Korean
oriental medicine prescription is widely used for the treatment of gouty diseases. In the present study, we investigated anti-inflammatory effects of modified Korean herbal formulation, mixed extract of medicinal herbs (MEMH), and its modulatory effects on inflammatory mediators associated with
gouty arthritis. Both in vitro and in vivo studies were carried out to assess the anti-inflammatory efficacy of MEMH on
monosodium urate (MSU) crystals-induced gouty
inflammation. MSU crystals stimulated human
chondrosarcoma cell line, SW1353, and human primary chondrocytes were treated with MEMH in vitro. The expression levels of pro-inflammatory mediators and
metalloproteases were analyzed. The effect of MEMH on NFκB signaling pathway in SW1353 cells was examined. Effect of MEMH on the
mRNA expression level of pro-inflammatory mediators and
chemotactic factor from human monocytic cell line, THP-1, was also analyzed. The probable role of MEMH in the differentiation process of osteoblast like cells, SaOS-2, after MSU treatment was also observed. To investigate the effects of MEMH in vivo, MSU crystals-induced ankle arthritic model was established. Histopathological changes in affected joints and plasma levels of pro-inflammatory mediators (IL-1β and TNFα) were recorded. MEMH inhibited NFκB signaling pathway and COX-2
protein expression in chondrocytes. MSU-induced
mRNA expressions of pro-inflammatory mediators and
chemotactic cytokines were suppressed by MEMH. In MSU crystals-induced ankle arthritic mouse model, administration of MEMH relieved inflammatory symptoms and decreased the plasma levels of IL-1β and TNFα. The results indicated that MEMH can effectively inhibit the expression of inflammatory mediators in
gouty arthritis, demonstrating its potential for treating
gouty arthritis.