title: Effects of Japanese herbal medicine Sairei-to on murine experimental autoimmune uveitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It has been suggested thatSairei-to (TJ114), a traditional Japanese herbal medicine, has immunomodulatory activities. To evaluate the effects of TJ114 on uveitis, we examined the effectiveness of oral administration in a murine model of experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU).
  
  
  METHODS
  Murine EAU was induced by subcutaneous injection of human inter-photoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP) peptide mixed with complete Freund's adjuvant. In the TJ114-treated group, 2 g/kg was administrated orally from 0 to 20 days after immunization. Clinical scoring, histopathological scoring of EAU, cell proliferation, cytokine assessment, and adoptive transfer experiment of splenic T cells into naïve mice were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  EAU development occurred in 32 of 38 mice (86 %) in the untreated group and 12 of 33 (36 %) in the TJ114-treated group. The clinical scores for EAU in the vehicle-treated and TJ114-treated groups were 1.56 ± 1.65 and 0.59 ± 0.63 respectively, at 14 days after immunization (p < 0.01, Mann-Whitney U-test), and 2.26 ± 1.56 and 0.75 ± 1.31 respectively at 21 days (p < 0.001, Mann-Whitney U-test), while the histopathological scores at 21 days were 1.47 ± 1.42 and 0.54 ± 0.84 respectively (p < 0.01, Mann-Whitney U-test). Interferon (IFN)-γ and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α production by cervical lymph node cells obtained from the TJ114-treated group were significantly reduced as compared with those from the vehicle-treated group (p < 0.01, Student's unpaired t-test). Moreover, the levels of C-C motif chemokine 2 (CCL2) and IFN-γ were significantly reduced in splenocytes of TJ114-treated mice as compared with the vehicle-treated group (p < 0.01, Student's unpaired t-test). Mice that received adoptive transfer of splenic T cells from TJ114-treated EAU mice caused significantly lower severity of EAU compared to those that received from vehicle-treated EAU mice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Oral administration of TJ114 has an inhibitory effect on a murine model of EAU, possibly via reduction in cytokine production by helper type-1 T cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan, kabutosi-tky@umin.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Toshikatsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kaburaki
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiangyuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Masateru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uchiyama
authors.forename: Yujiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fujino
authors.forename: Hisae
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakahara
authors.forename: Mitsuko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takamoto
authors.forename: Kazuyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Otomo
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Niimi
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D019264:Adoptive Transfer; D000818:Animals; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D029001:Herbal Medicine; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D007564:Japan; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000166:cytology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism; D014605:Uveitis / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; C080903:sairei-to; D007371:Interferon-gamma