Histopathological Profile of Rats (Rattus norvegicus) with Collagen-Type II Rheumatoid Arthritis and treated with Purslane Tea (Portulaca oleracea Linn.)

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation and can be treated with drugs such as methotrexate. However, the use of this drug can cause severe adverse effects. The development of herbal medicines has become an alternative therapy for treating rheumatoid arthritis. Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) is one of the plants that can treat RA, which contains saponins, flavonoids, omega-3 fatty acids, and phenolic acids. Purslane has been widely developed into herbal tea. This study aimed to determine the effect of purslane tea on the histopathological change of the rat's joint (Rattus novergicus) with rheumatoid arthritis. This test uses the collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) method. This method was carried out by inducing bovine type II collagen emulsified with Complete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA) as an immunization phase and with Incomplete Freund's Adjuvant (IFA) as a booster phase in the tail of the rats. This study consisted of 3 groups: sodium CMC (control group), methylprednisolone (control positive), and the purslane tea group. Parameters were observed in the histopathological analysis of the rats' joints. The results of the histopathological analysis showed that purslane tea influences the prevention of synovial joint damage by inhibiting joint erosion and pannus formation in the synovial joints of rheumatoid arthritis rats. The study concludes that purslane tea is an effective and alternative medicine for treating rheumatoid arthritis.