ANTIAGING EFFECTS OF BAO-CHUN-WAN ON RATS - A MORPHOLOGICAL ULTRASTRUCTURE STUDY

Bao-Chun-Wan, a Chinese prescription, is formulated according to the p rinciple of tonifying the kidney for treatment of aging. Morphological study on the ultrastructure of laboratory albino rats treated with th is formula showed an increase in thymic lymphocytes, which play an imp ortant role in the production of T cells. As to the liver cells, the f ormula has a protective effect and may induce enzymes enhancing oxidat ion and excretion of toxic substances. An increase in the Leydig's cel l, which promotes reproductive hormone secretion, was also observed, b ut there was no obvious change in germinal cells. The above findings r eported in this article have not been cited in any previous studies an d are suggesting that the kidney tonifying formula may act through the mechanism of promoting body immune function, metabolism and biotransf ormation, and, therefore, result in anti-aging.