Background: EC-18, a synthetic monoacetyldiaglyceride, exhibits protective effects against lung inflammation, allergic asthma, and abdominal sepsis. However, there have been no investigations to determine whether EC-18 has preventive potential in autoimmune diseases, especially rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Methods: To investigate the efficacy of EC-18 on the development of RA, EC-18 was administered in a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) murine model and disease severity and the level of inflammatory cytokines in the joint were investigated. The effect of EC-18 on the inflammation-related factors was investigated by flow cytometry, ELISA, western blot, and real-time PCR in splenocytes from mice and in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy and patients with RA. The effect of EC-18 on osteoclastogenesis was investigated.
Results: EC-18 effectively reduced the clinical and histological severity of arthritis, similar to Janus kinase inhibitors include tofacitinib and baricitinib, in CIA. Furthermore, EC-18 exhibited a synergistic effect with methotrexate in preventing CIA. Treatment with EC-18 effectively reduced the production of inflammatory cytokines in immune cells and osteoclast differentiation in mice and patients with RA.
Conclusion: These results suggest that EC-18 may be an effective strategy for RA.
Keywords: Collagen-induced arthritis; EC-18; Inflammatory cytokines; Osteoclastogenesis; Rheumatoid arthritis.
© 2022. The Author(s).