ABSTRACT
Berberine (BB) is a protoberberine alkaloid derived from various representatives of the Berberidaceae family. Although used as a therapeutic agent, it has not been applied in the treatment of immune-mediated disorders. In the present study, BB was administered at a daily dose of 10 mg/kg for 3 consecutive days before the induction of tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN) by injection of bovine tubular basement membrane (TBM) antigen in BALB/c mice. The animals were investigated 2 months after TBM inoculation. The intensity of pathological injuries in animals with TIN+BB decreased significantly, an effect that correlated with the improvement of renal function. Flow cytometric analysis of peripheral blood cells showed that BB caused a decrease in the number of CD3(+), CD4(+), CD8(+), and sIg(+) lymphocytes in comparison with TIN mice. The same tendency was noticed in the lymphocytes from kidney infiltrates of treated animals. The control animals treated only with BB showed a decrease in the number of CD3(+), CD4(+), CD8(+) T-lymphocytes in comparison with control nontreated mice. Our results, thus, indicate that BB has an immunosuppressive effect in the TIN model, which is an analogue of various human kidney autoimmune diseases.
Subject(s)
Autoimmune Diseases/prevention & control , Berberine Alkaloids/therapeutic use , Immunosuppressive Agents/therapeutic use , Nephritis, Interstitial/prevention & control , Animals , Antigens/immunology , Basement Membrane/immunology , Berberine Alkaloids/administration & dosage , CD4 Lymphocyte Count , Immunosuppressive Agents/administration & dosage , Lymphocyte Count , Mice , Mice, Inbred BALB C , Nephritis, Interstitial/etiology , Nephritis, Interstitial/immunologyABSTRACT
The effect of a water-soluble derivative (WSD) of propolis on the classical pathway (CP) and the alternative (AP) complement activity has been investigated. The in vitro experiments show that WSD inhibits both pathways and the effect depends on the source of complement. The suppression of complement-mediated haemolysis proves to be time- and temperature-related. High WSD concentrations cause direct damage of the target erythrocytes. The estimation of C3-residual activity indicates that the preparation diminishes C3 functional activity.
Subject(s)
Complement C3/antagonists & inhibitors , Complement Inactivator Proteins/pharmacology , Propolis/pharmacology , Animals , Buffers , Complement Hemolytic Activity Assay , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Erythrocytes/drug effects , Guinea Pigs , Hemolysis/drug effects , Humans , Mice , Propolis/chemistry , Solubility , Water/chemistryABSTRACT
The water soluble derivative (WSD) of propolis in a dose of 150 mg/kg was administered intravenously (i.v.), intraperitoneally (i.p.) and orally (p.o.) to mice. The alteration of serum alternative pathway (AP) complement level was observed. The WSD also influenced the process of acute inflammation provoked by zymosan in mice. The effect was strongly dependent on the route of WSD administration.
