Abstract:Objective: To observe the effects of combination therapy with glycyrrhizin (GL) and triptolide (TP) on collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rats. Method: Sixty male SD rats were randomly divided into 6 groups: the model group, the TP group, the GL group, and combination 1, 2, 3 groups. The models were induced by collagen type Ⅱ. The arthritis index (AI) and the edema rate were detected as curative effect, and the level of antibodies to collagen, TNF-α and IL-10 were measured by ELISA. Result: The combination therapy with GL and TP significantly reduced the paw edema and arthritis index of CIA rats (P<0.01), and the combination therapy can increase the level of IL-10, while decrease the level of TNF-α, and the level of antibodies to collagen decreased too (P<0.05, P<0.01). Conclusion: Combine 26.78 mg·kg-1 GL with 13.40 μg·kg-1 TP can significantly inhibited the CIA, and the effect equal to the dosage of 17.86 μg·kg-1 TP. It supports the possible of GL in combination with TP to reduce the dose and side effects related to TP.