Traditional Chinese Medicine Formula “Xiaofeng granules” suppressed gouty arthritis animal models and inhibited the proteoglycan degradation on chondrocytes induced by monosodium urate

Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance Xiaofeng Granules (XF) is a kind of granules prepared by the famous traditional Chinese medicine formula for its efficiency in treating gouty diseases. Aim of the study We investigated the relevance between XF that made from Modified simiaowan (MSW) as the anti-gouty arthritis drugs and protective mechanisms for cartilage matrix in order to provide the evidence for new drug application. Materials and methods In the present study, we evaluated the anti-gouty arthritis activity of XF in rats and rabbits models induced by MSU together with chondrocytes focusing on the link to proteoglycan degradation in vitro studies. Results The results demonstrated that XF significantly reduced the swelling rate and attenuated the pathological changes in joints. The XF-containing serum were used medicated serum in cellular experiments. The in vitro data were in accordance with the in vivo results, showing that the constituents in XF-containing serum had obvious inhibitory effects on the activation of pro-inflammatory mediators in chondrocytes. Moreover, XF-containing serum substantially inhibited MSU-induced expression of glycosaminoglycans(GAG) and hydroxyproline(Hyp), and up regulated proteoglycan, which might be associated with the regulation of the balance of MMP-3/TIMP-1and ADAMTS-4/TIMP-3 inchondrocytes. Conclusion In conclusion, XF that made from MSW showed obvious effects on acute gouty arthritis, which also provided an effective protection on cartilage matrix degradation.