Ferulaldehyde Improves the Effect of Methotrexate in Experimental Arthritis.

Abstract

Methotrexate (MTX) is still the gold standard for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The therapeutic efficacy of low-dose of MTX can be increased by its combination with a natural substance, ferulaldehyde (FRA). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect FRA and MTX administered alone or in combination in adjuvant arthritis. The disease was induced to Lewis male rats by intradermal injection, which contains a suspension of heat-inactivated Mycobacterium butyricum in incomplete Freund's adjuvant. The experiment of 28 days included: healthy animals, arthritic animals, arthritic animals with administration of FRA at the oral daily dose of 15 mg/kg, arthritic animals with administration of MTX at the oral dose of 0.3 mg/kg twice a week, and arthritic animals administered with FRA and MTX. FRA in monotherapy decreased significantly only the level of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 in plasma. Combination of FRA and low-dose MTX was more effective than MTX alone when comparing body weight, hind paw volume, arthritic score, plasmatic levels of IL-1β, activity of γ-glutamyl transferase, and relative mRNA expression of IL-1β in the spleen. Therefore, the combination treatment was the most effective. The obtained results are interesting for future possible innovative therapy of patients with RA.

• Authors: Lukáš Slovák, Karol Švík, Danica Mihalová, Jaroslav Tóth, Szilvia Czigle, Ľudmila Pašková, František Bilka, Katarína Bauerová
• Journal: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) (Molecules) Vol. 22 Issue 11 (Nov 06 2017) ISSN: 1420-3049 [Electronic] Switzerland
• PMID: 29113115 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Aldehydes
• IL1B protein, rat
• Interleukin-1beta
• Lipids
• ferulaldehyde
• incomplete Freund's adjuvant
• Freund's Adjuvant
• Matrix Metalloproteinase 9
• Mmp9 protein, rat
• Methotrexate

Topics

• Administration, Oral
• Aldehydes (administration & dosage, pharmacology)
• Animals
• Arthritis, Experimental (drug therapy, immunology, microbiology)
• Drug Administration Schedule
• Drug Synergism
• Drug Therapy, Combination
• Freund's Adjuvant (administration & dosage)
• Gene Expression Regulation (drug effects)
• Interleukin-1beta (blood)
• Lipids (administration & dosage)
• Male
• Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 (blood)
• Methotrexate (administration & dosage, pharmacology)
• Mycobacterium (immunology)
• Rats
• Rats, Inbred Lew