The herbal medicine Unkei-to stimulates the secretion of a cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant, CINC/gro, in the rat ovarian cell culture.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated the ovulation-inducing effects of Unkei-to, a Japanese herbal medicine, in relation to the production of sex steroid hormones (17beta-estradiol and progesterone), cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant (CINC/gro), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) in the rat ovarian cell culture.


RESULTS
Unkei-to at a concentration of 100 microg/mL significantly stimulated the secretions of 17beta-estradiol and progesterone (P < 0.01) in cultured whole ovarian dispersates. Unkei-to also enhanced the secretion of CINC/gro in a dose-dependent manner, and the secretions of CINC/gro increased significantly at concentrations of 10 and 100 microg/mL (P < 0.01). These stimulatory effects of Unkei-to on steroidgenesis and CINC/gro production are very similar to those of another Japanese herbal medicine, Toki-Shakuyaku-san. In addition, Unkei-to significantly (P < 0.01) enhanced the secretions of both IL-1beta and TNF-alpha, which are known to stimulate the secretion of CINC/gro in the ovulatory process, at concentrations of 10 and 100 microg/mL. The stimulatory effect of Unkei-to at a concentration of 100 microg/mL on IL-1beta/was significantly (P < 0.01) lower than that of Toki-Shakuyaku-san, while the stimulatory effects of these two herbal medicines at a concentration of 100 microg/mL on TNF-alpha were similar.


CONCLUSIONS
These results show that Unkei-to can stimulate ovarian steroidgenesis and the ovulatory process by inducing the secretion of CINC/gro with IL-1beta and TNF-alpha in vitro. Unkei-to has stimulatory effects on both steroidgenesis and the ovulatory process in the ovary as well as a stimulatory effect on the hypothalamus-pituitary axis, and it may be useful for treating patients with ovulatory disorders.
Yasui
Toshiyuki
T
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, The University of Tokushima, Tokushima, Japan. yasui@clin.med.tokushima-u.ac.jp
Matsuzaki
Toshiya
T
Ogata
Rie
R
Kiyokawa
Machiko
M
Ushigoe
Kenjiro
K
Uemura
Hirokazu
H
Kuwahara
Akira
A
Ikawa
Hiroshi
H
Maegawa
Masahiko
M
Furumoto
Hiroyuki
H
Aono
Toshihiro
T
Irahara
Minoru
M
D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D054360:Chemokine CXCL1; D018925:Chemokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D019743:Chemokines, CXC; D002630:Chemotactic Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004958:Estradiol / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000378:metabolism; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000187:drug effects*; D010053:Ovary / Q000187:drug effects*; D011374:Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
D054360:Chemokine CXCL1; D018925:Chemokines; D019743:Chemokines, CXC; D002630:Chemotactic Factors; C513297:Cxcl1 protein, rat; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D007375:Interleukin-1; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; C413220:toki-shakuyaku-san; C058415:unkei-to; D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol