Clinical, Histological and Biochemical Aspects Effect of Gotu Kola (Centella Asiatica L.) on Experimental Arthritis

Abstract

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), as a significant chronic disease, requires the ongoing search for new drugs or supportive agents capable of minimizing current therapy dosages. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effects of Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica L.; CA) on RA using a Freund's Complete Adjuvant (FCA)-induced rat model. Sixty female Wistar rats were divided into six groups: FCA, FCA+CA30, FCA+CA100, FCA+DXM, CA+100, and Control. Arthritis was induced in the first four groups using FCA. For 28 days, oral CA was administered (30 mg/kg or 100 mg/kg) or dexamethasone (DXM) was given intramuscularly (0.1 mg/kg). The study evaluated clinical parameters, total antioxidant/oxidant status (TAS/TOS), and levels of RANKL and OPG. The FCA+DXM and FCA+CA100 groups had the lowest arthritis index scores (P<0.05). Histological scores for the left paw samples were significantly different between the FCA+CA30 group and the FCA+DXM and FCA+CA100 groups (P<0.001). No significant differences were observed in the plasma levels of TAS/TOS, RANKL, and OPG among the groups (P>0.05). In conclusion, CA (100 mg/kg) and DXM demonstrated similar efficacy in FCA-induced model, reducing arthritis severity and reversing histopathological changes. CA could be a useful adjuvant for reducing standard doses of drugs which have some side effects.