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Effect of Xuebijing injection (血必净注射液) on systemic lupus erythematosus in mice

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Abstract

Objective

To observe the effects of Xuebijing Injection (血必净注射液) on dendritic cells (DCs) and T lymphocytes, and the potential mechanisms of its therapeutic effect on systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods

A widely used mouse model, SLE-prone BLLF1 mice aged 8–10 weeks, was employed. Mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: a normal group, a model group and two treatment groups treated with Xuebijing Injection with a dose of 6.4 mL/kg via intraperitoneal administration for SLE-prone BLLF1 mice aged 8 weeks (treatment A group) and 10 weeks (treatment B group). Renal tissue sections were stained with Masson’s trichrome and periodic acid-silver methenamine. Histopathological changes in the kidney were evaluated by a light microscopy. The capacity of the DCs isolated from the spleen to stimulate the T cell proliferation in response to concanavalin A (Con A) was determined.

Results

Compared with the model group, levels of anti-dsDNA antibodies in the two treatment groups decreased remarkablely (P<0.01, P<0.05), and levels of serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen increased (P<0.01, P<0.05). Pathological changes were found in the kidney in the model group. Histopathological abnormalities were alleviated in the two treatment groups. Treatment with Xuebijing injection also significantly upregulated the expression of CD80, CD86 and major histocompatibility class II by DCs compared with the model group (P<0.05). When splenic T lymphocytes from BLLF1 mice were co-cultured with DCs at ratios of 1:100, 1:150 and 1:200 for 3 and 5 days, the proliferation of T lymphocytes was suppressed compared with the normal group (P<0.05), but this was restored by Xuebijing Injection under the same conditions. In the model group, levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in supernatants were significantly elevated compared with the normal group (P<0.01), interleukin-2 levels decreased (P<0.05), while these changes were significantly alleviated in the Xuebijing treatment groups.

Conclusions

Xuebijing Injection alleviated renal injury in SLE-prone BLLF-1 mice. The mechanism might be through influencing T cell polarization mediated by DCs, and Xuebijing Injection might be a potential drug that suppresses immune dysfunction in patients with SLE.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, 710032, China

    Yan-bo Wang  (王彦博) & Yu-feng Liu  (刘玉峰)

  2. Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, 102206, China

    Yan-bo Wang  (王彦博) & Qiang Wang  (王 强)

  3. Burns Institute, First Hospital Affiliated to the Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100048, China

    Yong-ming Yao  (姚咏明) & Zhi-yong Sheng  (盛志勇)

Authors
  1. Yan-bo Wang  (王彦博)
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  2. Qiang Wang  (王 强)
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  3. Yong-ming Yao  (姚咏明)
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  4. Zhi-yong Sheng  (盛志勇)
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  5. Yu-feng Liu  (刘玉峰)
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yong-ming Yao  (姚咏明).

Additional information

Supported by Grants from the National Natural Science Foundation (No. 81130035, 81071545, and 30971192), and the National Basic Research Program of China (No. 2012CB518102)

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Wang, Yb., Wang, Q., Yao, Ym. et al. Effect of Xuebijing injection (血必净注射液) on systemic lupus erythematosus in mice. Chin. J. Integr. Med. 19, 675–682 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-013-1561-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-013-1561-0

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