The effects of alpha-viniferin on adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats

This study was performed to assess the efficacy of alpha-viniferin (Carex humilis Leyss) on adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats. Adjuvant arthritis was induced by a single subcutaneous injection of 0.1 ml complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) containing 7.5 mg Mycobacterium butyricum suspended in 1 ml sterile paraffin oil into the right hind paw. Forty female Sprague-Dawley rats were injected. Righting reflex was uniformly lost and considered to be the initial point of arthritis development on day 7 after CFA injection. Rats were divided into four groups, and upon development of arthritis, tested groups were orally administered 3 or 10 mg/kg alpha-viniferin or 10 mg/kg ketoprofen every day for 14 days. The control group was orally administered 2 ml of physiological saline solution. Bone mineral density (BMD), radiological changes and edematous volumes were measured for 35 days. Alpha-viniferin suppressed the development of inflammatory edema, and inhibited the bone destruction, noted with a decrease in BMD (p < 0.05). Hind paw edema volume, BMD and radiological changes did not differ significantly in the ketoprofen and alpha-viniferin groups during the entire study period. In conclusion, alpha-viniferin suppressed arthritic inflammation and bony change in rats.