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Plant function and evolutionary biology
REVIEW

The effects of total glucosides of paeony (TGP) and paeoniflorin (Pae) on inflammatory-immune responses in rheumatoid arthritis (RA)

Lei Zhang https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4641-6565 A , Jun Yu A , Chun Wang B C D E and Wei Wei B C D E
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230012, China.

B Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China.

C Key Laboratory of Antiinflammatory and Immune Medicine, Ministry of Education, Hefei 230032, China.

D Anhui Collaborative Innovation Center of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicine, Hefei 230032, China.

E Corresponding authors. Emails: wwei@ahmu.edu.cn; wangchun533@126.com

Functional Plant Biology 46(2) 107-117 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP18080
Submitted: 4 April 2018  Accepted: 2 September 2018   Published: 26 October 2018

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory and systemic autoimmune disease with an unknown aetiology. Accumulative studies suggest that the pathogenesis of RA involves the excessive activation of synoviocytes and immune cells, increasing the secretion of inflammatory mediators and cytokines in synoviocytes, causing dysfunctional E-prostanoid (EP)-G-protein-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and mitogen-associated-protein kinase (MAPK) signalling in synoviocytes. Total glucosides of paeony (TGP) extracted from the roots of Paeonia lactiflora Pall, was approved by the China Food and Drug Administration as an anti-inflammatory and immuno-modulator drug in 1998. Paeoniflorin (Pae), a water-soluble monoterpene glucoside,is the main effective component of TGP. TGP and Pae produce anti-inflammatory and immuno-regulatory effects by suppressing immune cells and synoviocytes activation, decreasing inflammatory substance production and restoring abnormal signalling in synoviocytes. In this review, the regulation of the inflammatory-immune responses and the therapeutic mechanism between RA and TGP and Pae are discussed in detail. The aim of this review was to provide novel insights into the treatment of RA.

Additional keywords: immunity, inflammation, paeoniflorin, rheumatoid arthritis, total glucosides of paeony.


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