1
1Department of Nephrology, Kidney and Urology Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, ShenZhen, Guandong, People’s Republic of China;
2Department of Rheumatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guandong, People’s Republic of China;
3Department of Rheumatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guandong, People’s Republic of China These authors contributed equally to this work
Background: The aggressive phenotype of fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) is essential in the synovitis and bone destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Punicalagin is a natural polyphenol extracted in pomegranate juice, which possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties suggesting it may be a potent drug for RA therapy. However, there is paucity of information on its effect in RA.