title: Efficacy of a herbal medicine "sho-saiko-to" on the improvement of impaired cytokine production of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with chronic viral hepatitis.
abstract: Peripheral blood samples were collected from normal subjects and chronic viral hepatitis patients, and the in vitro capability of the peripheral blood mononuclear cells to produce various cytokine (interleukin-1 beta, interleukin-6, interferon-gamma, and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor) were analyzed by adding pokeweed mitogen. We then investigated the effects of a herbal medicine "Sho-saiko-to" on the levels of cytokine production. The production levels of the 4 cytokines were significantly lower in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of the patients (Patient Group) than in those of normal subjects (Control Group). The addition of Sho-saiko-to to the Patient Group resulted in improved productions of those cytokines, as well as an remarkable improvement of interleukin-1 beta production. The results demonstrated that Sho-saiko-to acts to improve such immunological abnormalities as decreased cytokine productions. Administration of Sho-saiko-to to chronic viral hepatitis patients is also expected to have immunological benefits.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Mie University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamashiki
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kosaka
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takase
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ichida
mesh_terms: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002908:Chronic Disease; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D016207:Cytokines; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C018142:saiko-keishi-to