[Study on antiinflammatory effect of a compound TCM agent containing ant extractive in animal models].

To study the antiinflammatory effect of a compound TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) agent on animal models. The agent contains ant extractive and a blent of three herbal products, herba epimedii, fructus cnidii, and fructus lycii.Three animal models to induce experimental inflammation in rats, including carrageenin--induced paw edema, cotton-ball granuloma and adjuvant induced arthritis, were chosen to study the antiinflammatory effect of the TCM agent.The TCM agent showed a marked inhibitory effect on edema induced by all three types of inflammation in rats, the inhibitory rate of the TCM agent at the dose of 0.20, 0.40 and 0.80 g.kg-1 in granuloma model bing over 25% at 1 hour post oral administration, and being 23.8%, 22.7%, 39.7% at 6 hour. In addition, the TCM agent also showed a significant preventive as well as therapeutic effect on adjuvant induced arthritis in rats, and improved the pathological changes of the animal joints with the induced arthritis.TCM agent has significant antiinflammatory effects on the three above mentioned animal models.