Swimming combined with Korean Berchemia roots improve the pathophysiological condition in adjuvant-induced arthritis rat model

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory joint disease characterized by synovial proliferation and tissue destruction. Korean roots of Berchemia berchemiaefolia (Makino) Koidz. have traditionally used as an antitoxic or antiinflammatory herb. We undertook this study to clarify effects of swimming combined with the extract of Korean Berchemia roots (B-extract) in adjuvant-induced arthritis rats. Rats were divided into four groups: control (group I, n=5), arthritis (group II, n=5), arthritis with B-extract (group III, n=5) and swimming combined with arthritis+B-extract groups (group IV, n=5). Serum IL-6 and TNF-alpha concentrations were measured and histological examination for knee joints was analyzed in all groups. The serum IL-6 and TNF-alpha concentrations in groups III and IV were significantly lower than those of group II. The IL-6 and TNF-alpha concentrations in group IV were significantly lower than those of group III, but higher than those of group I. The inflammatory and injury levels on the knee joints were histologically lower in groups III and IV than in group II. The degree of joint injury in group IV was histologically less than that of group III. We first demonstrated that the extract of Korean Berchemia roots may offer therapeutic effect and that swimming combined with the extract may promise more useful effects for palliating arthritis.