Abstract
The suppressive effects of the traditional herbal medicines Hachimijiogan (TJ-7; Pa-Wei-Ti-Huang-Wan in Chinese) and Ninjin'yoeito (TJ-108; Ren-Shen-Yang-Rong-Tang in Chinese) on the reversion of attenuated polio vaccine viruses to the neurovirulent genotype were analyzed for the purpose of controlling vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis (VAPP) and epidemics caused by the virulent vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV). Proliferations of the cells and viruses were not inhibitory as long as the medicines were used in optimum concentrations (TJ-7; 0.25mg/mL, TJ-108; 0.5mg/mL). As a result of analyzing accumulations of reversions of the specific bases on the virus genome related to neurovirulence in monkeys, it was demonstrated that TJ-108 suppressed the reversion of type 1 and 3 polio vaccine viruses to the neurovirulent genotype in cultured cells which were derived from the human alimentary tract. However, no suppressive effect on the reversion by TJ-7 was observed. Although verification of the suppressive effect of TJ-108 on reversion in the human alimentary tract is necessary, it is expected that TJ-108 will contribute to resolving the VAPP and VDPV problems and to the achievement of the poliomyelitis eradication program of the World Health Organization.
