Identification of a predictive biomarker for the beneficial effect of a Kampo (Japanese traditional) medicine keishibukuryogan in rheumatoid arthritis patients.
OBJECTIVE
Kampo (Japanese traditional herbal) medicines are now ethically used in Japan as pharmaceutical grade prescription drugs. However, there are distinct groups of responders and non-responders to Kampo medicines. We searched for biomarker candidates to discriminate responders from non-responders to keishibukuryogan (KBG); one of the most frequently used Kampo medicines.


METHODS
A combination of SELDI technology and a decision tree analysis with proprietary developed bioinformatics tools was applied to 41 (32 for tree construction and 9 for validation test) plasma samples obtained from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. A candidate biomarker protein was identified using LC-MS/MS.


RESULTS
The constructed tree with measurable reliability contained only a single peak which was identified as haptoglobin alpha 1 chain (Hpalpha1).


CONCLUSIONS
Hpalpha1 is a biomarker candidate for discriminating responders from non-responders to KBG treatment for RA. The present results may open the way to the establishment of "evidence-based" complementary and alternative medicine.
Central Research Laboratories, Tsumura and Co., Ibaraki, Japan.
Kazuo
K
Ogawa
Tetsuko
T
Kojima
Chinami
C
Matsumoto
Satoshi
S
Kamegai
Takuya
T
Oyama
Yukari
Y
Shibagaki
Hiroshi
H
Muramoto
Tetsuo
T
Kawasaki
Hiroshi
H
Fujinaga
Kozo
K
Takahashi
Hiroaki
H
Hikiami
Hirozo
H
Goto
Chizuru
C
Kiga
Keiichi
K
Koizumi
Hiroaki
H
Sakurai
Yutaka
Y
Shimada
Masahiro
M
Yamamoto
Katsutoshi
K
Terasawa
Shuichi
S
Takeda
Ikuo
I
Saiki
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D020835:Medicine, Kampo; D008875:Middle Aged; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008517:Phytotherapy; D011379:Prognosis; D040081:Protein Array Analysis; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D015415:Biomarkers; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C054593:keishibukuryogan