Abstract: Objective To investigate the effect of Tripterygium wilfordii polyglycosides(TWPS) on inflammatory response found in mouse models with Sjgren's syndrome(SS). Methods Mice were randomly divided into control group, Sjgren's syndrome model group, hydroxychloroquine sulfate treatment group (20 mg/kg hydroxychloroquine sulfate intragastric administration), TWPS low-dose, medium-dose and high-dose groups (10, 20, 30 mg/kg TWPS), TWPS + Wortmanin (PI3K/Akt/eNOS signaling pathway inhibitor) group (30 mg/kg TWPS and 0.6 mg/kg Wortmannin viajugular vein).Saliva flow rate, water intake, whole blood viscosity and plasma viscosity were recorded. Serum IL-6, IL-17, IgG and eNOS were detected by ELISA. Western blot was used to detect PI3K/Akt/eNOS pathway related proteins. Results Compared with control group, the saliva flow rate of the model group decreased and the quantity of drinking water increased(P＜0.05). Compared with model group, saliva flow rate increased and water consumption decreased in low, medium and high dose TWPS groups, which alleviated the change of model group(P＜0.05). Compared with the low, medium and high dose TWPS +Wortmanin groups, saliva flow rate decreased and water intake increased (P＜0.05). The whole blood and plasma viscosity of model group increased compared with control group(P＜0.05). The whole blood and plasma viscosity of TWPS low-dose, medium-dose and high-dose groups were lower than that of model group(P＜0.05). The whole blood and plasma viscosity of TWPS+Wortmanin group was higher than that of low, medium and high dose TWPS groups(P＜0.05). Compared with the control group, the levels of serum IL-6, IL-17 and IgG in model group were increased, while the level of eNOS was decreased(P＜0.05). The serum levels of IL-6, IL-17 and IgG in TWPS low-dose, medium-dose and high-dose groups were lower than those in model group, while the levels of eNOS were higher than those in model group(P＜0.05). The serum level of IL-6, IL-17 and IgG in TWPS +Wortmanin group increased as compared to those in low, medium and high dose TWPS +Wortmanin group, while the level of eNOS decreased as compared to those in low, medium and high dose TWPS +Wortmanin group(P＜0.05). The level of p-PI3K/PI3K, p-Akt/Akt and p-ENOS /eNOS in model group was lower than those in control group(P＜0.05). Compared with model group, p-PI3K/PI3K, p-Akt/Akt and p-ENOS/eNOS levels of TWPS in low, medium and high dose groups all increased(P＜0.05); The level of p-PI3K/PI3K, p-Akt/Akt and p-ENOS /eNOS in TWPS +Wortmanin group was lower than those in low, medium and high dose TWPS groups(P＜0.05). Conclusions TWPS alleviates inflammatory response and improves symptoms of mouse models with Sjgren's syndrome.

Key words: saliva flow rate, water consumption, whole blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, PI3K/Akt/eNOS pathway