IN-VITRO EFFECTS OF SHO-SAIKO-TO ON PRODUCTION OF GRANULOCYTE-COLONY-STIMULATING FACTOR BY MONONUCLEAR-CELLS FROM PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEPATITIS-C

During the past 2 years, drug-induced interstitial pneumonia was repor ted in 66 Japanese patients, mainly among chronic hepatitis C patients , undergoing treatment with the Japanese herbal medicine ''Shosaiko-to '' (TJ-9). As interstitial pneumonia is also induced by granulocyte co lony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), we examined the effects of TJ-9 on G- CSF production in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. In patients with hepatitis B or C, G-CSF production in the absence of any stimulation was significantly lower than healthy controls (p < 0.01). G-CSF produc tion increased along with the increase of TJ-9 levels, and this could induce excessive production of G-CSF in hepatitis C patients, and this may be a cause of interstitial pneumonia. (C) 1998 International Soci ety for Immunopharmacology.