ATG5 and rheumatoid arthritis: have shown that emodin, a natural anthraquinone derivative, can (1) reduce neutrophil infiltration and the release of pro-inflammatory factors, such as IL-6, IFN-γ, and TNF-α; (2) promote the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins, such as caspase-3 and Bax; and (3) inhibit the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 for promoting neutrophil apoptosis and inhibiting Atg5, LC3B, Beclin-1, and other autophagy protein levels by restraining autophagy and NETosis, which alleviates the symptoms RA in the mouse model of adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA) (165).