title: Japanese traditional medicine, Senn-kinn-naidaku-sann up-regulates Toll-like receptor 4 and reduces murine allergic rhinitis.
abstract: To determine the mechanisms by which a traditional herbal medicine, Senkinnaidakusan (SKNS), controls Th2 responses, we examined the production of IL-12 by murine macrophages treated with SKNS.
  
  
  
  Treatment with SKNS significantly increased TLR4 mRNA in macrophages. Furthermore, pre-treatment with SKNS enhanced the production of IL-12 by macrophages stimulated with LPS. When SKNS was orally administered to C3H/HeN mice at the induction phase after OVA sensitization, the serum levels of OVA-specific immunoglobulin (Ig)E and IgG1 decreased, Interleukin (IL)-4 production by spleen T cells in response to OVA was significantly suppressed, while interferon (IFN)-gamma production was increased. After nasal challenge of OVA, eosinophilic infiltration in the nasal mucosa and the number of sneezes were significantly inhibited in SKNS-treated mice compared with control mice. Besides, expression of IL-5 in the nasal mucosa was also inhibited. Using another strain of mice, C3H/HeJ (TLR4 negative), there was no difference in OVA-specific Igs or splenic cytokine production between the SKNS treatment and non-treatment groups. The eosinophilic infiltration in the nasal mucosa, the number of sneezes and IL-5 expression in the nasal mucosa were also not effected even after SKNS treatment.
  
  
  
  These results suggest that oral administration of SKNS inhibits Th2 responses by enhancement of IL-12 release from macrophages via up-regulation of TLR4 expression.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Morikura
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Murata
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aoi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fuchiwaki
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Prokopakis
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kawauchi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000378:metabolism*; D008518:Medicine, East Asian Traditional; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D065631:Rhinitis, Allergic; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000628:therapy*; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4; D018664:Interleukin-12