title: Pharmacological characteristics of Ryokan-kyomi-shinge-nin-to, an antiallergic Kampo medicine.
abstract: The pharmacological characteristics of Ryokan-kyomi-shinge-nin-to (RKS), a traditional oriental herbal (Kampo) medicine which has been used for the treatment of allergic asthma and rhinitis, were investigated. The number of sneezes by actively sensitized mice after a topical antigen challenge was significantly reduced by pretreatment with RKS (300 and 1000 mg/kg, p.o.). Although RKS did not inhibit the antigen-induced histamine release from rat peritoneal exudate cells (PEC), it significantly inhibited an increase in vascular permeability induced by histamine and serotonin. These results suggest that RKS has antiallergic activity in animals, and the functional antagonism of a histamine response may be one of the mechanisms of its effect. In addition, RKS prevented histamine hypersensitivity in actively sensitized mice. Because RKS did not affect sleeping time induced by pentobarbital in mice and did not inhibit gastric emptying in rats, the drug appears to be useful for treating allergic patients suffering from classical antihistamines side effects such as stomach discomfort or relative drowsiness.
authors.affiliation: Kampo & Pharmacognosy Laboratory, Tsumura & Co, Ibakari, Japan. sakaguchi_masaru@mail.tsumura.co.jp
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sakaguchi
authors.forename: Yoshiki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: Toshitaka
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kido
authors.forename: Mitsutoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yuzurihara
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kase
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ishige
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sasaki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018926:Anti-Allergic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005746:Gastric Emptying / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006636:Histamine Release / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D020835:Medicine, Kampo; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012890:Sleep / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D012912:Sneezing / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D018926:Anti-Allergic Agents; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal