IN-VIVO ANTIINFLUENZA VIRUS ACTIVITY OF KAMPO (JAPANESE HERBAL) MEDICINE SHO-SEIRYU-TO - STIMULATION OF MUCOSAL IMMUNE-SYSTEM AND EFFECT ONALLERGIC PULMONARY INFLAMMATION MODEL MICE

When BALB/c mice were treated with a Kampo (Japanese herbal) medicine ''Sho-seiryu-to (SST)'' (1 g/kg, 10 times) orally from 7 days before t o 5 days after the infection and infected with mouse-adapted influenza virus A/PR/8/34 by nasal-site restricted infection, SST caused increm ent of the influenza virus hemagglutinin-specific IgA antibody secreti ng cells in nasal lymphocyte but not in Peyer's patch lymphocyte at 6 days after infection in comparison with water-treated mice. Oral admin istration of SST also augmented IL-2 receptor beta chain(+) (activated ) T-cell in Peyer's patch lymphocyte, but not in the nasal lymphocyte. We previously reported that SST showed potent anti-influenza virus ac tivity through augmentation of the antiviral IgA antibody titer in the nasal and broncho-alveolar cavities of the mice (T. Nagai and Il. Yam ada, 1994, Int. J. Immunopharmacol. 16, 605-613). These results sugges t that oral administration of SST shows anti-influenza virus activity in the nasal cavity by activatation of T-cell in Peyer's patch lymphoc yte and stimulation of production of anti-influenza virus IgA antibody in nasal lymphocyte. When ovalbumin-sensitized allergic pulmonary inf lammation model mice were administered orally with SST(I g/kg) from 8 days before(ll times) or from 2 h after (4 times) to 4 days after the infection and infected with mouse-adapted influenza virus A/PR/8/34, r eplications of the virus in the both nasal and broncho-alveolar caviti es or only nasal cavity were significantly inhibited at 5 days after i nfection in comparison with water-treated control by augmenting antivi ral IgA antibody, respectively. These results suggest that SST is usef ul for both prophylaxis and treatment of influenza virus infection on patients with allergic pulmonary inflammation, such as bronchial asthm a.