Table II.

Comparison of immunohistochemical scores of IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α and NF-κB in synovial tissue.

Group	IL-6	IL-8	TNF-α	NF-κB
Normal	0	0	0	0
Model	6.87±2.02b	6.03±1.07b	6.35±2.58b	6.60±2.60b
Votalin ointment	5.83±0.95c	4.80±2.03c	5.65±1.64c	5.93±2.53
STBT	5.80±1.30c	5.07±1.56c	5.51±2.03c	5.71±0.96c

Values are presented as mean ± SD.

^aP<0.05,

^bP<0.01 compared with the normal group;

^cP<0.05,

^dP<0.01 compared with the model group. STBT, shuangtengbitong tincture; IL, interleukin; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor-α; NF-κB, nuclear factor-κB.