Abstract:Objective To study the anti-inflammatory effects of polydatin, resveratrol and emodin in Polygonum cuspidatum (P. cuspidatum) extract on gouty arthritis in rats.Methods A total of 72 SD rats were randomly divided into 12 groups (blank control group, model group, positive control group, low-, medium- and high-dose groups of polydatin, low-, medium- and high-dose groups of resveratrol, and low-, medium- and high-dose groups of emodin), with 6 rats in each group. Rats in the blank control group and model group were given normal saline, the positive control group was given indomethacin 10 mL/kg, and the low-, medium- and high-dose groups of the 3 compound monomers were intragastrically given corresponding drugs 125, 250 and 500 mg/kg, for 14 consecutive days. The gouty arthritis rats were established by injecting sodium urate solution into the right posterior toe joint on the 12th day of administration. On the 3rd day after modeling, histopathological examination was performed on the rat’s toe joint tissue to evaluate the inflammation reaction and crystalline lesions of the joint. Serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10 levels were detected by enzymelinked immunosorbent assay.Results The degrees of joint swelling of rats in each model group were higher than that of the blank control group (all P<0.05) at 4-48 h after modeling. Except for the blank control group, the degrees of joint swelling of rats in other groups increased first and then decreased over time. Histopathological results showed that pathological changes dominated by inflammatory reaction were still observed in the joints of rats in the low-dose group of polydatin and 3 dose groups of resveratrol and emodin, but the incidence and severity of inflammatory reaction and crystal lesions were significantly decreased in each treatment group compared with the model group. In addition, compared with the model group, polydatin, resveratrol and emodin in P. cuspidatum had different effects on the serum TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-10 in gouty arthritis rats and they all had obvious anti-inflammatory effects.Conclusion Polydatin, resveratrol and emodin in P. cuspidatum all have effects of preventing and treating inflammation in rats with gouty arthritis.