Homoeopathic drug dilutions of Thuja occidentalis attenuate complete Freund’s adjuvant‑induced arthritis in Wistar rats

Abstract

Context: Thuja occidentalis is prescribed in Homoeopathy in treating rheumatoid arthritis. We speculated the anti‑arthritic mechanism of Homoeopathic dilutions of Thuja occidentalis against the complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA)‑induced arthritis in rats. Materials and Methods: Arthritis was induced (n = 28) by subplantar injection of 0.1 ml CFA in the right hind paw of rats. The oral dose of crude Thuja occidentalis was 30 mg/kg/b. i. d and that of Homoeopathic dilutions was 0.1 ml/b. i. d. Orally administered diclofenac at 5 mg/kg/day served as a standard. The treatments continued for 24 days. The severity of arthritis was determined weekly as rise in paw volume, mechanical allodynia and changes in body weight. On the 25th day, X‑ray imaging of the arthritic paws was recorded, and the biopsy samples extracted from the paws were subjected to the estimation of pro‑inflammatory cytokines and histological evaluations. Results: Thuja occidentalis Homoeopathic dilutions and its crude form protected rats against the CFA‑induced arthritic lesions. The mother tincture, 6cH, 30cH and 200cH dilutions of Thuja occidentalis significantly reduced the CFA‑induced rise in paw volume, reduced the mechanical allodynia and also reduced the levels of interleukin (IL) IL‑1, IL‑6 and tumour necrosis factor alpha in paw tissue. CFA‑induced articular changes, oedema, cellular infiltrations and cartilage damage were reduced by Thuja occidentalis dilutions. The radiological images indicated that Thuja occidentalis treatment reduced the CFA‑induced joint swelling, bone erosion and joint space narrowing. Conclusion: Our findings substantiate the anti‑arthritic effects of Thuja occidentalis Homoeopathic dilutions against CFA‑induced arthritis and indicate that Homoeopathic dilutions of Thuja occidentalis, particularly 6cH dilution, exert more potent anti‑arthritic effects than its crude form.