Premium
Antibacterial Effect of Kampo Herbal Formulation Hochu‐Ekki‐To (Bu‐Zhong‐Yi‐Qi‐Tang) on Helicobacter pylori Infection in Mice
Author(s) -
Yan Xiaoqun,
Kita Masakazu,
Minami Masato,
Yamamoto Toshiro,
Kuriyama Hiroko,
Ohno Tomoyuki,
Iwakura Yoichiro,
Imanishi Jiro
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
microbiology and immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1348-0421
pISSN - 0385-5600
DOI - 10.1111/j.1348-0421.2002.tb02721.x
Subject(s) - kampo , helicobacter pylori , antibiotics , in vivo , traditional medicine , microbiology and biotechnology , medicine , stomach , spirillaceae , antibacterial agent , pharmacology , biology , gastritis , pathology , alternative medicine
Because Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is a major cause of gastroduodenal diseases in humans, the eradication of H. pylori using antibiotics is very effective for the treatment of gastroduodenal diseases. However, it has recently been reported that resistance to these antibiotics is developing. In the present study, the antibacterial effect of a Kampo (traditional Japanese medicine) herbal formulation, Hochu‐ekki‐to (HET; Formula repletionis animalis et supletionis medii), against H. pylori was examined in vitro and in vivo . HET inhibited the growth of antibiotic‐resistant strains of H. pylori as well as antibiotic‐sensitive strains at a dose of 2.5 mg/ml in vitro . When 1,000 mg/kg of HET was administered orally to C57BL/6 mice for 7 days before or after inoculation with H. pylori, H. pylori in the stomach was significantly reduced in the HET‐pre‐treatment group compared with the control group. Furthermore, HET in combination with antibiotics completely eradicated the bacteria in mice. The expression of interferon (IFN)‐γ was induced in the gastric mucosa of the mice pre‐treated with HET. There were no significant differences between the colonization of H. pylori in the control and HET treatment groups in IFN‐γ gene‐deficient mice. These results suggest that the antibacterial effect of HET may be partly due to IFN‐γ induction, and that HET may be clinically useful for treatment of H. pylori infection.