Conclusion
It seems that probiotics can effectively reduce inflammatory symptoms by inhibiting the intracellular signaling pathway and cytokine production.
Methods
Complete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA)-induced arthritis was caused by single subcutaneous injection of CFA into the rat's hind paw on day 0. Different doses of probiotics (1/250, 1/500 and 1/1000 [109 CFU/g]) were administered daily (gavage) after CFA injection. Hyperalgesia, edema, serum IL-1β levels, μ-Opioid Receptor (MOR) expression, and p38MAPK (Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase) activities were assessed on days 0, 7, 14 and 21 of the study.
Results
The results of this study indicated the efficacy of probiotics in reducing hyperalgesia, edema, serum levels of Interleukin-1β, and p38MAPK pathway activity during different phases of arthritis as well as increasing the expression of MORs during chronic phase of CFA-induced arthritis.