Chinese Herbal Formula, Huayu Tongbi Fang, Attenuates Inflammatory Proliferation of Rat Synoviocytes Induced by IL-1β by Regulating Proliferation and Differentiation of T Lymphocytes

Abstract EN

The inflammatory proliferation of fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) and functional imbalances in T lymphocytes play critical roles in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

The clinical efficacy of Huayu Tongbi Fang (HYTB, a traditional herbal formula) in RA treatment has been validated.

In this study, we aimed to explore the regulatory mechanisms of HYTB on the proliferation and differentiation of T lymphocytes, and the inhibitory effect of HYTB on inflammatory proliferation of FLSs.

The RCS-364 (Rat FLSs) cells were cocultured with rat splenic lymphocytes that were induced by interleukin-1β in Transwell chambers.

After freeze-dried HYTB powder treatment, the percentage of T-cell subset and apoptosis rates of FLSs were measured using flow cytometry.

Furthermore, protein expression of key molecules of NF-κB and JAK/STAT signaling pathways was quantified using Western blot.

The granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

The results showed that HYTB could inhibit the inflammatory proliferation of FLSs through inducing cell apoptosis.

Additionally, HYTB treatment could intervene in the proliferation and differentiation of T lymphocytes and regulate protein expression of key molecules in NF-κB and JAK/STAT cell signaling pathways.

Moreover, it could inhibit FLS activation by suppressing GM-CSF production by T cells and FLSs.

Therefore, the HYTB formula should be used as a traditional medicine against RA in modern complementary and alternative therapies.