title: Protective effect of a traditional Chinese medicine, xiao-chai-hu-tang (Japanese name: shosaiko-to), on Listeria monocytogenes infection in mice.
abstract: Lethal effect of Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) in mice was prevented by an intraperitoneal (ip) injection of a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, xiao-chai-hu-tang (Japanese name: shosaiko-to), 4 days before ip bacterial infection. The numbers of bacteria in the peritoneal cavity and liver were smaller in shosaiko-to-treated mice from one day after the infection. Macrophage accumulation in the peritoneal cavity after ip inoculation of L. monocytogenes was observed in both untreated and shosaiko-to-treated mice. Although rates of such increases were almost the same between both groups, the absolute number of macrophages was larger in shosaiko-to-treated than in untreated mice because of a higher level of the macrophage number at 4 days after ip injection of shosaiko-to. In untreated mice, bactericidal activity of peritoneal macrophages decreased from one day to 3 days after ip injection of killed L. monocytogenes. Such an activity was maintained at the same level from 1 to 3 days in shosaiko-to-treated mice. Augmented accumulation of macrophages and maintenance of their bactericidal activity may be main mechanisms of the augmented resistance in shosaiko-to-treated mice. Augmented resistance against bacterial growth in the thigh muscle in ip shosaiko-to-treated mice may be caused by such mechanisms. The effect of shosaiko-to observed at an early stage of infection may be T cell-independent, since such an effect was observed in athymic nude mice and delayed footpad reaction could not be detected at such a timing in euthymic normal mice.
authors.affiliation: Kampo (Traditional Chinese Medicine) Research Laboratories, Kanebo Co. Ltd., Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawakita
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mitsuyama
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kumazawa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nomoto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D008088:Listeriosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D008819:Mice, Nude; D010529:Peritoneal Cavity / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C461320:shosaiko-to