六味地黄汤对佐剂性关节炎大鼠免疫功能的影响

Effect of Liuwei Dihuang Decoction, a traditional Chinese medicinal tonic prescription, on the immune function of adjuvant arthritis rats

目的 :研究六味地黄汤对佐剂性关节炎 (AA)大鼠的作用特点。方法 :观察六味地黄汤对AA大鼠细胞免疫、体液免疫功能的作用 ,并与环磷酰胺 (CY)和环孢素A(CsA)进行比较。结果 :六味地黄汤口服给药对AA大鼠的关节肿胀具有明显的抑制作用 ,对AA大鼠的免疫功能紊乱也具有治疗作用。可使AA大鼠低下的淋巴细胞增殖水平恢复正常 ,而环磷酰胺 (CY)与环孢素A(CsA)则使AA大鼠低下的淋巴细胞水平进一步降低。结论 :六味地黄汤对AA大鼠的治疗作用与免疫抑制剂CY、CsA不同 ,其作用不是通过免疫抑制而是通过调节免疫平衡来实现的。

Aim: To study the effect of Liuwei Dihuang Decoction (LW) on adjuvant arthritis (AA) rats. Methods: The effects of LW on cellular and humoral immunity of AA rats were studied and compared with immunosuppressive drugs of cyclophosphamide (Cy) and cyclosporin A (CsA). Results:LW significantly inhibited the swelling of the ankle joint induced by adjuvant in AA rats. The augmented antibody production response to the challenge of SRBC and the lowered splenocyte proliferation induced by ConA were all restored around the control level in LW treated AA rats. LW (po, 8g/kg), CY (po, 10mg/kg) and CsA (ip, 5mg/kg) significantly inhibited the swelling of the ankle joints in AA rats, but their effects on the immune responses were quite different. CY and CsA both inhibited the antibody production response and also the splenocyte proliferation which was lowered in AA rats, while LW inhibited the antibody production response and augmented the lowered splenocyte proliferation in AA rats. Conclusion: LW alleviated the symptoms of arthritis and restored the disordered immune function of AA rats. The effect of LW is suggested to be achieved by immunomodulation rather than immunosuppression, which is different from CY and CsA.