Effects of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ekki-Youketsu-Fusei-Zai, on Human Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes In Vitro

Abstract

 The effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Ekki-Youketsu-Fusei-Zai (EYFZ), on human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) was investigated in vitro. MTT assay showed that EYFZ could directly stimulate PBL to proliferate without mitogen. In addition, RT-PCR and ELISA revealed that though EYFZ induced the expression of interferon gamma (INF-γ) mRNA and the production of INF-γ in culture supernatant, it did not induce the experssion or the production of interleukin-2 (IL-2) or interleukin-4 (IL-4). Moreover, we also examined which kind of immunocyte was involved in the INF-γ production by EYFZ in culture supernatant by inhibition experiment with monoclonal antibodies. It was shown that the EYFZ induced the production of INF-γ by T cell subsets of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ cells. Thus, these results suggest that EYFZ has some significant stimulating effects on proliferation of PBL and the induction of INF-γ by T cells subsets in human.