title: Effect of herbal medicine Juzentaihoto on hepatic and intestinal heat shock gene expression requires intestinal microflora in mouse.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the role of intestinal microflora in the effects of multi-herbal medicine on gene expression in the gut and liver.
  
  
  METHODS
  The multi-herbal medicine Juzentaihoto (JTX) was administered to five germ-free mice and regular mice for 2 wk. Among the results of the comprehensive gene chip analysis of the intestine and liver, we featured heat shock proteins (HSPs) 70 and 105 because their gene expression changed only in the presence of microflora. Real-time RT-PCR was performed to confirm the expression levels of these HSP genes. To determine whether JTX acts directly on the HSP genes, sodium arsenite (SA) was used to induce the heat shock proteins directly. To examine the change of the intestinal microflora with administration of JTX, the terminal restriction fragment polymorphism (T-RFLP) method was used. To identify the changed bacteria, DNA sequencing was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Heat shock protein gene expression, documented by gene chip and real-time RT-PCR, changed with the administration of JTX in the regular mice but not in the germ-free mice. JTX did not suppress the direct induction of the HSPs by SA. T-RFLP suggested that JTX decreased unculturable bacteria and increased Lactobacillus johnsoni. These data suggested that JTX changed the intestinal microflora which, in turn, changed HSP gene expression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intestinal microflora affects multi-herbal product JTX on the gene expression in the gut and liver.
authors.affiliation: Department of Kampo Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinano-machi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan.
authors.forename: Miho
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ishige
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Anjiki
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Yoshifumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Irie
authors.forename: Mitsue
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taniyama
authors.forename: Ryoko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kibe
authors.forename: Junichiro
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oka
authors.forename: Yoshimi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Benno
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018053:Arsenites / Q000494:pharmacology; D002939:Ciprofloxacin / Q000494:pharmacology; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D050957:HSP110 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology*; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000187:drug effects; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017670:Sodium Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D018053:Arsenites; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D050957:HSP110 Heat-Shock Proteins; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; C490783:Hsp105 protein, mouse; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D017670:Sodium Compounds; C063587:juzentaihoto; C017947:sodium arsenite; D002939:Ciprofloxacin