Sairei-to ameliorates rat peritoneal fibrosis partly through suppression of oxidative stress.
BACKGROUND
Sairei-to is a herbal prescription originating from traditional Chinese medicine. We conducted an experimental study on rat peritoneal fibrosis to clarify the suppressive mechanisms of sairei-to.


METHODS
Wistar rats were intraperitoneally injected with chlorhexidine gluconate (CG) every day. Peritoneal specimens were collected after 28 days of CG injection and oral administration of sairei-to. Macrophage infiltration, extracellular matrix accumulation, and angiogenesis were evaluated by immunostaining for ED-1, fibronectin, and CD-31, respectively. To observe oxidative stress in the tissue, 4-hydroxy-2-noneal (HNE) accumulation and plasma levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were detected. As a candidate of antioxidative components in sairei-to, plasma levels of baicalin were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography.


RESULTS
Compared with the disease control group, serum total protein levels were significantly recovered in the sairei-to treatment group. Thickness of the submesothelial compact zone, trichrome-stained area, ED-1-positive cells, fibronectin-staining area, and HNE accumulation were suppressed in the treatment group. Concurrently, decreased plasma levels of SOD activity were recovered by sairei-to treatment. Increased CD-31-positive vessel number and area were also suppressed in the sairei-to group. Baicalin was detected in the plasma samples of the sairei-to group at 0.29 ± 0.11 μg/ml (mean±SEM).


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that sairei-to ameliorates peritoneal fibrosis, partly through suppressing oxidative stress and macrophage infiltration.
Kitamoto
Masayuki
M
Division of Molecular Medicine, University of Shizuoka School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shizuoka, Japan.
Kato
Kozue
K
Sugimoto
Akihisa
A
Kitamura
Hisayo
H
Uemura
Kazuhide
K
Takeda
Toshiya
T
Wu
Chunmo
C
Nogaki
Fumiaki
F
Morimoto
Tatsuya
T
Ono
Takahiko
T
D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000473:pathology; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D056627:Peritoneal Fibrosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D019408:Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000097:blood
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D005419:Flavonoids; D019408:Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1; C080903:sairei-to; C038044:baicalin; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase