title: The Preventive Effect of the Traditional Japanese Herbal Medicine, Hochuekkito, against Influenza A Virus via Autophagy in vitro.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hochuekkito (HKT), a traditional Japanese herbal medicine, enhances the immunity of elderly or weak individuals. It is also known to have preventive effects against influenza clinically. However, the detailed mechanisms of the preventive effects have not been clarified. We examined the relationship between the preventive effects of HKT and autophagy, a known stress response and quality control mechanism, using Madin-Darby canine kidney cells and influenza A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) virus.
  
  
  METHODS
  The effect of HKT on autophagy in influenza A virus (IAV)-infected cells was assessed by Western blotting and fluorescence microscopy using an RFP-GFP-LC3B sensor kit.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In Western blotting, treatment with HKT before IAV infection (pre-HKT) tended to induce autophagy in IAV-infected cells at an early stage of infection, eventually suppressing IAV-induced autophagy. Moreover, several autolysosomes, indicative of normal autophagosome-lysosome fusion, were observed in Pre-HKT cells transduced with RFP-GFP-LC3B but not in untreated IAV-infected cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings indicated that IAV-mediated inhibition of the fusion of autophagosomes with lysosomes was prevented by HKT treatment before infection. According to these results, we propose that this phenomenon is one of the preventive effects of HKT against IAV.
authors: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Keita
authors: K
authors: Takanashi
authors: Katsuaki
authors: K
authors: Dan
authors: Sho
authors: S
authors: Kanzaki
authors: Hideki
authors: H
authors: Hasegawa
authors: Kenji
authors: K
authors: Watanabe
authors: Kaoru
authors: K
authors: Ogawa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001343:Autophagy / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D002645:Chickens; D004285:Dogs; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D029001:Herbal Medicine; D053118:Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D061985:Madin Darby Canine Kidney Cells; D020011:Protective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D020011:Protective Agents; C402943:bu-zhong-yi-qi-tang