Effects of Herbal Acupuncture of Clematis Mandshurica Maxim. at Sinsu-hyul (BL 23) on Adjuvant Arthritis in Rats.

Objective : Based on the immunological dysfunction in RA and the immunological feature of Clematis mandshurica Maxim. herbal acupuncture solution (CM-HAS), this study examined whether subcutaneous (s.c.) administration of CM-HAS has anti-inflammatory effects on adjuvant arthritis (AA) in the rat. Methods : Complete Freund's adjuvant was used to induce AA in rats. Secondary paw swelling of AA rats was measured, and polyarthritis index was scored. The administration of CM-HAS (2, 5, 10 mg/kg) to the Sinsu-hyul (BL 23) acupuncture point subcutaneously (s.c.) inhibited the inflammatory response and restored the weight of body and immune organs of AA rats. In this study. inhibitory effect of CM-HAS on cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) was evaluated. The plant material selected for this study has been used in Korean medicine for the treatment of various diseases that are considered as inflammatory in nature, e.g. asthma, arthritis, rheumatism, fever, edema, infections, snakebite and related inflammatory diseases. Results : There were significant secondary inflammatory reactions in AA rats, accompanied with the simultaneous decrease of body and immune organs weight. The administration of CM-HAS (2, 5, 10 mg/kg, s.c.) improved the above changes significantly. CM-HAS showed inhibitory activity against COX-2, which supports their traditional uses. In this study, aspirin and indomethacin were used to contrast with CM-HAS as the COX-2 inhibitors. Conclusion: The findings of this study may explain at least in part why CM-HAS has been traditionally used for the treatment of inflammatory conditions in traditional Korean and Chinese medicine.