Objectives cardiovascular system damage is common in rheumatoid arthritis,because cardiovascular disease is associated with long-term chronic systemic inflammatory response. Vascular endothelial injury is initiating factor of cardiovascular damage. This study is to investigate the effects of root of herbaceous peony (TGP) capsule on cardiovascular damage by observing the changes aortic and synovial pathmorphology, the levels of tumour necrosis factorα (TNF-α) and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1(VCAM-1) levels.

Methods 40 female Wistar rats were divided into normal group, model group, the control group and the treatment group (n = 10). In addition to the normal group, collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rat model were manipulated with other three groups: bovine type II collagen was made into the mixture with the final concentration of 1mg/ml,then it was injected in rat left foot subcutaneous 0.1ml (including to 100ug/collagen type II). After the initial immunisation, bovine type II collagen was injected again 7 days later. From the injection day, the model group and control group, the treatment group were given intragastric saline, tripterygium and (TGP) orally for 4 weeks, following indicators were determined: (1) synovium and thoracic aortic pathmorphology; (2) serum tumour necrosis factor-a levels were measured by radioimmunoassay; (4) serum vacm-1 were measured by ELISA; (5) vascular endothelial cells VCAM-1 expression were measured by immunohistochemical method.

Results (1) Aortic pathmorphology : the model group: arterial intimal surface is not smooth, there was destruction of the endothelial cells, and oedema smooth muscle were visible. Control group and treatment group showed repairing of the endothelial cells and smooth muscle of the aortic; (2) Synovial pathmorphology: Inflammatory cell infiltration, oedema, granulation tissue formation, increased levels of synovial cells, and cartilage damage could be seen in model group. inflammatory cell infiltration and synovial hyperplasia, cartilage destruction were reduced in the control group and the treatment group; (3) serum TNF-a levels (ng /ml): it was significantly higher in the model group (2.027 ± 0.515) than that in the normal group (1.081 ± 0.318) (P <0.01). Compared with that in the model group, the control group (1.100 ± 0.255) and treatment group (1.318 ± 0.340) was significantly decreased (P <0.01; P0.01); (4) serum VACM-1 level (pg / ml): model group (4.501 ± 0.049) was significantly higher than that in the normal group (3.028 ± 0.054) (P <0.05). compared with the model group,it was lower in control group (3.982 ± 0.098) (P> 0.05) and treatment group (4.015 ± 0.214) (P <0.05); (5) the aortic VACM-1 expression (OD value): immunohistochemical markers of VACM-1 were located in cytoplasm of the cells. Normal were observed in there were a small amount of vacm-1 distributed (430.12 ± 18.25); brown particles in the model group (1054.12 ± 18.05) were higer than those in normal group cytoplasm (P <0.01); treatment group (920.23 ± 32.25) and the control group (1001.82 ± 25.13) were lower (P > 0.05).

Conclusions There is the vascular endothelial injury in CIA rats. TGP may have the cardiovascular protective effects by reducing the inflammatory cytokines.