title: Kampo medicine "Dai-kenchu-to" prevents bacterial translocation in rats.
abstract: Kampo medicine "Dai-kenchu-to" (DKT) has been used for treatment of ileus. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of DKT on the bacterial translocation (BT) model in rats. Rats were divided into the following four groups: group 1, receiving only water, and groups 2, 3, and 4, receiving 100, 300, and 1,000 mg/kg/day of DKT. Rats were sacrificed 6 days after the beginning of the fast, and then the mesenteric lymph node was cultured. Inflammatory cytokines, intestinal integrity, and apoptosis were assessed. Incidence of BT in groups 3 (33%) and 4 (16%) was lower than in group 1 (66%). Interferon-gamma expression in groups 2, 3, and 4 was significantly lower than in group 1. Villous height and number of villus in groups 2, 3, and 4 were significantly taller and greater than in group 1. Apoptotic index in groups 2, 3, and 4 was significantly lower than in group 1. This is the first evidence that DKT prevents BT by reducing inflammatory reaction and maintaining intestinal integrity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, 3-18-15 Kuramoto, Tokushima-city, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan.
authors.forename: Kozo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshikawa
authors.forename: Nobuhiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kurita
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Higashijima
authors.forename: Tomohiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyatani
authors.forename: Hidenori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miyamoto
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishioka
authors.forename: Mitsuo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shimada
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D018988:Bacterial Translocation / Q000187:drug effects*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D008297:Male; D020835:Medicine, Kampo; D005894:Panax; D010936:Plant Extracts; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D032106:Zanthoxylum; D030521:Zingiberaceae
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D010936:Plant Extracts; C121414:dai-kenchu-to