title: [Comparative study of the regulation of kidney tonic and promoting blood circulation recipe on apoptosis in T cells of old rats].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the mechanism responsible for the observed reduction in T cell function of the Kidney Deficiency Syndrome.
  
  
  METHODS
  After 18th activation with anti-CD3 mAb, the qualitative and quantitative analysis of apoptoses in T cells were performed by using DNA gel electrophoresis, TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) and flow cytometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The percentage of apoptotic cells was 47.0% in the old and 22.2% in the young group (P < 0.01). In the Kidney tonic group, the mean percentage of apoptotic cells was 31.2%, significantly lower than that in the aged group (P < 0.05). The mean percentage of apoptotic cells in the promoting blood circulation group was 43.3% and no significant difference was seen in the percentages of apoptotoic T cells from the promoting blood circulation group compared with the old group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Activation-induced excessive apoptosis of T cells is one of the mechanisms elucidating decreased T cell function of the Kidney Deficiency Syndrome and aging, the retardation of immune senescence by Kidney tonic recipe could be accounted for by down-regulation of activation-induced apoptosis in T cells.
authors.affiliation: Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical University, Shanghai (200040).
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007668:Kidney / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal