LAUSR

Purpose: To investigate the protective effect of ethanol extract of P. granatum against arthritis in rat model. Methods: Twenty-six adult male Wistar rats (120 150 g) were separated into four groups (n = 6): normal control, arthritic control and two treatment groups. With the exception of normal control group, arthritis was induced by intraplantar administration of Freund’s complete adjuvant (FCA) on the 1st day of drug administration. The arthritic control group was not treated, while the treatment groups received extract orally at 500 or 750 mg/kg for the period of 4 weeks and at the end of each week, paw volume, thermal hyperalgesia, arthritic score and mechanical nociceptive threshold were performed to assess arthritis. Biochemical indicators and inflammatory cytokines in serum were determined using standard procedures. Results: There was significant decrease in paw volume and arthritic score; paw withdrawal latency was enhanced in extract-treated groups, compared to arthritic control group (p < 0.05). Furthermore, ALT, AST and ALP levels, as well as RF and MDA activities decreased significantly with extract treatment, compared with arthritic control group (p < 0.05). Treatment with the extract attenuated the altered level of interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and TNF-α levels in arthritic rats. Histological examination showed that treatment with the extract significantly reversed histological changes induced by arthritis. Conclusion: The results reveal that the beneficial effect of ethanol extract of P. granatum against FCAinduced arthritis is due to its ability to reduce the levels of inflammatory cytokines.