The American Journal of Chinese Medicine

The American Journal of Chinese Medicine, Vol. 32, No. 2, 221-234
c2004 World Scientific Publishing Company
Institute for Advanced Research in Asian Science and Medicine

Immunomodulating Effects of "Tien-Hsien Liquid" (Tian Xian Liquid)
on Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells and T-Lymphocytes
from Patients with Recurrent Aphthous Ulcerations

Andy Sun, *† Jean-San Chia, *†‡ Won-Bo Wang† and Chun-Pin Chiang*‡
*School of Dentistry and †Institute of Microbiology
College of Medicine, National Taiwan University
‡Department of Dentistry, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

Abstract: Recurrent aphthous ulcerations (RAU) represent a common oral mucosal disease with altered humoral and cellular immunities, In our institution, an immunomodulating agent, levamisole, is used to treat RAU with satisfactory therapeutic effect, Tien-Hsien liquid (THL)/Tian Xian Liquid (TXL) is an extract of Chinese medicinal herbs with immunomodulating effects. To test whether THL (TXL) has antigen-stimulated proliferation response (PR) of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and T-cells isolated from RAU patients and to test whether THL(TXL) is a potential drug for treating RAU, PBMC or T-cells isolated from RAU patients were incubated with lipopolysaccharides (LPS) from Escherica coli, phytohemagglutinin (PHA), staphyloccal enterotoxin B (SEB), glutaraldehyde-inactivated tetanus toxoid (TT), glucosyltransferase D (GttD), or antigens of Streptococcus mutans in the absence of THL (TXL). We found that THL (TXL) significantly increased the LPS-stimulated PR of PBMC from active RAU patients, the GttD-stimulated PR of PBMC and of T-cells from inactive RAU patients, and the S. mutans-stimulated PR of PBMC from inactive RAU patients.

However, THL (TXL) could also significantly reduce the SEB-stimulated PR of PBMC and of T-cells from active RAU patients and S.mutans-stimulated PR of T-cells from active RAU patients. These results suggest that THL (TXL) can modulate the antigen-stimulated PR of PBMC and T-cells from RAU patients. Therefore, it may be a potential immunoceutical agent for treatment of RAU.

Keywords : Chinese Medicinal Herbs; Tien-Hsien Liquid (Tian Xian Liquid); Cordyceps sinensis; Oldenlandia diffusae; Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells; T-Lymphocyte; Recurrent Aphthous Ulcerations.