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Objective:
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease with limited treatment options and associated side effects or resistance. This study aims to investigate the therapeutic potential of the natural compound cucurbitacin B (CuB) in RA treatment.
Methods:
We utilized a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mouse model to evaluate the effects of CuB. Arthritis scores, histological damage, and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression (TNF-α, IL-17A) were assessed. In addition, network pharmacology analysis was performed to explore CuB’s molecular mechanisms, focusing on Th17 cell differentiation, IL-17 signaling, and the JAK-STAT pathway.
Results:
CuB significantly reduced arthritis severity, decreased histological damage, and lowered the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in CIA mice. CuB was found to inhibit STAT3 phosphorylation and reduce the proportion of Th17 cells in the spleen, indicating its potential anti-inflammatory effects.
Conclusion:
These findings suggest that cucurbitacin B may serve as a promising novel therapeutic agent for rheumatoid arthritis by targeting key inflammatory pathways.
Details
; Hira, Umbreen 2 ; Wang Jou-Hsuan 3 ; Chih-Ming, Tsia 4 ; Lin Tim Chi-Chen 5 ; Yu-Ting, Chen 6
1 Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan, China, R.O.C., Institute of Biomedical Science, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan, China, R.O.C.
2 Institute of Biomedical Science, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan, China, R.O.C.
3 Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Taichung Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Taichung, Taiwan, China, R.O.C.
4 Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, La Jolla, CA, USA, R.O.C.
5 Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan, China, R.O.C., Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan, China, R.O.C., Department of Medical Research, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan, China, R.O.C., Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, China, R.O.C., The iEGG and Animal Biotechnology Center, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan, China, R.O.C.
6 Graduate Institute of Genomics and Bioinformatics, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan, China, R.O.C.