Comparison between the Effects of Oral and Intramuscular Administration of Shin'iseihaito (Xinyiqingfeitang) in a Streptococcus pyogenes-Induced Murine Sinusitis Model

Chinese Herbal Medicine to Reduce Radiation-Induced Oral Mucositis in Head and Neck Cancer Patients: Evidence From Population-Based Health Claims

BACKGROUND

Subjects with head and neck cancer (HNC) often experience post-treatment side effects, particularly radiation-induced oral mucositis (RIOM). This study aimed to explore the association of Chinese herbal medicine use with the sequent risk of RIOM among them.

METHODS

This cohort study used a nationwide health insurance database to identify subjects newly diagnosed with HNC, aged 20 to 60 years, who received treatment between 2000 and 2007. Among them, a total of 561 cases received CHM after HNC onset (CHM users); the remaining 2395 cases were non-CHM users. All patients were followed to the end of 2012 to identify any treatment for RIOM as the end point. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to compute the adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of RIOM by CHM use.

RESULTS

During the follow-up period, 183 CHM users and 989 non-CHM users developed RIOM at incidence rates of 40.98 and 57.91 per 1000 person-years, respectively. CHM users had a lower RIOM risk than the non-CHM users (aHR: 0.68; 95% Confidence Interval: 0.58-0.80). The most potent effect was observed in those taking CHM for more than 1 year. Use of Baizhi, Danshen, Shao-Yao-Gan-Cao-Tang, Gan-Lu-Yin, Huangqin, Shu-Jing-Huo-Xue-Tang, and Xin-Yi-Qing-Fei-Tang, was significantly related to a lower risk of RIOM.

CONCLUSION

Findings of this study indicated that adding CHM to conventional clinical care could be helpful in protecting those with HNC against the onset of RIOM. Further clinical and mechanistic studies are warranted.

Effect of Lonicera caerulea var. emphyllocalyx Extracts on Murine Streptococcus pyogenes Infection by Modulating Immune System

Streptococcus pyogenes (S. pyogenes) causes several infectious diseases such as tonsillitis, cellulitis, and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. The general treatment of S. pyogenes infection is by using β-lactam antibiotics; however, the cases of treatment failure were increasing as serious problems. Lonicera caerulea var. emphyllocalyx (LCE) has been used in the folk medicine in the northern part of Japan, the northern part of China, Korea, and Russia. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of three parts (fruit, stem, and leaf) of Lonicera caerulea var. emphyllocalyx extract (LCEEs) against murine S. pyogenes infection. Oral administration of LCEEs increased the mortality in murine model, and the extracts of its stems and leaves were more effective than the fruit extract significantly. Murine splenocytes and mesenteric lymph nodal cells treated with LCEEs suppressed the excess production of inflammatory cytokine such as TNF-α in comparison to those from untreated cells. LCEEs stimulated the differentiation of pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells in those murine lymph nodal cells. It also activated the proliferative response of murine lymph nodal cells. We also found that the stem and leaf extracts seemed to be more effective than the fruit extract in those phenomena. The concentration of lignins in LCEE prepared from the stems was larger than that from leaves, and that was larger than that from the fruits. Our data suggest that LCE, especially the stems and the leaves, may be useful for the treatment of S. pyogenes infection.

Effect of Hochuekkito (Buzhongyiqitang) on Nasal Cavity Colonization of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Murine Model

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections are largely preceded by colonization with MRSA. Hochuekkito is the formula composing 10 herbal medicines in traditional Kampo medicine to treat infirmity and to stimulate immune functions. We evaluated the efficacy of hochuekkito extract (HET) against MRSA colonization using a nasal infection murine model. Methods: We evaluated the effects of HET as follows: (1) the growth inhibition by measuring turbidity of bacterial culture in vitro, (2) the nasal colonization of MRSA by measuring bacterial counts, and (3) the splenocyte proliferation in mice orally treated with HET by the ³H-thymidine uptake assay. Results: HET significant inhibited the growth of MRSA. The colony forming unit (CFU) in the nasal fluid of HET-treated mice was significantly lower than that of HET-untreated mice. When each single crude drug—Astragali radix, Bupleuri radix, Zingiberis rhizoma, and Cimicifugae rhizome—was removed from hochuekkito formula, the effect of the formula significantly weakened. The uptake of ³H-thymidine into murine splenocytes treated with HET was significantly higher than that from untreated mice. The effects of the modified formula described above were also significantly weaker than those of the original formula. Conclusions: Hochuekkito is effective for the treatment of MRSA nasal colonization in the murine model. We suggest HET as the therapeutic candidate for effective therapy on nasal cavity colonization of MRSA in humans.