immunosuppressive herbs

Metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGlu)5 regulates microglia activation, which contributes to inflammation. However, the role of mGlu5 in neuroinflammation associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) remains unclear. Triptolide (T10) exerts potent immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory effects and protects neurons by inhibiting microglia activation. In this study, we investigated the role of mGlu5 in the anti-inflammatory effect of T10 in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced PD model. In cultured BV2 cells and primary microglia, blocking mGlu5 activity or knocking down its expression abolished T10-inhibited release of proinflammatory cytokines induced by LPS...

Tripterygium glycoside (TG), an active ingredient of the widely used Chinese herb Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F, has immunosuppressive and anti‑inflammatory effects. Previous studies have indicated that TG is a potentially effective therapeutic option to treat nephrotic syndrome. The mechanism underlying the therapeutic effect of TG, including its effect on autophagy and apoptosis in podocyte injury, remains to be fully elucidated. The present study aimed to assess the protective effect of TG on podocytes via its potential role in the activation of autophagic and phosphatidylinositol 3‑kinase (PI3K) pathways...

Lamiophlomis rotata ( L. rotata ; Benth.) Kudo is an effective traditional herb in the clinical treatment of chronic pain syndromes in China. 8-O-acetyl shanzhiside methylester (8-OaS), a chief component in L. rotata , possesses potent immunosuppressive activities and favorable analgesic effects. This study was proposed to compare the analgesic effects of 8-OaS with those of lidocaine and ketamine in a spinal nerve ligation (SNL) model by behavioral tests, and then investigated its effects upon the expression of spinal glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), phosphorylated extracellular regulated protein kinases (pERK) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) via immunofluorescence staining and western blot analyses...

Refractory nephrotic syndrome (RNS) is an immune-related kidney disease with poor clinical outcomes. Standard treatments include corticosteroids as the initial therapy and other immunosuppressants as second-line options. A substantial proportion of patients with RNS are resistant to or dependent on immunosuppressive drugs and often experience unremitting edema and proteinuria, cycles of remission and relapse, and/or serious adverse events due to long-term immunosuppression. Traditional Chinese medicine has a long history of treating complicated kidney diseases and holds great potential for providing effective treatments for RNS...

A recipient usually rejects a transplanted organ and thus needs immunosuppressive treatments to prevent rejection. Achieving long-term allograft survival without continuous global immunosuppression is highly desirable in transplantation as long-term immunosuppression causes various side effects. Therefore, it is necessary to search for medicine with potentially less side effects. Traditional Chinese medicine PSORI-CM01 (Yin Xie Ling), a formula with seven natural herbs, has been used to treat patients with psoriasis...

Introduction: T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL) is a widely disseminated disease worldwide. Triptolide (TPL) is purified from Chinese herb and displays anti-inflammatory, anti-fertility, anti-tumor and immunosuppressive effects. Materials and methods: Here, in vitro and in vivo experiments were conducted to investigate the anti-tumor effect of TPL treatment in T-LBL and the potential mechanism in T-LBL progression. Results: TPL inhibited cell proliferation of T-LBL cells (Jurkat cells and Molt-3 cells) in a dose-dependent manner...

RATIONALE: SAPHO (synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis, and osteitis) syndrome is an autoinflammatory disease with no standardized treatment. Tripterygium wilfordii hook f (TwHF) is a Chinese herb with immunosuppressive effects and has been used to treat some chronic inflammatory diseases. However, it has not been reported as a therapeutic option in SAPHO syndrome. Here we present the first report in which a remarkable remission of SAPHO syndrome was achieved in response to TwHF...

Constant exposure to various stressors, such as immune pressure, rapidly increasing population, deleterious changes in the ecosystem, climate change, infection with emerging and re-emerging pathogens, and fast-paced lifestyle, is a critical factor in the globally increasing incidences of immunocompromising health conditions, as well as stress. Synthetic chemotherapeutic agents, which are widely available in the commercial market, may be highly efficacious, but most are immunosuppressive and exert many side effects...

Triptolide (TP), a major extract of the herb Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F (TWHF), has been shown to exert potent pharmacological effects, especially an immunosuppressive effect in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, its multiorgan toxicity prevents it from being widely used in clinical practice. Recently, several attempts are being performed to reduce TP toxicity. In this review, recent progress in the use of TP for RA, including its pharmacological effects and toxicity, is summarized. Meanwhile, strategies relying on chemical structural modifications, innovative delivery systems, and drug combinations to alleviate the disadvantages of TP are also reviewed...

BACKGROUND: Diseases with inflammatory etiopathology have increased in incidence in recent times. Drugs used for therapeutic management of such inflammatory diseases are relieving the ailment but at the same time also countering serious life-threatening consequences. Moreover, they are costly and rarely available at all places. In this context, research and development on medicinal herbs have opened a new era in the prophylactic and therapeutic management of inflammatory diseases. OBJECTIVE: To highlight the importance of anti-inflammatory medicine-synthetic drugs and natural herbs, their constituents, mechanism of action, benefits, side effects and future prospects...

