title: PX3.102, a novel chinese herb extract, diminishes chronic airway allograft rejection.
abstract: More effective immunosuppressants are needed to improve lung-transplantation survival. PX3.102 is a novel immunosuppressant isolated from a mixture of traditional Chinese herbs. We tested its protective role on chronic lung rejection in the heterotopic tracheal transplant model. C57BL/6 mice received BALB/c tracheal grafts and were treated with PX3.102, cyclosporine A, or vehicle. PX3.102 improved tracheal allograft lumen patency (*P<0.01 vs. vehicle and P=0.14 vs. cyclosporine A) but not epithelialization (P>0.2 vs. vehicle). Subsequent in vitro studies demonstrated that PX3.10 was toxic to fully differentiated human tracheal epithelial cells in a dose-dependent manner. PX3.102 markedly suppressed antigen-specific lymphocyte proliferation in vitro at a concentration 10 times lower than cyclosporine A. In conclusion, PX3.102, a promising and potent immunosuppressant, although exhibiting toxicity to airway epithelial cells at high doses, is effective in inhibiting chronic airway allograft rejection.
authors.affiliation: Lung Transplantation Program and Cystic Fibrosis/Pulmonary Research and Treatment Center, Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine, University of North Carolina, School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
authors.forename: Worakij
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chalermskulrat
authors.forename: Isabel P
authors.initials: IP
authors.lastname: Neuringer
authors.forename: Richard C W
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: W June
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Brickey
authors.forename: Rene A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Braeckman
authors.forename: Scott H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Randell
authors.forename: Robert M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Aris
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D020545:Respiratory Mucosa / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D014132:Trachea / Q000637:transplantation*; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents