Effect of a new type of ampelopsis hydrogel on gouty arthritis with accumulation of dampness-heat syndrome

Objective To investigate the interventional effect and mechanism of a novel ampelopsis hydrogel on dampness-heat accumulation syndrome of gouty arthritis.

Methods A total of 90 patients with gouty arthritis who met the diagnostic criteria of western medicine and were differentiated as damp-heat accumulation syndrome of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) were randomly divided into treatment group, control group and blank group, with 30 patients in each group. The blank group was treated with etoricoxib only, the control group was treated with etoricoxib combined with ampelopsis hydrogel, and the treatment group was treated with etoricoxib combined with external application of ampelopsis hydrogel. The clinical efficacy, time to symptom improvement, safety, comfort, changes in syndrome scores of TCM, serum inflammatory factorsC-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), NF-κB signaling pathway-related proteins, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores for pain, and joint mobility were compared among the three groups before and after treatment.

Results The total effective rates in the treatment group and control group were 93.33% and 90.00%, respectively, which were higher than 70.00% in the blank group (P < 0.05). The time for improvement of pain, redness, tenderness, and limited joint mobility in the treatment group was shorter than that in the control group and blank group (P < 0.05). After 7 days of treatment, the TCM syndrome score in the treatment group was lower than that in the control group and blank group, and the levels of serum CRP, TNF-α, and ESR and the expressions of NF-κB signalingpathway-related proteins P50 and P65 in the treatment group and control group were lower than those in the blank group (P < 0.05). After 7 days of treatment, the VAS score in the treatment group was lower than that in the control group and blank group, and the comfort score in the treatment group was higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions among the three groups (P>0.05).

Conclusion The effect of ampelopsis hydrogel in treating gouty arthritis is better than that of ampelopsis paste, and its mechanism may be related to the regulation of the NF-κB pathway and inhibition of inflammatory factor expression. The hydrogel is easy to use, hygienic, and comfortable, and is expected to become a safe, effective, and convenient external medicine for gouty arthritis.