Evaluation of joint pain–relieving activity of Scitican-50 tablet using Mono-Iodoacetate and complete Freund’s adjuvant–induced joint pain in wistar rats

Current treatment of Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis is limited by side effects and cost. Scitican-50, a polyherbal formulation containing Cannabis sativa, Ferula asafoetida, Piper nigrum, Strychnos nux-vomica, and Zingiber officinale, offers a multi-targeted, plant-based approach. This study aimed to evaluate the joint pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory, and chondroprotective effects of Scitican-50 in monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) and complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) induced arthritic models in rats. Scitican-50’s joint pain-relieving activity was assessed in CFA and MIA induced arthritis models in healthy female Wistar rats (180–200 g, 6–8 weeks). Acute toxicity was evaluated per OECD 423 at 2000 mg/kg. Rats received Scitican-50 (50, 100, 200 mg/kg) or diclofenac (10 mg/kg) for 28 days. Efficacy was measured via pain threshold, inflammation, cytokine levels (TNF-α, IL-1β), and joint histology. Scitican-50 demonstrated dose-dependent efficacy in arthritic rats. Pain latency improved from 4–5 s to 7–9 s by Day 28 (p < 0.01–0.001), and paw edema reduced from 11 mm to 8 mm (p < 0.01). Knee and ankle thickness significantly declined with 100–200 mg/kg doses (p < 0.01), and radiographs showed reduced joint damage. In the MIA model, Scitican restored body weight (p < 0.05), normalized food/water intake, and improved hematological parameters, including red blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC), and Hemoglobin (Hb) (p < 0.001). TNF-α and IL-1β levels decreased significantly (p < 0.01), and histology confirmed chondroprotection with cell counts comparable to diclofenac (p < 0.001). Scitican-50 exhibited dose-dependent analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and chondroprotective effects in CFA and MIA arthritis models and significantly improved pain thresholds, reduced joint swelling, normalized hematological and cytokine levels (p < 0.01–0.0001), and preserved joint structure.