Prevention of Cyclophosphamide-Induced Immunosuppression in Mice With Traditional Chinese Medicine Xuanfei Baidu Decoction

Abstract

Background and aims: Xuanfei Baidu decoction (XFBD), a traditional Chinese medicine formulation, was designed and successfully applied for COVID-19 disease treatment in China, while the mechanism is still not clear.Methods: To evaluate the protective effect of XFBD on immunosuppression in cyclophosphamide (CY)-treated mice, XFBD was orally administrated, the body weight was measured, and the immune organ index was calculated. HE staining was performed to analyze the pathological structures of the liver, spleen, and thymus. The levels of cytokines and immunoglobulin in the serum and spleen were evaluated by ELISA and RT-PCR. Splenic lymphocytes were isolated, and LPS-stimulated cell proliferation and the number of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes were evaluated.Results: XFBD significantly suppressed body weight loss and increased the indices of spleen and thymus. The pathological alteration was much improved after XFBD administration. The reductions of TNF-α, IFN-γ, IgG, and IgM levels in serum and IL-2, IL-4, and IL-6 expressions in the spleen were all significantly alleviated by XFBD. Splenic lymphocyte proliferation in response to LPS was further enhanced after treatment with XFBD. The reduction of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes in CY-treated mice was also highly increased in XFBD groups.Conclusion: Our findings suggested that XFBD played a crucial role in protection against immunosuppression in CY-treated mice and could be a potential candidate for immune modification and therapy.

Xuanfei Baidu Decoction suppresses complement overactivation and ameliorates IgG immune complex-induced acute lung injury by inhibiting JAK2/STAT3/SOCS3 and NF-κB signaling pathway

“…TCM has played a huge positive role in the struggle against COVID-19 in China. XFBD is one of the TCM which comes from four classical prescriptions: Maxing Shigan Decoction, Maxing Yigan Decoction, Qianjin Weijing Decoction and Tingli Dazao Xiefei Decoction and integrates 13 classical herbs including Ephedra Herba, Amygdalus Communis Vas, Gypsum Fibrosum, licorice and so on ( Yan et al, 2021 ). XFBD has a good effect in blocking the development of the disease and improving symptoms, especially in shortening the course of the disease( Huang et al, 2021 ).…”

“…The XFBD was provided by TianJin Modern TCM Innovation Center (TRT, 200302) in the form of a freeze-dried powder. The preparation and raw materials of XFBD extract was performed according to the previously published protocols( Yan et al, 2021 ). All mice were randomly divided into six groups (n=6 per group): control group (Con), anti-BSA IgG group (anti-BSA), anti-BSA IgG + XFBD high dose group (anti-BSA+XFBD-H), anti-BSA IgG + PBS group (IgG IC), anti-BSA IgG + PBS + XFBD low dose group (IgG IC +XFBD-L), anti-BSA IgG + PBS + XFBD high dose group (IgG IC +XFBD-H).…”

“…Network pharmacology analysis demonstrated that XFBD play a role in balancing immunity and eliminating the inflammation( Wang et al, 2020b ). Furthermore, studies showed that XFBD prevented the cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppression( Yan et al, 2021 ) and inhibited the production of cytokine in macrophages( Wang et al, 2022b ). However, the molecular mechanisms of XFBD are still poorly understood.…”

Exploring the mechanism of action of Xuanfei Baidu granule (XFBD) in the treatment of COVID-19 based on molecular docking and molecular dynamics

“…There are certain differences between Xuanfei Baidu granule (XFBD) and traditional single small molecule drugs in the treatment of COVID-19 ( Choudhury et al., 2021 ; Yan et al., 2021 ). Because Xuanfei Baidu granule (XFBD) as a traditional Chinese medicine compound contains thousands of active small molecules, XFBD can treat diseases through multiple small molecular components acting on multiple disease-related target proteins, while reducing the adverse drug reactions.…”

Solubilized curcuminoid complex prevents extensive immunosuppression through immune restoration and antioxidant activity: Therapeutic potential against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)

“…Cyclophosphamide (CTX) is known to profoundly affect host immune systems as a pharmacological suppressor of innate and adaptive immune responses [22] , [23] . In particular, CTX has been shown to promote immunosuppressive effects by decreasing the systemic activation of Th1 immunity that promotes protective action against cancers and intracellular pathogens [24] .…”