Therapeutic effects of MTX, CS12192, or the combination of CS12192 and MTX treatments on expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in synovial fluids by ELISA and joint tissues by real-time PCR on day 28. (A) ELISA measurements of TNF-α, IL-1β, CCL-2, IL-6, CXCL-1, IL-17A levels in synovial fluids in CIA rats receiving different treatments. Each dot represents one rat. (B) Real-time PCR detects mRNA expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, CCL-2, IL-6, CXCL-1, IL-17A in the synovial tissues of CIA rats. Each bar represents the mean ± SEM from 10 animals per group * p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01; and *** p < 0.001 as indicated.