Anti-Inflammatory and Analgesic Effects of Chinese Medicine TongFengKang in the Treatment of Gouty Arthritis

Background and Objective: TongFengKang (TFK) is a traditional Chinese medicine prescription for the clinical treatment of acute gouty arthritis. However, the biochemical mechanism of TFK in treating acute gouty arthritis is still unknown. In this study, the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of TFK on acute gouty arthritis model rats was investigated and explored its underlying mechanism. Materials and Methods: The rat model of acute gouty arthritis was established by injecting MSU into the ankle joint, followed by observing the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of TFK and studying its mechanism. The anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by ankle swelling measurement, NLRP3 inflammatory body and inflammatory cytokine expression. The analgesic effect was evaluated by observing pain-like behavior, establishing writhing, hot plate and formaldehyde pain models and detecting the expression level of PGE2. Western blot was used to examine the protein expression of NLRP3. The levels of PGE2 in serum were measured by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Results: Compared with the model group, TFK can significantly inhibit ankle swelling, improve painful gait and relieve the symptoms of acute gout attack. Meanwhile, TFK significantly reduced the protein levels of NLRP3 in rat ankle joints and the production of PGE2 in serum, respectively. In addition, in the writhing, hot plate and formaldehyde pain model rats, the peripheral analgesic effect of TFK is equivalent to that of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug aspirin and the central analgesic effect of TFK is significantly stronger than that of aspirin, confirming that TFK has satisfactory analgesic effects. Conclusion: The TFK has reliable anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects on gouty arthritis, probably through inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammatory body and downstream proinflammatory cytokines, which suggests that TFK is a promising herbal formula for the clinical treatment of gouty arthritis.