Effect of sinomenine and MTX on serum levels of IL-10 and TNF-α in rat models with pristane induced arthritis (PIA)

Objective: To study the effect of sinomenine and MTX on the serum levels of IL-10 and TNF-α in rat models of PIA. Methods: Thirty-two rat models of PIA were prepared with subcutaneous injection of pristane (0.2ml). These rat models were divided into four groups (n=8 in each group): Group A, on treatment given; Group B, treated with sinomenine (120mg/kg/d), Group C, treated with MTX (3.8mg/kg/d); Group D, treated with sinomenine and MTX combined. Another 8 rats comprised the control group. All the 40 rats were sacrificed after 8 weeks; serum IL-10 levels were determined with RIA and severity of arthritis (with score 1-4) evaluated. Results: Serum levels of both IL-10 and TNF-α in the rat models treated with MTX alone were the lowest among all the animals and were significantly lower than those in the untreated models. Levels of TNF-α in the untreated models were significantly higher than those in the controls and those in the MTX-treated group (P<0.05), but were not significantly differ- ent from those in the models treated with sinomenine alone. Conclusion: MTX demonstrated prominent inhibition over serum expression of IL-10 and TNF-α in rat models with PIA. (authors)