0A-S8-4

CHINESE TRADITIONAL MEDICINE ASTRAGALUS MEMBRANACEUS: A POTENTIAL IMMUNOMODULATOR

Yang XQ

Children’s Hospital, Chongqing University of Medical Sciences, Chongqing, China

The dried root of Astragalus Membranaceus (AM) fisch Bge and AM mongholicus Bge has been used as a tonic to replenish the vital nergy for treatment of lacking strength, anorexia, loose stools, spontaneous sweating and accelerate the healing from chronic disorders for thousand years in China. AM mongholicus was found to have immune-regulatory function approved by both lab experimental and clinical trial in recent 20 years. A brief review on AM as a immunomodulator has been done in this article.The crude AM mongholicus soluble extract or special component such as polysaccaride and flavonoid possess a variety of capabilities involving immune system. The polysaccaride of AM stimulates macrophage(mφ), enhancing phagocytosis and IL-1, TNF-αproduction,and inducing mφα-acid naphthol lipase, acid phosphatase, adenosin triphosphatase and mucotin expression,and increasing cAMP/cGMP. The soluble extract and flavonoid of AM activate NK cells, ADCC and tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) to kill specific target cells. T and B cell proliferation, IL-2,IL-2R, IL-6 and IFN-γ production in vitro are increased and PGE-2 is inhibited by adding AM .There is no effect on IL-4 , which imply that AM is also a regulator in balance of TH1/TH2 polarization. Increased IgG1, IgG2 and IgG3 production by PBMC from children with IgG subclass deficiency after treatment with AM are found in vitro study. Clinical trial including treatment of tumor, viral diarrhea, recurrent upper respiratory tract infection and asthma has shown somewhat efficiency.