Effects of long-term administration of Chlorella in rat model of adjuvant arthritis

Abstract

The anti-inflammatory effect of Chlorella pyrenoidosa (Chlorella) was in-vestigated using rat model of adjuvant arthritis (AA). Oral preventive ad-ministration of Chlorella powder was initiated 7 days before adjuvant treatment and continued 21 days after adjuvant treatment. Long-term administration of Chlorella powder (1,000 mg/kg) significantly inhibited the secondary in-flammation in tails of AA rats (p < 0.05). In addition, all rats had joint destruction in both adjuvant-treated and untreated hind paws in AA control group, on the other hand, in the Chlorella group, 3 of 5 rats did not showed the joint damage in either one hind paw or both hind paws. These results suggest that continuous oral intake of Chlorella has an anti-inflammatory effect in AA rats. Therefore, Chlorella appear to be a promising preventive agent without adverse effects for human rheumatoid arthritis.