EFFECT OF SHOSAIKOTO (KAMPO MEDICINE) ON THE ADHERENCE OF MONOCYTES IN HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIC RABBIT

Monocytes/macrophages are known to be involved in atherogenesis, and t he adherence of monocytes to the endothelium is considered an earliest characteristic of atherogenesis. Therefore, we studied the mechanism by which Shosaikoto, a Kampo medicine, shows anti-atherosclerotic acti on, which has been already shown in hypercholesterolemic rabbits. Hype rcholesterolemia in rabbits gradually reduced the monocyte number in p eripheral blood, whereas Shosaikoto treatment suppressed this decrease in circulating monocytes. Furthermore, although monocytes from hyperc holesterolemic rabbits increased in adherence to endothelial cells eve n without lipopolysaccharide (LPS) activation, Shosaikoto treatment re duced the enhanced adherence observed in monocytes from hypercholester olemic rabbits. These data suggested that the anti-atherosclerotic act ion shown by Shosaikoto resulted partly from the suppression of the en hanced adherence characteristic of hypercholesterolemia.