TNF and rheumatoid arthritis: Similarly, phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase was blocked by TQ as investigated in both in vitro (isolated human RA fibroblast-like synoviocytes, dose 0–10 mM) and in vivo (rat adjuvant-induced arthritis, dose 5 mg/kg/day of TQ) studies; besides this, LPS-induced overexpression of inflammatory markers such as interleukin-1beta (IL-1b), TNF-α, cyclooxygenase-2, nuclear factor-kappa B-p65 metalloproteinase-13, and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) were also regulated [8,38].