title: Antibacterial effect of Kampo herbal formulation Hochu-ekki-to (Bu-Zhong-Yi-Qi-Tang) on Helicobacter pylori infection in mice.
abstract: Because Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is a major cause of gastroduodenal diseases in humans, the eradication of H. pylori using antibiotics is very effective for the treatment of gastroduodenal diseases. However, it has recently been reported that resistance to these antibiotics is developing. In the present study, the antibacterial effect of a Kampo (traditional Japanese medicine) herbal formulation, Hochu-ekki-to (RET; Formula repletionis animalis et supletionis medii), against H. pylori was examined in vitro and in vivo. HET inhibited the growth of antibiotic-resistant strains of H. pylori as well as antibiotic-sensitive strains at a dose of 2.5 mg/ml in vitro. When 1,000 mg/kg of HET was administered orally to C57BL/6 mice for 7 days before or after inoculation with H. pylori, H. pylori in the stomach was significantly reduced in the HET-pre-treatment group compared with the control group. Furthermore, HET in combination with antibiotics completely eradicated the bacteria in mice. The expression of interferon (IFN)-gamma was induced in the gastric mucosa of the mice pre-treated with HET. There were no significant differences between the colonization of H. pylori in the control and HET treatment groups in IFN-gamma gene-deficient mice. These results suggest that the antibacterial effect of HET may be partly due to IFN-gamma induction, and that HET may be clinically useful for treatment of H. pylori infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Xiaoqun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Masakazu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kita
authors.forename: Masato
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Minami
authors.forename: Toshiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kuriyama
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohno
authors.forename: Yoichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Iwakura
authors.forename: Jiro
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Imanishi
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017291:Clarithromycin / Q000378:metabolism; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D020835:Medicine, Kampo; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008517:Phytotherapy
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C402943:bu-zhong-yi-qi-tang; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D017291:Clarithromycin