title: [Total glucosides of peony as adjuvant therapy for prevention of cardiac allograft rejection in rats].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the role of total glucosides of peony (TGP) as adjuvant therapy for prevention of cardiac allograft rejection in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rats with cardiac allograft were randomly divided into control group, tacrolimus-treated group, TGP-treated group and tacrolimus plus TGP-treated group. Graft survival time was observed. Allografts in some cases were examined by histological study seven days after transplantation. At the same time, the levels of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell subsets in peripheral blood were examined by using flow cytometry; the hepatic function and renal function of recipients were also tested.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The graft survival time of the tacrolimus-treated group and tacrolimus plus TGP-treated group was (11.14+/-1.57) d and (13.57+/-1.99) d, respectively. The graft survival time of the tacrolimus plus TGP-treated group was longer than that of the tacrolimus-treated group (P<0.05). The histological study showed that the rejection of the tacrolimus plus TGP-treated group was slighter than that of the tacrolimus-treated group. The levels of CD4(+) T cell subset in the peripheral blood of the tacrolimus-treated and tacrolimus plus TGP-treated groups were (38.71+/-5.15)% and (32.43+/-4.39)% respectively 7 days after transplantation. The level of CD4(+) T cell subset in the tacrolimus plus TGP-treated group was lower than that in the tacrolimus-treated group (P<0.05). The level of CD8(+) T cell subset and the hepatic and renal function had no significant differences between the tacrolimus-treated group and the tacrolimus plus TGP-treated group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Effects of tacrolimus plus TGP in prevention of rejection are better than tacrolimus monotherapy in rats with cardiac allograft and without increasing side effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Second Hospital, Haerbin Medical University, Haerbin, Heilongjiang Province 150086, China. sunyandoctor@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Dian-jun
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Shi-guang
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Shan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005960:Glucosides / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D029596:Paeonia / Q000737:chemistry*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D016559:Tacrolimus / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D005960:Glucosides; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D016559:Tacrolimus