Evaluation of the Japanese‐Chinese Herbal Medicine, Kampo, for the Treatment of Lupus Dermatoses in Autoimmune Prone MRL/Mp‐lpr/lpr Mice

Abstract

Kampo, a Japanese-Chinese traditional herbal medicine, has been used for the treatment of various diseases for about 3,000 years in China. Among herbal medicines, Sairei-to is well known for improving the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other collagen diseases. However, its immunosuppressive effects on autoimmune cutaneous phenomena are not completely understood. We investigated the effects of Sairei-to on the development of lupus dermatoses in autoimmune-prone MRL/Mp-lpr/lpr (MRL/lpr) mice, an animal model which spontaneously develops skin lesions similar to those seen in human lupus erythematosus. Virgin female MRL/lpr mice at 1 month of age, which were treated orally with Sairei-to, had reduced amounts of IgG deposition at the dermoepidermal junction, titers of anti-DNA antibodies and rheumatoid factor, and lymphoproliferation. These results support the use of traditional herbal medicines in patients with human RA and systemic lupus erythematosus.

Immunomodulation in female B6C3F1 mice following treatment with Chai-Ling-Tang, a formula consisting of twelve herbs

“…A suppressive effect of CLT on the humoral immunity was also observed in a study in which the effects of CLT on the development of lupus dermatoses in autoimmune-prone MRL/Mp-lpr/lpr (MRL/lpr) mice were investigated. Virgin female MRL/lpr mice at 1 month of age that were treated orally with CLT had reduced IgG deposition at the dermoepidermal junction, titers of anti-DNA antibodies and rheumatoid factor (Kanauchi et al 1994). Ito et al (1985Ito et al ( , 2002 also reported that MRL/lpr mice treated with CLT exhibited reductions in the percentage of CD19 + B cells and the serum levels of IgG 1 .…”

“…In the context of traditional Chinese medicine, CLT has been used to treat a number of immune related disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis (Kanauchi et al 1994;Tanaka 1990), systemic lupus erythematosus (Suzuki et al 1990), nephrotic syndrome (Hattori and Shindo 1995;Jin 1994;Kimura et al 1990;Liu 1995;Yoshikawa et al 1998), otitis media (Ikeda and Takasaka 1988;Motoo et al 1997), hearing loss O-Uchi et al 1993), idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (Nakayama et al 1992), urinary tract fibrosis (Shida et al 1994), anemia (Horikoshi et al 1995), recurrent abortion (Fujii et al 1999(Fujii et al , 2000Takakuwa et al 1996Takakuwa et al , 1997a, prostatic hyperplasia (Sugiyama et al 2002), and aqueous flare (Ikeda et al 2001;Yano et al 1999). The apparent proficiency that CLT has with various immune disorders suggests that the effects of CLT are immunomodulatory in nature.…”

Medicinal Plant Extracts and Natural Compounds for the Treatment of Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus: A Systematic Review

“…Kanauchi et al tested Sairei-to, also called Kampo, which is an herbal formula consisting of the following 12 ingredients: bupleuri radix, pinelliae tuber, scutellariae radix, ginseng radix, glycyrrhizae radix, zizyphi fructur, zingiberis rhizoma, atractylodis lanceae rhizoma, polypourus, alismatis rhizoma, hoelen and cinnamoni cortex. Mice treated with this formula exhibited reduced IgG deposition at the dermo-epidermal junction (DEJ) in the skin, as well as reduced titers of anti-DNA antibodies, rheumatoid factor, and reduced lymphoproliferation ( Kanauchi et al, 1994 ). Zhu et al tested Naja Naja Atra Venom (NNAV), which contains cobra venom factor, cardiotoxins, and neurotoxins.…”