-1 signaling,” “IL-8 signaling,” and “CXCR4 signaling.” The expression levels of proteins including matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP3), MMP19, lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP), serine/threonine kinase interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 4 (IRAK4), and actin-related protein 2/3 complex subunit 5 (ARPC5) in these pathways were downregulated significantly by WB when compared with the model group. In sum, this study indicated that WB had obvious inhibitory effects on synovitis of CIA rats, and the mechanisms of which may be involved in downregulating the expression levels of several key proteins including MMP3, MMP19, LBP, IRAK4, and ARPC5.

scholarly journals Based on HIF-1α/Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway to Explore the Effect of Qingshen Granules on Chronic Renal Failure Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yiping Wang ◽  
Lei Zhang ◽  
Hua Jin ◽  
Dong Wang
Keyword(s):  
Renal Failure ◽  
Chronic Renal Failure ◽  
Treatment Group ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
Control Group ◽  
And Control ◽  
E Cadherin

Objectives. This study investigates the effect of Qingshen Granules (QSG) on chronic renal failure patients and the HIF-1α/Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Methods. Subjects were randomly divided into treatment and control groups, with 42 patients in each group. Participants in the treatment group received 10 g oral doses of QSG 3 times a day, for 12 weeks, whereas subjects in the control group were given a placebo. The effective rates of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) symptom, serum creatinine (Scr), and estimate glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) as well as the serum levels of HIF-1α, Wnt1, β-catenin, α-SMA, and E-cadherin were evaluated. Results. Eighty patients completed the treatment program and two dropped out. After 12 weeks, the effective rates of TCM symptom and eGFR were found to be higher in the treatment group than in the control group, with statistically significant differences (P = 0.024 and 0.019, respectively). Meanwhile, lower levels of HIF-1α, Wnt1, β-catenin, α-SMA, and E-cadherin were detected in the treatment group, and the differences were statistically significant (P ≤ 0.001, P = 0.001, P ≤ 0.001, P ≤ 0.001, and P = 0.039). No adverse events occurred during the study. Conclusions. QSG can alleviate the clinical symptoms of chronic renal failure (CRF) and protect renal function in patients by influencing the HIF-1α/Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. The treatment exhibits no adverse effects and is thus safe to be used by humans.

scholarly journals Serum and synovial fluid levels of matrix metalloproteinase-3 as a biomarker of joint damage in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

QJM ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 113 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
E A Hafez ◽  
S A Elbakry ◽  
M A Abdelrahman ◽  
H M Sakr ◽  
N A Mohamed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Matrix Metalloproteinase ◽  
Disease Activity ◽  
Healthy Volunteers ◽  
Joint Damage ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
Common Disease ◽  
Special Role ◽  
Matrix Metalloproteinase 3 ◽  
Early Ra

Abstract Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the systemic autoimmune diseases characterized by chronic synovitis and progressive joint destruction leading to decline in functional capacity, eventual work disability, and reduced quality of life. Considering the common disease activity indicators are unspecific for arthritis, novel biomarkers have been rapidly developed for predicting structural destruction progression in RA. Matrix metalloproteinase-3 plays a special role in rheumatoid arthritis pathogenesis and has been suggested as a marker of disease activity and joint damage. Patients and Methods MMP-3 was measured by ELISA in serum samples of 40 early RA patients and compared to age and sex matched control group of 40 healthy volunteers. Synovial levels of MMP-3 were measured only in 8 RA patients, who were indicated for knee arthrocentesis. Joint damage was assessed using SENS score on plain radiography. Results Serum MMP-3 levels were significantly higher in RA patients than healthy volunteers (P-value &lt;0.001). Measured synovial levels of MMP-3 were significantly correlated to the serum levels. There were statistically significant positive correlations between serum MMP-3 with RF titers, AntiCCP titres, CRP, and DAS28 -ESR activity score. There was no significant correlation to total SENS score. ROC curve was used to define the best cut off value of serum MMP3 to discriminate between RA and healthy controls, which was found to be &gt;50ng/ml. Conclusion Serum levels of MMP-3 can be used as noninvasive biomarker of RA, and also indicator of disease activity in early RA patients.

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