title: Protective effect of a traditional Japanese medicine Hochu-ekki-to (Chinese name: Bu-zhong-yi-qi-tang), on the susceptibility against Listeria monocytogenes in infant mice.
abstract: In this study, the effect of traditional Japanese (Chinese) medicine, Hochu-ekki-to, HOT (Chinese name: Bu-zhong-yi-qi-tang), on the susceptibility against Listeria monocytogenes in postneonatal infant mice was examined. Numbers of bacteria in infant mice (infected at 4 weeks of age) were significantly higher than those in adult mice (infected at 8 weeks of age) on day 3 (non-specific resistance phase) and day 5 (specific resistance phase) after infection. Oral administration of 1,000 mg/kg of HOT for 7 days to infant mice reduced bacterial numbers in the liver and spleen at 5 days after the infection. The amount of IFN-gamma and the number of IFN-gamma-producing CD4+ T cells were lower in infant mice than adult mice but those in infant mice enhanced by HOT treatment. HOT also enhanced the antigen-presenting function along with the expression of MHC class II in infant macrophages induced by heat-killed L. monocytogenes. Further, HOT enhanced the IFN-gamma production from infant CD4+ T cells independent of the deficiency in the antigen-presenting function. These findings suggest that HOT induced simultaneously functional maturation of both infant antigen-presenting cells and T cells, and consequently developed an anti-listerial Th1 response.
authors.affiliation: Kampo (Traditional Japanese Medicine) and Healthcare Research Laboratories, Kanebo Co. Ltd, Takaoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamaoka
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawakita
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nomoto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000276:immunology; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D002452:Cell Count; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008088:Listeriosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008517:Phytotherapy; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D015704:CD4 Antigens; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C402943:bu-zhong-yi-qi-tang; D007371:Interferon-gamma