So-Cheong-Ryong-Tang,Tradititional Korean Medicine,Suppresses Th2 Lineage Development

• Published in: Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin Vol. 27; no. 5; pp. 739 - 743
• Main Authors: Eunjung Ko, Samwoong RHO, Chongwoon CHO, Hyun CHOI, Seonggyu Ko, Youngwon LEE, Moo-Chang HONG, Min-Kyu SHIN, Seung-Gi JUNG, Hyunsu BAE
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: Pharmaceutical Society of Japan 2004
• ISSN: 0918-6158; 1347-5215

The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of So-Cheong-Ryong-Tang (SCRT, also called Sho-Seiryu-To or Xiao-Qing-Long-Tang) on helper T cell development by monitoring Th1/Th2-specific cytokine secretion patterns in artificially induced Th1 or Th2 polarized conditions. The results demonstrated that Th2 cells were dramatically underpopulated in the Th2-driven condition triggered by SCRT treatment, while the Th1 cells were not altered in the Th1-skewed condition. Furthermore, under Th2-skewed conditions the levels of interleukin-4 were considerably decreased with SCRT treatment. The expression of GATA-3, a transcription factor that plays a pivotal role in Th2 lineage programming, did not change with SCRT treatment, while the expression of another Th2 transcription factor, c-Maf, was dramatically suppressed. These data suggest that SCRT modulates Th2 development by suppressing c-Maf expression. This study implies that the SCRT effect on CD4+ T cells is a key pharmacologic point of effect for treating IgE-mediated allergic asthma. These results also suggest that SCRT might be a useful agent for the correction of Th2-dominant pathologic disorders.