Inchingorei-san (TJ-117) and Artemisiae Capillaris Herba Induced Prolonged Survival of Fully Mismatched Cardiac Allografts and Generated Regulatory Cells in Mice

We investigated Inchingorei-san (TJ-117), a 6-component Japanese herbal medicine, on alloimmune responses in murine cardiac allograft transplantation. CBA mice underwent transplantation of a C57BL/6 (B6) heart and received oral administration of TJ-117 or each component of TJ-117 from the day of transplantation until 7 days afterward. Naive CBA mice rejected B6 cardiac grafts acutely (median survival time (MST), 7 days). CBA recipients given 1 g/kg/day of TJ-117 had prolonged B6 allograft survival (MST, 37 days). Moreover, given 1 g/kg/day of Artemisiae Capillaris Herba (ACH), one component of TJ-117, indefinitely prolonged B6 allograft survival (MST, >100 days). However, other five components of TJ-117 were less effective than TJ-117 and ACH. Secondary CBA recipients given whole splenocytes, CD4(+), and CD4(+)CD25(+) cells from primary ACH-treated CBA recipients with B6 cardiac allografts 30 days after grafting had prolonged survival of B6 hearts (MSTs, 57, >100, and >100 days, resp.). Flow cytometry studies showed that the CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) regulatory cell population was increased in transplant recipients given ACH. Cell proliferation, interleukin-2, and interferon-γ were suppressed in ACH-treated mice, whereas interleukin-4 and interleukin-10 were upregulated. In conclusion, ACH, one component of TJ-117, as well as TJ-117 induced hyporesponsiveness to fully allogeneic cardiac allografts and may generate CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) regulatory cells.