Abstract
Sairei-tô, one of the herb drugs, has been demonstrated to have several effects. Clinically, evidence have been accumulated showing that sairei-tô has been able to reduce the frequency of relapse in minimal change nephrotic syndrome. It has also found that sairei-to has improved proteinurial in minimal change nephrotic syndrome as well as chronic glomerulonephritis in man. Although the mechanism of such effects is still unclear, it is supposed that its immune modulative actions that has been reported In this study, we quantitated the number of intrarenal Ia positive cells and T cells in nephrotoxic nephritis in rats in order to clarify the intrarenal immune actions of sairei-tô on immune mediated glomerulonephritis. Four groups of rats with nephrotoxic nephritis were experimented on. The first group was the controlled group, had no treatment whatsoever. The second group was administed with MPSL (solu-medrol 20mg/kg, alternate day). The fourth group with both sairei-tô and MPSL. The level of proteinuria in three groups treated was almost the same, that is, less than that of controlled group. On light micoscopy, sairei-tô suppressed glomerular inflammation such as endocapillary proliferative lesions and mesangial expansion, which were shown in controlled group. The histological improvement was almost the found in rats treated with MPSL and both. Sairei-tô suppressed infiltrations of intraglomerular Ia positive cells (P<0.01) and T cells (P<0.01) on the 7th day and 14th day as well. Remarkable suppression of T cells infiltration was noted in rats treated with MPSL along with sairei-to on the 14th day (P<0.01). Moreover, while marked intraglomerular fibrin deposition was found in rats treated with MPSL, such a finding was not shown in rats treated with MPSL along with sairei-tô. These results suggested that sairei-tô may not possibly suppress only intraglomerular cell mediated immunity, but also hypercoagulability, both of which are known as renal deterioration factors in human glomerulonephritis. Therefore, the same could possibly be true in humam immune mediated glomerulonephritis.
