Natural Products Targeting Various Mediators in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease that leads to an inflammatory reaction, primarily affecting synovial joints and progressive cartilage and bone destruction resulting in gradual joint immobility. Possibly, a diversity of pharmacological intercessions are employed for treating arthritis. But modern treatment is linked with serious adverse outcomes and high expenses. Therefore, alternative therapies have been under examination. Scientific facts on RA have revealed that conventional therapy offers a favourable impact by various actions (cellular) like repression of oxidative stress, down-regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6, NF-ƙB, and TNF-α, and inhibiting cartilage degradation. A wide range of active phytoconstituents from the medicinal plants, such as terpenes, anthraquinones, glycosylflavons, flavonols, dihydroflavonols, lignans, coumarins, phytoestrogens, sesquiterpene lactones, thymoquinone, and alkaloids reduced the arthritic manifestations through selecting the pro-inflammatory indicators, which play a role in the pathogeny of the disease (RA). With numerous developments in the last few years regarding functional studies or characterization of plant materials, the phase is put down for extensive scientific trials or using the plants or their products to manage rheumatoid arthritis. The chapter discusses the plants used conventionally with phytoconstituents having anti-inflammatory action. This, in turn, leads to the innovation of new benefits from natural products in the future.

Keywords: Alternative medicine, Antiarthritic plants, Herbal medicine, Herbal treatment, Inflammatory mediators, Medicinal plants, Natural plants, Rheumatic herbs, Rheumatoid arthritis, Treatment strategies.