Abstract:Objective: To investigate the effect of decursin (Dec) on the immune function of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) rats by regulating the CC chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2)-CC chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) signaling axis. Methods: A RA rat model was constructed, and the successfully modeled rats were separated into RA group, L-Dec, M-Dec, H-Dec (gavage of 40, 60, and 80 mg/kg Dec), Dec+CCL2 (gavage of 80 mg/kg Dec+intraperitoneal injection of 5 ng CCL2), with 10 rats in each group. Another 10 rats were selected as the Control group. The Control group and RA group were gavaged and injected with an equal amount of physiological saline for 4 consecutive weeks. The degree of joint swelling, arthritis index, mechanical pain threshold, and paw withdrawal thermal latency (PWTL) of RA rats in each group were measured. The hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was applied to observe the joint pathology of RA rats. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was applied to detect the expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3), and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) in the serum of RA rats. Western blot was applied to detect the proteins expression of CCL2 and CCR2 in the joint tissues of RA rats. Results: The control group had intact and clear joint and bone structures. The RA group showed obvious bone structure damage with the infiltration of inflammatory cells. The L-Dec, M-Dec, and H-Dec groups showed reduced bone destruction, synovial epithelial proliferation, and inflammatory cell infiltration. The Dec+CCL2 group showed increased bone destruction and aggravated infiltration of inflammatory cells. The degree of joint swelling, arthritis index, the levels of TNF-α, MMP-3, IL-1β, immunoglobulin M (IgM), immunoglobulin G (IgG), immunoglobulin A (IgA), CCL2, and CCR2 in the RA group were significantly higher than those in the Control group, but the PWTL and the mechanical pain threshold were significantly lower (P<0.05). The degree of joint swelling, arthritis index, the levels of TNF-α, MMP-3, IL-1β, IgM, IgG, IgA, CCL2, and CCR2 in the L-Dec, M-Dec, and H-Dec groups were significantly lower than those in the RA group, the PWTL and the mechanical pain threshold were significantly higher (P<0.05). The degree of joint swelling, arthritis index, the levels of TNF-α, MMP-3, IL-1β, IgM, IgG, IgA, CCL2, and CCR2 in the Dec+CCL2 group were significantly higher than those in the H-Dec group, the PWTL and the mechanical pain threshold were significantly lower (P<0.05). Conclusion: Dec can improve the immune function of RA rats, via inhibiting the CCL2-CCR2 signaling axis.
王谢, 王进军, 陈丽川. 紫花前胡素调节CCL2-CCR2信号轴对类风湿关节炎大鼠免疫功能的影响[J]. 河北医学, 2025, 31(2): 234-239.
WANG Xie, WANG Jinjun, CHEN Lichuan. Effect of Decursin on the Immune Function of Rheumatoid Arthritis Rats by Regulating the CCL2-CCR2 Signaling Axis. HeBei Med, 2025, 31(2): 234-239.
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