The Potential Effects of Horsetail (Equisetum Arvense) and Ashwagandha (Withania Somnifera) Aqueous Extract on Rheumatoid Arthritis in Female Rats

نوع المستند : المقالة الأصلية

المؤلفون

1 Nutrition and Food Science Department, Faculty of Home Economics, Helwan University

2 Home Economics Dept., Specific Education Faculty, Port Said University, Egypt

المستخلص

This study investigates the effects of horsetail (Equisetum arvense) and ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) aqueous extracts on female rats with rheumatoid arthritis. Forty-eight adult female rats were divided into eight groups. The control group received a basal diet, while the other seven groups were injected with 100 µL of Complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) into the left hind knee joint to induce arthritis. Two groups received oral doses of E. arvense extract at 5% and 10%, two other groups received ashwagandha extract at 5% and 10%, and two groups received a combination of both extracts at 5% and 10% for four weeks. The chemical composition of E. arvense showed it contains 1.42% fat, 35.55% fiber, 11.85% protein, and 30.81% carbohydrate, while Ashwagandha contains 0.37% fat, 34.63% fiber, 4.26% protein, and 47.95% carbohydrate. Results indicated that administering these extracts to arthritic rats significantly decreased levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, VLDL, liver enzymes (AST, ALT, and ALP), urea, creatinine, uric acid, MDA, and pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-6, interleukin-10, and TNF-α). Conversely, the extracts increased body weight, feed intake, body weight gain, feed efficiency ratio (FER), serum HDL, and antioxidant enzyme levels (SOD, CAT, GSH, TAC). The combination of both extracts produced the most pronounced therapeutic effects, suggesting that E. arvense and ashwagandha extracts could serve as promising complementary treatments for managing rheumatoid arthritis by reducing inflammation, oxidative stress and improving lipid profiles and organ function.

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