Effects of anti-rheumatic herbal medicines on cellular adhesion molecules.
OBJECTIVE
To test the hypothesis whether herbal medicines ameliorate inflammatory diseases via the modulation of cellular adhesion molecules (CAMs).


METHODS
Human neutrophils, synovial fibroblasts, and endothelial cells were incubated with different concentrations of Tripterygium Wilfordii Hook-f (TWH-f) or Tetrandrine in the presence or absence of interleukin 1 (IL1). The amount of soluble E-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cellular adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) secreted by cells were determined by ELISA. The cell surface expression of these three CAMs was detected by flow cytometry.


RESULTS
TWH-f at high concentration (50 ng/ml) has a significant (p<0.05) inhibitory effect on both the secretion and the expression of the cellular adhesion molecules. However, Tetrandrine did not demonstrate the same effects.


CONCLUSIONS
The cellular adhesion molecules of the endothelium and leucocytes may constitute excellent targets for the development of new anti-inflammation medicines. These results indicate that TWH could be a potential therapeutic agent in the treatment of inflammatory diseases.
Chang
D M
DM
National Defence Medical Centre, Taiwan, ROC.
Kuo
S Y
SY
Lai
J H
JH
Chang
M L
ML
D000470:Alkaloids / Q000494:pharmacology; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000494:pharmacology; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D044182:Benzylisoquinolines; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000032:analysis*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019040:E-Selectin / Q000032:analysis; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000032:analysis; D007375:Interleukin-1; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D029757:Tripterygium; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000032:analysis
D000470:Alkaloids; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D044182:Benzylisoquinolines; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D019040:E-Selectin; D007375:Interleukin-1; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1; C009438:tetrandrine