Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 14, 2026
An Adoptive Transfer Model of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Mice
Published on: June 6, 2025
Exploring the Therapeutic Mechanisms of Fangfeng Decoction for Rheumatoid Arthritis via Integrated Pharmacological,
Lili Shi1, Zhongfei Shen1, Bin Shen1
1College of Medicine, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing, Zhejiang, China.
Ethnopharmacological Relevance:
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes synovial inflammation and joint injury. Currently, safe multitargeted therapies for RA are lacking. Fangfeng Decoction (FFD), a 1,800-year-old traditional Chinese medicine, has been shown to relieve the symptoms of RA in clinical practice; however, its experimentally verified modern pharmacological mechanisms of action remain unclear.
Materials And Methods:
This study combined multi-omics, genetic analysis, and in vitro/in vivo experiments to explore FFD anti-rheumatoid arthritis (RA) effects: multi-omics and genetics identified FFD's core anti-RA targets/pathways, while subsequent assays (on MH7A cells and CIA BALB/c mice) verified these effects-including detection of apoptosis-related proteins and key signaling pathways.
Results:
Network pharmacology identified 142 FFD compounds (e.g., beta-sitosterol) targeting RA molecules (TNF-α and IL-6) and pathways (PI3K-AKT and NF-κB), which were validated by high-affinity molecular docking. Lactylation proteomics revealed that FFD reduced RA-related lactylation modifications (e.g., FTH1-K69la) and the lactate-H3K9la-NFATc2 axis. Mendelian randomization linked the FFD target HK3 to susceptibility to RA. In vitro, FFD inhibited RA synoviocyte proliferation in a dose-dependent manner, induced apoptosis (via Bcl-2/Bax/caspase-3), arrested the G1 phase, and suppressed PI3K/GSK-3β signaling. In vivo, FFD alleviated joint swelling, synovial hyperplasia, and pro-inflammatory markers (TNF-α, RF) in CIA mice.
Conclusions:
FFD exerts experimentally verified multitarget, multi-pathway anti-RA effects, supporting its clinical potential as a complementary/alternative therapy for treating RA, especially in refractory cases, based on its modern pharmacological effects.
Insights
Fangfeng Decoction (FFD) effectively treats rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by targeting multiple pathways and molecules. This traditional Chinese medicine demonstrates significant anti-RA effects, offering potential as a complementary therapy.
Area of Science:
- Traditional Chinese Medicine
- Pharmacology
- Immunology
Background:
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease causing joint inflammation and injury.
- Current RA therapies lack safety and multitargeting capabilities.
- Fangfeng Decoction (FFD), a traditional Chinese medicine, shows clinical efficacy for RA, but its mechanisms are unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the modern pharmacological mechanisms of FFD in treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
- To identify and validate the multitargeted effects of FFD against RA.
- To explore FFD's potential as a complementary therapy for RA.
Main Methods:
- Combined multi-omics, genetic analysis, and in vitro/in vivo experiments.
- Network pharmacology and molecular docking to identify FFD compounds, targets, and pathways.
- Lactylation proteomics, Mendelian randomization, cell-based assays, and collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mouse models.
Main Results:
- Identified 142 FFD compounds targeting RA molecules (e.g., TNF-α, IL-6) and pathways (e.g., PI3K-AKT, NF-κB).
- FFD reduced RA-related lactylation and modulated the lactate-H3K9la-NFATc2 axis.
- FFD inhibited RA synoviocyte proliferation, induced apoptosis, arrested cell cycle, suppressed PI3K/GSK-3β signaling, and alleviated joint inflammation in CIA mice.
Conclusions:
- FFD exhibits verified multitarget, multi-pathway anti-RA effects.
- FFD's modern pharmacological actions support its clinical use as a complementary/alternative therapy for RA.
- FFD shows particular promise for refractory RA cases.
