[Protective activities of a Chinese medicine, hochu-ekki-to, to impairment of hematopoietic organs and to microbial infection].
Effect of Hochu-ekki-to (HET) on the number of peripheral leukocytes (PL) and their functions in cyclophosphamide (CY)-treated or gamma ray-irradiated mice was investigated. By treatment of mice with anticancer agent CY or gamma ray irradiation, unfavorable side effects usually occurred to impair hematopoietic organs, causing bone marrow disorder. However, it was significantly protected by oral administration of HET (1 g/kg/d) to CY-treated or gamma ray-irradiated mice. The numbers of neutrophils and monocytes in PL were restored to the normal level, and colony-stimulating factor (CSF) was induced in the sera of mice by HET in a dose-dependent manner. The induction of serum CSF reached a peak at 3h after HET administration. Colony-forming unit of bone marrow cells in the spleen adoptively transferred into syngeneic mice, that is defined as CFU-S, was extremely reduced by CY-treatment. However, when HET was orally administered, CFU-S of CY-treated mice was markedly stimulated, suggesting that bone marrow cells were reactivated for further proliferation and mobilization. HET enhanced other leukocyte functions in CY-treated mice; i.e., superoxide production of neutrophils and phagocytic activity of macrophages. Thus, oral administration of HET to CY-treated mice enforced protection against Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection.
Ikeda
S
S
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kitasato University, Tokyo, Japan.
Kaneko
M
M
Kumazawa
Y
Y
Nishimura
C
C
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D001855:Bone Marrow Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000009:adverse effects; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D007958:Leukocyte Count / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000187:drug effects; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011833:Radiation Injuries, Experimental / Q000150:complications
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D003520:Cyclophosphamide