Modulation of antigen-specific immune responses by the oral administration of a traditional medicine, bo-yang-hwan-o-tang.
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| Abstract |
Bo-yang-hwan-o-tang (BHT) has long been used to treat cancer in traditional Korean medicine and is believed to have immune-modulating activity. This study investigated the effect of BHT on the induction of antigen-specific immune responses using hen egg-white lysozyme (HEL) as a model antigen system. Oral administration of BHT enhanced both HEL-specific humoral and lymphocyte proliferative responses in HEL low-responder mice. Feeding BHT to the mice increased INF-gamma levels, but did not change IL-4 levels. Interestingly, however, the oral BHT feeding significantly increased HEL-specific antibodies of the IgG1, IgG2b, and IgG3 subtypes, which are associated with the direct stimulation of B cells. This indicates that BHT treatment enhances anti-HEL-specific humoral immune responses via the direct stimulation of B lymphocytes rather than by selective priming of specific subtypes of the helper T-cell population. This conclusion was supported by in vitro experiments, in which the presence of BHT significantly augmented B-cell mitogen-mediated proliferation of mouse splenocytes. This augmentation was closely associated with a glycoprotein with a molecular weight of around 100 kDa. The results suggest that BHT modulates antigen-specific immune responses, and might be used as a therapeutic agent for patients who need enhanced immune function.
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| Authors | Eun-Ha Kim, Jeong-Chae Lee, Ju Kim, Young-Ok Son, Gook-Hyun Chung, Yong-Suk Jang |
| Journal | Immunopharmacology and immunotoxicology (Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol) Vol. 24 Issue 3 Pg. 423-40 (Aug 2002) ISSN: 0892-3973 [Print] England |
| PMID | 12375738 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't) |
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