Effects of flavangenol, an extract of French maritime pine bark on collagen-induced arthritis in rats.
Ključne riječi
Sažetak
Flavangenol (FG), an extract of French maritime pine bark (Pinus maritime) mainly contains proanthocyanidin in oligomers. It has many physiological effects, including antioxidant and anti-atherosclerosis. In this study, we evaluated the effects of FG on rat collagen-induced arthritis, a model of human rheumatoid arthritis. The rats were fed with the diet of control, 0.3% FG, or 1% FG for 4 wk after the induction of arthritis. The FG diets, compared with the control diet, suppressed the increase in arthritic score and swelling of the paws in a dose-dependent manner. Histopathological examination revealed evidence that the 1% FG diet suppressed acute and chronic articular lesions in the rats. In addition, the FG diets (0.3% and 1%) suppressed the production of nitric oxide in the plasma of the rats. These results suggest that dietary FG has beneficial effects on collagen-induced arthritis in rats by inhibiting the acute and chronic inflammatory reactions.