Abstract: The objective of study was to observe the effect of Caulis Tinosporae sinensis on pathological changes of ankle tissue in rats with adjuvant arthritis (AA) which are induced by Freund’s complete adjuvant (CFA).Except for the normal control group,all rats were injected CFA through plantar subcutaneous injection to induce the AA,Rats with AA were randomly divided into five groups:model group,high,middle and low-dose Caulis Tinosporae sinensis group,positive control group.The rats in each group were respectively treated with corresponding medicine for 20 days.Secondary foot claw degree of swelling was examined by vlume method.The ankle tissue was examined under microscope to evaluate the pathological changes of synovium,cartilage and articular cavity as well as soft tissue inflammation.The experimental results showed that Caulis Tinosporae sinensis can reduce secondary foot claw degree of swelling and significantly inhibit the hyperplasia of synovial membrane and the infiltration of inflammatory cells and the formation of pannus,and reduce cartilage injury as compared with the model group (P<0.05;P<0.01).Finally,it was concluded that Caulis Tinosporae sinensis can significantly inhibit pathological changes of ankle tissue in rats with AA.

Key words: Caulis tinosporae sinensis, adjuvant arthritis, histopathology