CHINESE HERBS AS MODULATORS OF HUMAN MESANGIAL CELL-PROLIFERATION - PRELIMINARY STUDIES

In the hope of identifying agents of therapeutic value in immunoglobul in A nephropathy (IgA-N), we tested crude methanol extracts of 15 Chin ese herbs for their effect on human mesangial eel proliferation in vit ro. The results indicated that 7 out of the 15 crude extracts inhibite d human mesangial cell proliferation activated by interleukin-1 beta a nd interleukin-6, The extracts and their median inhibitory concentrati ons were as follows (in mu g/ml): Selaginella famariscina (MLS-032), 5 6.0 +/- 2.0; lxeris chinensis (MLS-033), 62.7 +/- 1.7; Polygonum hypol eucum Ohwi (MLS-034), 25.0 +/- 1.5; Scutellaris rivularis (MLS-036), 3 9.6 +/- 1.1; Condonacanthus paucifiorus (MLS-042),63.6 +/- 2.6; Xanthi um strumarium (MLS-043), 42.8 +/- 1.3; Daemonoropus margaritae (MLS-04 4), 56.1 +/- 1.9. These findings indicate that human mesangial cells w ere most sensitive to MLS-034 treatment. These herbs also decreased in terleukin-1 beta and tumor necrosis factor-alpha production. Moreover, TNF-alpha mRNA expression was inhibited by MLS-034. It is unlikely th at cytotoxicity was involved, because no cell deaths were observable. We hypothesize that the inhibitory mechanisms of these Chinese herbs m ay be related to the impairments of gene expression and production of cytokines in human mesangial cells, Plans are underway for the isolati on of pure compounds from these Chinese herbs and the elucidation of t heir mechanisms of action.