Treatment of Shwachman syndrome by Japanese herbal medicine (Juzen-taiho-to): stimulatory effects of its fatty acids on hemopoiesis in patients.
Juzen-taiho-to (a Japanese herbal medicine) has been traditionally administered to patients with anemia, neutropenia, or wasting syndrome. We previously attempted to isolate and purify the hemopoiesis-stimulatory components in Juzen-taiho-to extracts using an in vitro hemopoietic stem cell (HSC) assay method in which mouse HSCs can proliferate on a stromal cell line (MS-5). We have found that fatty acids (particularly oleic acid and linolenic acid) actively promote the proliferation of HSCs, and that the effect is mediated by stromal cells, rather than by any direct action on the HSCs. In the present study, we show, using human normal bone marrow cells (BMCs) and umbilical cord blood cells, that similar stimulatory effects are due to the presence of oleic acid and linolenic acid, which stimulate the proliferation of HSCs in stroma-based culture systems. Furthermore, a marked stimulatory effect was noted on BMCs from patients with Shwachman syndrome, which shows pancreatic and bone marrow dysfunctions. We also show the data on hemopoietic recovery after the administration of Juzen-taiho-to to a patient with Shwachman syndrome. These findings suggest that decreased fatty acid levels in the blood, caused by exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, induce bone marrow dysfunction in Shwachman syndrome.
First Department of Pathology, Kansai Medical University, Moriguchi City, Osaka, Japan.
Hiroko
H
Hisha
Urara
U
Kohdera
Masahiro
M
Hirayama
Haruki
H
Yamada
Tomoko
T
Iguchi-Uehira
Tian-Xue
TX
Fan
Yun-Ze
YZ
Cui
Guo-Xiang
GX
Yang
Yongan
Y
Li
Kikuya
K
Sugiura
Muneo
M
Inaba
Yohnosuke
Y
Kobayashi
Susumu
S
Ikehara
D001855:Bone Marrow Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002648:Child; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006410:Hematopoiesis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008934:Mitogens / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019301:Oleic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D010182:Pancreatic Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010198:Pancytopenia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D005227:Fatty Acids; D008934:Mitogens; C063587:juzentaihoto; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid; D019301:Oleic Acid