We report an 80-year-old male patient with severe rheumatoid arthritis who was treated with tripterygium glycoside, an immunosuppressive agent made from the extract of a Chinese medicinal herb called Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F. The patient had no apparent skin lesions before the treatment, but he developed aggressive hyperkeratotic lesions with rapid progression after using tripterygium glycoside. He was repeatedly diagnosed with eczema, but treatment failed to achieve efficacy. Interestingly, a microscopic examination of the lesions revealed numerous scabies mites and eggs...

A derivative formula, DGBX, which is composed of three herbs (Radix astragali, Radix Angelicae sinensis, and Coptis chinensis Franch), is derived from a famous Chinese herbal formula, Danggui Buxue Tang (DBT) (Radix astragali and Radix Angelicae sinensis). We aimed to investigate the effects of DGBX on the regulation of the balance between proliferation and apoptosis of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) due to the aberrant immune response in a mouse model of aplastic anemia (AA). Cyclosporine (CsA), an immunosuppressor, was used as the positive control...

Our previous study isolated a natural high-methoxyl homogalacturonan (HRWP-A) from Hippophae rhamnoides and showed antitumor activity in vivo. In this study, the immunomodulatory activity and mechanisms of action of HRWP-A were further investigated. Results showed that HRWP-A could recover the body condition and activated macrophage in Cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced immunosuppressed mice. Further, we investigated the possible mechanism underlying the effects of HRWP-A on mouse peritoneal macrophages. qPCR and western blot revealed that HRWP-A upregulated the expression of TLR4 mRNA in vitro...

BACKGROUND: Kidney transplantation (KT) is the treatment option for patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) to prolong survival and improve quality of life. Although the use of potent immunosuppressive agents increases graft survival in kidney transplantation recipients (KTRs), it may lead to the development of malignancy, including transitional cell carcinoma (TCC). TCC developing in the pelvis of graft kidney is very rare in KTRs. CASE PRESENTATION: A 40-year-old male visited hospital with complaints of nausea, vomiting and gross hematuria...

Idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (DILI) and hepatic injury due to herbal and dietary supplements (HDS) can adapt clinical characteristics of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), such as the appearance of autoantibodies and infiltration of the liver by immune competent cells. To describe these cases of DILI/HDS, the poorly-defined term "autoimmune(-like)" DILI/HDS came up. It is uncertain if these cases represent a subgroup of DILI/HDS with distinct pathomechanistic and prognostic features different from "classical" DILI/HDS...

St. John's wort (SJW) is a common medicinal herb used for the treatment of mild to moderate depression. Hyperforin, one of the chief components of SJW, plays an important role in the induction of cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYP) and P-glycoprotein transporter (P-gp), and therefore, affects the pharmacokinetics of various drugs. There are several clinical studies demonstrating the interaction of SJW with the metabolism of conventional drugs which may cause life-threatening events. Areas covered: This review focuses on human studies that have evaluated pharmacokinetic alterations of conventional drugs in concomitant use with different SJW preparations...

Optic nerve crush model could be used to investigate the mechanism of neuronal survival and axonal regeneration in central nervous system. Triptolide, a Chinese herb extract with anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive activities, has shown neuron protective functions in nervous system. In this study, we investigated the changes in retinal ganglion cell survival and axonal regeneration after administration of triptolide in optic nerve crush model. Triptolide treatment tended to promote retinal ganglion cell survival rather than optic nerve regeneration as well as inhibit the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α and activation of nuclear factor-kappa B...

The Schisandraceae family is reported to have a range of pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory effects. As with all herbal preparations, extracts of Schisandra species are mixtures composed of >50 lignans including schizandrins and deoxyschizandrins. In China, Schisandra sphenanthera extract (SSE) is often co-administered with immunosuppressant treatment of transplant recipients. In cases of co-administration, the potential for herb-drug interactions (HDI) increases. Clinical studies have been employed to assess HDI of extracts including SSE...

Angelicae Sinensis, Radix Astragali and Rhizoma Coptidis are all herbs of modified Danggui Buxue Tang (DGBX) and are extensively applied herbs in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of anemia and inflammation. In this study, immune-induced AA mice were used as an animal model, and the immunosuppressive agent, Ciclosporin A (CsA), was used as a positive control. Multiple pro-inflammatory cytokines were examined by bead-based multiplex flow cytometry. The T-cell subsets were assessed using a fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS)...

Disease outbreaks increase proportionally with increases in intensive aquaculture. Natural products including medicinal plants have been known from thousands of years for treating some human diseases. It is well known that many active compounds are responsible for potential bio-activities. For that reason, there has been considerable interest in the use of medicinal plants in aquaculture with a view to providing safe and eco-friendly compounds for replacing antibiotics and chemical compounds as well as to enhance immune status and control fish diseases...