Mediators of Inflammation-Induced Bone Damage in Arthritis and Their Control by Herbal Products

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation of the synovial joints leading to bone and cartilage damage. Untreated inflammatory arthritis can result in severe deformities and disability. The use of anti-inflammatory agents and biologics has been the mainstay of treatment of RA. However, the prolonged use of such agents may lead to severe adverse reactions. In addition, many of these drugs are quite expensive. These limitations have necessitated the search for newer therapeutic agents for RA. Natural plant products offer a promising resource for potential antiarthritic agents. We describe here the cellular and soluble mediators of inflammation-induced bone damage (osteoimmunology) in arthritis. We also elaborate upon various herbal products that possess antiarthritic activity, particularly mentioning the specific target molecules. As the use of natural product supplements by RA patients is increasing, this paper presents timely and useful information about the mechanism of action of promising herbal products that can inhibit the progression of inflammation and bone damage in the course of arthritis.

Modulation of Inflammatory Response to Implanted Biomaterials Using Natural Compounds

“…Recent in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that polyphenols down-regulate pro-inflammatory cytokines, stimulate anti-inflammatory agents, increase forkhead box P3 (Foxp3)-expression in CD4+ regulatory T-cells, and prevent bone loss [56]. In the following, we review the promising application of several polyphenols in studies aimed at modulation of inflammation.…”

“…They are most famous for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-carcinogenic properties [56, 117]. In the following, we provide a review of four promising flavonoids with potential to mediate inflammatory response to biomaterials.…”

“…6-shogaol is one of the main compounds extracted from ginger which has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, and anti-oxidant properties due to its inactivation of NF-κB and down-regulation of IL-1β in a mouse model [56, 118–120]. It has been used to treat neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s due to its anti-neuroinflammatory and anti-oxidant properties [121].…”

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“…[60] Tripahala is an Ayurvedic herbal formulation that shows antiarthritic effect in adjuvant-induced arthritis in mice. Its oral treatment restores levels of lysosomal enzymes, tissue marker enzymes, glycoproteins and paw thickness in adjuvant-induced arthritic animals.…”

Synthesis and bioevaluation of novel heterostilbenes as potential anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic agents

“…As an effective defense in biology, the inflammatory response usually lacks specificity and overreacts to cause significant bystander damage which activated in response to pathogens or tissue damage and amplified the inflammatory response to induce production of inflammatory mediators including nitric oxide, reactive oxygen species, proinflammatory cytokine s (such as IL-1, NFκB, AP-1, IL-6, IL-17, IL-18, TGFβ, and TNFα), chemokines (MMPs, MCP-1) and prostaglandins, associated with vicious circle of cell death, and so on [1,2].…”