Rheumatoid arthritis treatment aims to control joint damage and any associated complications such as cardiovascular disease. Most anti-inflammatory drugs have a high tendency to cause gastro-intestinal irritation. The present study is designed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of carvedilol and to study its effect on gastric mucosa.
Lornoxicam (1.3mg/kg) or carvedilol (10mg/kg) was administrated orally 1h before histamine injection into animals of a histamine-induced paw edema model and orally daily for 11days into animals of a formaldehyde-induced arthritis model. Tumor necrosis factor-α and prostaglandin E
Carvedilol succeeded in reducing hind paw edema in both histamine-induced paw edema and formaldehyde-induced arthritis and in reducing the elevated level of tumor necrosis factor-α and prostaglandin E
The current findings support the use of carvedilol both in the management of inflammation as well as the prevention of cardiovascular complications in rheumatoid arthritis patients. The use of carvedilol was not associated with any gastro-intestinal tract irritation.