An Ameliorative Effects of Swimming combined with Korean Berchemia roots on Adjuvant-induced Arthritis in Rats

We undertook this study to clarify effects of swimming combined with the extract of Korean Berchemia, Berchemia berchemiaefolia roots (Bextract) in adjuvant-induced arthritis rats. Rats were divided four groups: control (group I), arthritis (group II), arthritis with B-extract (group III) and swimming combined with arthritis+B-extract groups (group IV). The serum IL6 and TNF-α concentrations in group III and IV were significantly lower than those of group II. The IL-6 and TNF-α concentrations in group IV were significantly lower than those of group III, but higher than those of group I. The inflammatory and injury levels on the knee joints were histologically lower in group III and IV than in group II. The degree of joint injury in group IV was histologically less than that of group III. We first demonstrated that the extract of Korean Berchemia, Berchemia berchemiaefolia roots may offer therapeutic effect and that swimming combined with the extract may promise more useful effects on the arthritis.