Inchingorei-san (TJ-117)‎ and Artemisiae Capillaris Herba Induced Prolonged Survival of Fully Mismatched Cardiac Allografts and Generated Regulatory Cells in Mice

الملخص EN

We investigated Inchingorei-san (TJ-117), a 6-component Japanese herbal medicine, on alloimmune responses in murine cardiac allograft transplantation.

CBA mice underwent transplantation of a C57BL/6 (B6) heart and received oral administration of TJ-117 or each component of TJ-117 from the day of transplantation until 7 days afterward.

Naive CBA mice rejected B6 cardiac grafts acutely (median survival time (MST), 7 days).

CBA recipients given 1 g/kg/day of TJ-117 had prolonged B6 allograft survival (MST, 37 days).

Moreover, given 1 g/kg/day of Artemisiae Capillaris Herba (ACH), one component of TJ-117, indefinitely prolonged B6 allograft survival (MST, >100 days).

However, other five components of TJ-117 were less effective than TJ-117 and ACH.

Secondary CBA recipients given whole splenocytes, CD4+, and CD4+CD25+ cells from primary ACH-treated CBA recipients with B6 cardiac allografts 30 days after grafting had prolonged survival of B6 hearts (MSTs, 57, >100, and >100 days, resp.).

Flow cytometry studies showed that the CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory cell population was increased in transplant recipients given ACH.

Cell proliferation, interleukin-2, and interferon-γ were suppressed in ACH-treated mice, whereas interleukin-4 and interleukin-10 were upregulated.

In conclusion, ACH, one component of TJ-117, as well as TJ-117 induced hyporesponsiveness to fully allogeneic cardiac allografts and may generate CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory cells.