Objective: To investigate regulative actions of Gegen Decoction

Guizhi Decoction on expressions of interleukin-1β（IL-1β） and inducible nitric oxide synthase （iNOS） mRNA in the cervical intervertebral disc. Methods: 36 male New Zealand rabbits

aged 8 months

were randomly divided into a normal group

wind-cold-damp stimulation group

low head position group

wind-cold-damp plus low head position group

Gegen Decoction group and Guizhi Decoction group

and the cervical intervertebral disc retrograde degeneration rabbit models of wind-cold-damp arthralgia-syndrome type

low head position

wind-cold-damp plus low head position were established. Expressions of IL-1β and iNOS mRNA in cervical intervertebral disc were detected by RT-PCR technique. Results: The expressions of IL-1β and iNOS mRNA in the all model groups were up-regulated as compared with the control group （P<O.01）; the expressions in the Gegen decoction and the Guizhi Decoction groups were down-regulated as compared with the wind-cold-damp stimulation group（P<0.05 or P<0.01）. Conclusion: Expressions of IL-1β and iNOS mRNA in the cervical intervertebral disc of retrograde degeneration are up-regulated

and Gegen Decoction can down-regulate the expressions of IL-1β and iNOS mRNA

and the regulative action of Guizhi Decoction is lower than that of Gen Gen Decoction.