Effect of a traditional Japanese herbal medicine, Hochu-ekki-to (Bu-Zhong-Yi-Qi Tang), on immunity in elderly persons
| Autor: | Seiko Naitoh, Ariaki Nagayama, Ataru Kuroiwa, Akihiko Eshita, Hong Yan, Shin’yu Liou |
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| Rok vydání: | 2004 |
| Předmět: |
Male
media_common.quotation_subject Immunology Administration Oral Physiology Natural killer cell Interferon-gamma Immune system Asian People Antigen T-Lymphocyte Subsets medicine Humans Immunology and Allergy Interferon gamma IL-2 receptor Aged media_common Aged 80 and over Pharmacology business.industry Age Factors Appetite Immunosenescence Immunoglobulin E Antigens CD20 Killer Cells Natural medicine.anatomical_structure Female business CD8 Drugs Chinese Herbal medicine.drug |
| Zdroj: | International Immunopharmacology. 4:317-324 |
| ISSN: | 1567-5769 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.intimp.2003.12.004 |
| Popis: | In general, the elderly show a significant age-related decline in their immune response, thus leading to an increased vulnerability to infections or to an increase in the occurrence of malignant tumors. In this study, we examined the effect of Hochu-ekki-to (HOT or TJ-41) on the immunological capacity of the elderly. A group of elderly patients complaining of general fatigue or weakness were orally administered 7.5 g of HOT everyday for at least 120 days (4 months), whereas another group of aged patients mainly complaining of a loss of appetite were daily given 7.5 g of Anchu-san (TJ-5) during the same period and served as a control group. From the immunological point of view, the total number of circulating leukocytes remained unchanged, during the observation period both in the HOT and Anchu-san groups, as well as the ratios between CD3(+) T and CD20(+) B cells and between CD4(+) T and CD8(+) T cells. In addition, no differences were observed in the expression of CD25 antigen, which represents an activated state of T cells. However, as verified on day 30 as well as on day 120 after the administration of HOT, the natural killer (NK) activity against K562 target cells was significantly enhanced, in comparison to the results on day 0 in the HOT group, as well as to that activity on days 0, 30 and 120 in the Anchu-san group. In addition, on days 30 and 120 in the HOT group, there was a significant increase in the serum IFN-gamma level, which is thought to be associated with the NK activity, whereas no significant changes in that level were observed in the Anchu-san group, during the study period. From these results, it may be concluded that the administration of HOT to elderly people may help them improve, at least to some degree, their immunological capacity. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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