Matsumoto Y, Kato M, Tamada Y, Mori H, Ohashi M
Department of Dermatology, Nagoya University, School of Medicine, Japan.
Jpn J Pharmacol. 1997 Apr;73(4):333-6. doi: 10.1254/jjp.73.333.
We investigated the effects of Sho-saiko-to, the most commonly used herbal medicine in Japan, on the production of interleukin (IL)-1 alpha by cultured human epidermal keratinocytes. IL-1 alpha production was significantly promoted by treatment with 100 or 500 micrograms/ml Sho-saiko-to for 24 or 48 hr. Expression of IL-1 alpha receptors was the most markedly upregulated after treatment with 500 micrograms/ml Sho-saiko-to for 24 hr and with 100 or 500 micrograms/ml for 48 hr; these cells showed the characteristics of multilayered differentiated keratinocytes. The presence of an anti-IL-1 alpha antibody during the treatment with 500 micrograms/ml of Sho-saiko-to for 24 or 48 hr or with 100 micrograms/ml for 48 hr significantly down-regulated the synthesis by the keratinocytes and induced damages in them. Keratinocytes treated with Sho-saiko-to might produce IL-1 alpha and express IL-1 alpha receptors. IL-1 alpha may regulate the proliferation and differentiation of keratinocytes after Sho-saiko-to treatment. These findings suggest that Sho-saiko-to enhances the autocrine growth mediated by IL-1 alpha.
