Anti-arthritic and Antioxidant Effects of Trehalose in an Experimental Model of Arthritis.

Background: The purpose of the present study was to study the potential anti-arthritic and antioxidant effects of trehalose in an experimental model of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced arthritis.

Methods: Arthritis was induced via subcutaneous injection of CFA (0.1) into the right footpad of each rat. Trehalose (10 mg/kg per day) and indomethacin (5 mg/kg) as a reference drug were intraperitoneally injected into CFA-induced arthritic rats from days 0 to 21. Changes in paw volume, pain responses, arthritic score, and oxidative/antioxidative parameters were determined.

Results: Trehalose administration could significantly decrease arthritis scores (p <0.01) and paw edema (p <0.001), and significantly increase the nociceptive threshold (p <0.05) in CFA-induced arthritic rats. Trehalose also significantly reduced the pro-oxidant-antioxidant balance values when compared to CFA treatment alone. In addition, no significant difference was found between the trehalose group and indomethacin as a positive control group.

Conclusion: The current study suggests that trehalose has a protective effect against arthritis, which may be mediated by antioxidative effects of this disaccharide.