RESEARCH - Scopolin isolated from Erycibe obtusifolia Benth stems suppresses adjuvant-induced rat arthritis by inhibiting inflammation and angiogenesis

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Int Immunopharmacol. 2009 Jul;9(7-8):859-69. Epub 2009 Mar 25.

Scopolin isolated from Erycibe obtusifolia Benth stems suppresses

adjuvant-induced rat arthritis by inhibiting inflammation and

angiogenesis.

Pan R, Dai Y, Gao X, Xia Y.

Department of Pharmacology of Chinese Materia Medica, China

Pharmaceutical University, 1 Shennong Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province,

China.

Despite scopolin is a main coumarin constituent in the stems of

Erycibe obtusifolia Benth, a herb drug that has long been utilized in

traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of rheumatoid

arthritis, little information is available about the pharmacological

activities of this compound. The present study was performed to

investigate the anti-rheumatic effects of scopolin in adjuvant-induced

arthritis (AIA) in rats, and explore the underlying mechanisms of

action in views of anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic properties in

the synovial tissues. Scopolin (50, 100 mg/kg), injected

intraperitoneally for 10 days from the onset of secondary response,

significantly inhibited both inoculated and non-inoculated paw

swelling as well as articular index scores in AIA. Meanwhile, the mean

body weight of rats treated with scopolin was higher than that of

model group. Rats treated with high dose of scopolin (100 mg/kg)

preserved a nearly normal histological architecture of the joints and

showed a significant reduction of the new blood vessels in the

synovial tissues. Additionally, scopolin could reduce IL-6, VEGF and

FGF-2 expressions in rat synovial tissues. In conclusion, scopolin can

reduce the clinical symptoms of rat AIA by inhibiting inflammation and

angiogenesis, and this compound may be a potent agent for angiogenesis

related diseases and can serve as a structural base for screening more

potent synthetic analogs.

PMID: 19327410

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19327410

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