REGULATION OF HEPATIC MACROPHAGE FUNCTION BY ORAL-ADMINISTRATION OF XIAO-CHAI-HU-TANG (SHO-SAIKO-TO, TJ-9) IN RATS

The effect of Xiao-Chai-Hu-Tang (Sho-saiko-to, TJ-9), the extract of a mixture of 7 herbs, on hepatic macrophage function was studied using rats. Hepatic macrophages were activated by injection of Corynebacteri um parvum or 70% partial hepatectomy. Oral administration of TJ-9 for 3 weeks did not affect the ability of these macrophages to produce sup eroxide anions evaluated in situ by liver perfusion with nitro blue te trazolium (NBT) and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). However, the simi lar administration of TJ-9 attenuated the blocking of the activation a fter partial hepatectomy produced by pretreatment with gum arabic, a p olysaccharide of high molecular weight. When gum arabic was added to t he medium of rat hepatic macrophages cultured with normal rat sera, th eir ability to produce superoxide anions was reduced in a dose-related manner. This reduction was attenuated by changing the sera to the ser a obtained from rats given oral doses of TJ-9 for 3 weeks. These resul ts suggest that TJ-9 may improve the blocked function of hepatic macro phages in activation.