A newly devised formulation for self-medication enhances interferon-gamma production and proliferation of splenic lymphocytes.

A newly devised formulation for self-medication in Toyama, PanaWang, is a new herbal medicine (so called Toyama original brand formulation) developed based on traditional philosophy and scientific evidence. We here tried to examine the effect of oral administration of PanaWang on the balance of type I helper T cells (Th1) and Th2 cells. Splenic lymphocytes from normal mice were stimulated with Concanavalin A (Con A) in vitro and the secretion of Th1- and Th2-type cytokines, interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) respectively, was investigated. Con A-induced production of IFN-gamma from spleen cells, but not IL-4, was enhanced by the administration of PanaWang. Increased production of IFN-gamma was also detected in splenic lymphocytes from Th2-predominant BALB/c mice after DNP-immunization, without a change in antigen-specific IgE levels in vivo. Antigen-specific proliferative responses were also increased in lymphocytes from PanaWang-treated mice. These findings raise the possibility that PanaWang has Th1-stimulating activity and induces Th1-predominant immunity.

Pharmaceutical evaluation of liquorice before and after roasting in mice.

Liquorice has been used for allergic-inflammatory and liver disorders in both traditional Chinese and modern medicine. In traditional Chinese formulations, it is mainly roasted liquorice that has been used rather than un-roasted liquorice. We have compared the pharmaceutical characteristics of liquorice before and after roasting to clarify the pharmaceutical significance of the roasting. Although roasted liquorice contained less glycyrrhizin (an anti-allergic component) than un-roasted liquorice, the inhibitory potency of roasted liquorice extract (200 mg x kg(-1)) on immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated triphasic ear swelling in mice was much greater compared with un-roasted liquorice. To search for additional active ingredients, roasted liquorice extract was subjected to gel-chromatography to give an anti-allergic fraction (Fa) of molecular weight ranging from 15000 to 200000 or more, in which glycyrrhizin was not detected. By testing the activity of the various fractions, it was proved that the anti-allergic effect of roasted liquorice was due to glycyrrhizin, its metabolite glycyrrhetic acid, and the Fa fraction. The inhibitory potency of the Fa fraction (15 and 75 mg x kg(-1)) prepared from roasted liquorice was stronger than that prepared from un-roasted liquorice. Therefore, a pharmaceutical implication of roasting the liquorice seems to be associated with an increase in the anti-allergic property of the Fa fraction. It is notable that oral administration of the high molecular mass fraction (Fa) significantly inhibited IgE-mediated ear swelling six days after challenge at doses as low as 3, 15 or 75 mg x kg(-1).