Triptolide Attenuates Muscular Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in a Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness Animal Model

Che-Chia Hsu; Chin-Chuan Tsai; Po-Yen Ko; Ting-Hsien Kwan; Ming-Yie Liu; Po-Ting Wu; I-Ming Jou

doi:10.3390/ijerph192416685

Triptolide Attenuates Muscular Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in a Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness Animal Model

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Dec 12;19(24):16685. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192416685.

Authors

Che-Chia Hsu¹, Chin-Chuan Tsai^{2

3}, Po-Yen Ko¹, Ting-Hsien Kwan⁴, Ming-Yie Liu⁵, Po-Ting Wu^{1

6

7

8

9}, I-Ming Jou^{10

11

12}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Orthopaedics, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70428, Taiwan.
² Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, E-Da Dachang Hospital, Kaohsiung 82445, Taiwan.
³ School of Chinese Medicine for Post Baccalaureate, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung 82445, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Orthopaedics, Ditmanson Medical Foundation Chia-Yi Christian Hospital, Chiayi 60002, Taiwan.
⁵ Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70428, Taiwan.
⁶ Medical Device Innovation Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70428, Taiwan.
⁷ Department of Orthopaedics, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70428, Taiwan.
⁸ Department of Biomedical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70428, Taiwan.
⁹ Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70428, Taiwan.
¹⁰ Department of Orthopaedics, E-Da Hospital, Kaohsiung 82445, Taiwan.
¹¹ School of Medicine, College of Medicine, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung 82445, Taiwan.
¹² GEG Orthopedic Clinic, Tainan 74543, Taiwan.

Abstract

Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is associated with exercise-induced muscle damage and inflammation, which is mainly caused by prolonged eccentric exercise in humans. Triptolide, an extract from the Chinese herb Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F, has been used for treating autoimmune and inflammatory diseases in clinical practice. However, whether triptolide attenuates acute muscle damage is still unclear. Here, we examined the effect of triptolide on carrageenan-induced DOMS in rats. Rats were injected with 3% of carrageenan into their muscles to induce acute left gastrocnemius muscular damage, and triptolide treatment attenuated carrageenan-induced acute muscular damage without affecting hepatic function. Triptolide can significantly decrease lipid hydroperoxide and nitric oxide (NO) levels, proinflammatory cytokine production, and the activation of nuclear factor (NF)-ĸB, as well as increase a reduced form of glutathione levels in carrageenan-treated rat muscles. At the enzyme levels, triptolide reduced the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression and muscular myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in carrageenan-treated DOMS rats. In conclusion, we show that triptolide can attenuate muscular damage by inhibiting muscular oxidative stress and inflammation in a carrageenan-induced rat DOMS model.

Keywords: delayed-onset muscle soreness; inflammation; myeloperoxidase; nitric oxide; oxidative stress; triptolide.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Carrageenan / pharmacology
Epoxy Compounds / pharmacology
Epoxy Compounds / therapeutic use
Humans
Inflammation / drug therapy
Models, Animal
Myalgia / drug therapy
Myositis*
Oxidative Stress
Phenanthrenes* / pharmacology
Phenanthrenes* / therapeutic use
Rats

Substances

triptolide
Carrageenan
Phenanthrenes
Epoxy Compounds

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the Taiwan National Science and Technology Council (grants: MOST 110-2314-B-006-022, MOST 111-2314-B-006-054, MOST108-2314-B-006-011-MY2, and MOST 109-2314-B-650-004), National Cheng Kung University (grants: NCKUEDA10607, NCKUEDA10617, NCKUEDA10814 and NCKUEDA11103), National Cheng Kung University Hospital (NCKUH-11104037 and NCKUH-11104069) and E-Da hospital (EDAPJ109079).