Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune condition that mainly affects peripheral joints. Although immunosuppressive drugs and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used to treat this condition, these drugs have severe side effects. Flavonoids are the most abundant phenolic compounds which exhibit anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties. Many bioactive flavonoids have powerful anti-inflammatory effects. However, a very few have reached clinical use. Dietary flavonoids have been reported to control joint inflammation and alleviate arthritis symptoms in both human RA and animal models of arthritis. There is little scientific evidence about their mechanism of actions in RA. We review the therapeutic effects of different groups of flavonoids belonging to the most common and abundant groups on RA. In particular, the probable mechanisms of major flavonoids on cells and chemical messengers involved in the inflammatory signaling components of RA are discussed in detail.
Keywords: Cytokines; arthritis; collagen-induced arthritis; immunosuppression; inflammation.