Traditional Chinese herbal formulate Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan affects the pro-tein levels of Bcl-2 family members and suppresses apoptosis in human lymphocytes

The Bcl-2 knockout mice demonstrated fulminant lymphoid apoptosis, polycystic kidneys, hypopig-mented hair, as well as abnormalities in development, bone formation and life span (Cell 75, 229). These symptoms are typically known as deficiency of kidneys in traditional Chinese medicine. We hypothesize that the Chinese concept of the Kidneys is related to the in vivo roles of the Bcl-2 family and the traditional Chinese herbal formulates designed for affecting the functions of the Kidneys could modulate the expression of this gene family. To test this hypothesis, the blood were collected from the volunteers before and after their taking the Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan (Jin Gui) Pills for Tonifying Kidney-energy, a classic herbal