A Combination of Thymus vulgaris L., Oliveria decumbens Vent., and Anthemis hyalina DC. Extracts Alleviate Rheumatoid Arthritis in a Rat Model

It has been shown that herbal medicine can be a promising therapeutic option for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a combination of Thymus vulgaris, Oliveria decumbens, and Anthemis hyalina in relieving both articular and extra-articular symptoms of RA in rats. The animals were divided into three groups: a healthy control without RA or any treatment, RA animals treated with a combination extract injection, and RA animals without any intervention. After disease induction, a combination of hydroethanolic plant extract was injected intra-articularly. Levels of inflammatory factors, rheumatoid factor (RF), C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-۱β, IL-۶, IL-۱۰, and IL-۱۷ were measured. The activities of enzymes involved in oxidative stress, catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and reduced glutathione (GSH) were also assessed. The RA animals treated with the combination extract showed improvements in body weight, reductions in arthritis score, and reduction in hind paw volume. Histological assessments revealed decreased bone destruction and inflammatory cell infiltration after treatment with the combination extract. Histopathological observations indicated that the combination extract led to improvements in RA-induced alterations in kidney and liver tissues. The levels of liver health markers, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT), as well as renal markers, urea and creatinine, decreased with combination extract treatment. These findings demonstrate the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of the combination extracts of T. vulgaris, O. decumbens, and A. hyalina, proposing that they could be further investigated as potential therapeutic agents to alleviate the severity and complications of RA.

کلیدواژه ها:

Rheumatoid arthritis ، herbal medicine ، Thymus vulgaris ، Oliveira decumbens ، Anthemis hyalina