Molecular Chinese Medicine Laboratory, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2013 Jun;44(3):284-300. doi: 10.1007/s12016-012-8329-8.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic autoimmune inflammatory disorder that causes permanent disability and mortality to approximately 1 to 100 people in the world. Patients with RA not only suffer from pain, stiffness, swelling, and loss of function in their joints, but also have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and lymphoma. Typically prescribed medications, including pain-relieving drugs, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, can help to relieve pain, reduce inflammation and slow the course of disease progression in RA patients. However, the general effectiveness of the drugs has been far from satisfactory. Other therapeutic modalities like TNF-alpha (TNF-α) inhibitors and interleukin-1 receptor antagonists targeting precise pathways within the immune system are expensive and may be associated with serious side effects. Recently, botanical medicines have become popular as alternative remedies as they are believed to be efficacious, safe and have over a thousand years experience in treating patients. In this review, we will summarize recent evidence for pharmacological effects of herbs including Black cohosh, Angelica sinensis, Licorice, Tripterygium wilfordii, Centella asiatica, and Urtica dioica. Scientific research has demonstrated that these herbs have strong anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic effects. A wide range of phytochemicals including phenolic acids, phenylpropanoid ester, triterpene glycosides, phthalide, flavonoids, triterpenoid saponin, diterpene and triterpene have been isolated and demonstrated to be responsible for the biological effects of the herbs. Understanding the mechanisms of action of the herbs may provide new treatment opportunities for RA patients.
类风湿关节炎（RA）是一种慢性、系统性自身免疫性炎症性疾病，全球约有 1 至 100 人因此永久致残或死亡。RA 患者不仅关节疼痛、僵硬、肿胀和丧失功能，而且心血管疾病和淋巴瘤的风险也更高。通常开的药物，包括止痛药、非甾体抗炎药（NSAID）和疾病修饰抗风湿药，可帮助缓解 RA 患者的疼痛、减轻炎症和减缓疾病进展。然而，这些药物的总体疗效远不理想。针对免疫系统中特定途径的其他治疗方法，如 TNF-α（TNF-α）抑制剂和白细胞介素-1 受体拮抗剂，虽然有效，但价格昂贵，可能会引起严重的副作用。最近，植物药作为替代疗法越来越受欢迎，因为它们被认为有效、安全，并且在治疗患者方面已有一千多年的经验。在这篇综述中，我们将总结草药（包括黑升麻、当归、甘草、雷公藤、积雪草和荨麻）的药理作用的最新证据。科学研究表明，这些草药具有很强的抗炎和抗关节炎作用。已分离出并证明多种植物化学物质，包括酚酸、苯丙素酯、三萜糖苷、香豆素、类黄酮、三萜皂苷、二萜和三萜，负责草药的生物效应。了解草药的作用机制可能为 RA 患者提供新的治疗机会。
