OK205 regulates production of inflammatory cytokines in HMC-1 cells

OK205 is a traditional Korean prescription containing water-soluble chitosan, glucosamine HCl, chondroitin sulfate, and extract of herbal medicine, and has been used commercially to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Because infiltrated mast cells and their mediators may contribute to the initiation and progression of the inflammatory process and matrix degradation of RA, we tested the inhibitory effects of OK205 on cytokine production in a human mast cell line (HMC-1 cells). Production of tumor necrosis factor-α was significantly decreased to 0.091±0.010 ng/ml after treatment of HMC-1 cells with OK205 100 μg/ml. The inhibition rate was about 43.57%. In addition, production of interleukin-6 in OK205 1 pg/ml-treated cells was 2.779±0.071 ng/ml, and the inhibition rate was about 50.22%. However, OK205 did not significantly inhibit the production of interleukin-8. These findings may help in understanding the mechanism of action of OK205, leading to control of mast cells in inflammatory conditions like RA.