Asian lizard’s tail plant can improve arthritis symptoms

Saururus chinensis (Asian lizard’s tail) has been used in traditional Korean medicine for treating pain, intoxication, edema, and furuncle. Researchers from the National Development Institute of Korean Medicine evaluated the effect of S. chinensis leaf extract on mice with type II collagen-induced arthritis. Their findings were published in the BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine journal.

• Previous research has documented the anti-inflammatory, renoprotective, neuroprotective, and antioxidant properties of S. chinensis leaves.
• The Korean researchers used the aqueous extract of 13 dried leaf samples of S. chinensis (SHW) and evaluated the effects on type II collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice models.
• The mice models were divided into five groups: Control; CIA; CIA + Methotrexate (MTX); CIA + 100 mg/kg SHW; and CIA + 500 mg/kg SHW.
• SHW was orally administered once a day for three weeks. MTX was used as a positive control. At the end of the experiment, the mice were sacrificed by carbon dioxide inhalation.
• The researchers used high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system to perform quantitative analysis of major components from SHW. They used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to measure serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), TNF-alpha, and type II collagen IgG in the mice models. IL-6 and TNF-alpha are known cytokines in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis.
• Results showed that SHW treatment at 500 mg/kg decreased the serum level of IL-6, TNF-alpha, and collagen IgG in the CIA mice models.
• SHW treatment also diminished the swelling of hind limbs and monocyte infiltration in blood vessels in CIA mice models.
• These results indicate that SHW acts as a therapeutic agent against arthritis by reducing the inflammatory response in CIA mice models in vivo.

The findings suggest that SHW could improve arthritis by reducing inflammatory factors. The researchers note that further experiments are required to determine how SHW influences signal transduction in animal models.

Find the full text of the study at this link.

Journal Reference:

Nho JH, Lee HJ, Jung HK, Jang JH, Lee KH, Kim AH, Sung TK, Cho HW. EFFECT OF SAURURUS CHINENSIS LEAVES EXTRACT ON TYPE II COLLAGEN-INDUCED ARTHRITIS MOUSE MODEL. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2019;19(1). DOI: 10.1186/s12906-018-2418-z