Traditional Chinese medicine effective ingredients for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis:mechanism based on nuclear factor kappaB signaling pathway

Fu Xiao; Li Jigao; Yan Xiaonan; Song Zhe; Guo Yuejun; Li Hanbing; Zhou Quan

doi:10.12307/2026.716

Abstract：BACKGROUND:Previous studies have shown that the nuclear factor κB signaling pathway is highly expressed in rheumatoid arthritis and promotes the progression of rheumatoid arthritis by regulating cytokines,vascular endothelial growth factor,endogenous antioxidant enzymes,and etc. OBJECTIVE:To summarize and analyze the mechanism of the nuclear factor κB signaling pathway on rheumatoid arthritis,and to review the relevant literature on the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with traditional Chinese medicine in the past 5 years,in order to provide new reference for the clinical treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. METHODS:Using"NF-κB,rheumatoid arthritis,traditional Chinese medicine,bone injury,TCM monomeric compounds,TCM herb pairs,TCM compound formulations,research progress"as Chinese and English search terms,we searched for literature on the relationship between nuclear factor κB and rheumatoid arthritis,as well as the intervention and regulation with traditional Chinese medicine monomers,drug pairs,and compound formulas published in CNKI and PubMed databases from March 2016 to March 2025.Finally,87 articles were included for review. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Nuclear factor κB plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis.(2)The nuclear factor κB signaling pathway leads to rheumatoid arthritis by inducing inflammatory cell aggregation,producing reactive oxygen species,regulating osteoclast formation,and mediating vascular dysplasia.(3)Chinese herbal monomers such as baicalein,traditional Chinese medicine such as Radix Polygoni multiflori Preparata(Zhichuanwu)-White Peony Root(Baishao),and traditional Chinese medicine compound Yiyifuzi Baijiang powder inhibit the progression of rheumatoid arthritis by regulating nuclear factor κB-related signaling pathways such as phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/nuclear factor κB,mitogen activated protein kinase/nuclear factor κB,and Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor κB.