This study was conducted to investigate the effects of Lycii fructus and Astragalus membranaceus mixed extracts on immunomodulators and prevention in a streptozotocin-induced diabetes rat model. A total of 28 male rats were divided into four dietary groups and fed a commercial diet (A), commercial diet plus induced diabetes by a streptozotocin (STZ) injection (B), induced diabetes by STZ plus medicinal crop extracts(I&H®) diet (C), and medicinal crop extracts (I&H®) diet (D). Immunoblotting analyses revealed cytokine expression, and ELISA analyses revealed immunoglobulin E and nitric oxide production. As a results, the tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) as a inflammatory cytokine were decreased. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and signal transducer and activation of transcription 3 (STAT3) cytokine related in diabetes expression through JAK/STAT3 pathway were also decreased. Furthermore, immunoglobulin E and nitric oxide production were decreased in the serum and lens, respectively. These results suggest that Lycii fructus and Astragalus membranaceus mixed extracts provide positive effects on immunomodulators and prevention in diabetes and eye disease complications.

Inonotus obliquus is one of the immune-regulatory substances and is recognized to play the role in the metabolic process of inflammation, allergy and immuntiy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of water extracts of Inonotus obliquus (IOW) on the liver lymphocyte immune function in the Sprague-Dawley male rats treated with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) to induce liver damage. Rats were fed with each experimental diet and water for 4 weeks. We found that effects of IOW on interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1), phospho-signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (pSTAT1) and GATA-binding protein 3 (GATA-3) were decrease in vivo. Interleukin-4 (IL-4), STAT6, pSTAT6 and T-box expressed in T-cells (T-bet) decreased significantly lower in CCl4+IOW group than the CCl4 group. Our data indicated that cytokine protein production were increased in CCl4 group and CCl4+IOW group. As a result of this study, we assume that IOW fed could regulate the immuno-modulating functions through regulate the cytokine production capacity activated by liver damage.

GATA-binding protein-3 (GATA-3) and T-box expressed in T-cells (T-bet) are now considered as master transcription factors involving Th cell differentiation, but the roles of these factors are still uncertain in vivo. This study was conducted to investigate the expression of these transcription factors in the liver damage induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in rats. In this study, liver damage were induced with Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi water extracts (SBW) and followed for 4 weeks. The expression of GATA-3 and T-bet protein in liver damage induced by CCl4 and the serum levels of immunoglobulin A (IgA), IgE were studied after 4 weeks of treatment. We found that effect of SBW on IFN-γ, STAT1, pSTAT1 and T-bet was decreased in vivo. Several genes were demonstrated to be IL-4 inducible prior to the discovery of STAT6. CCl4+SBW group was significantly lower than CCl4 group in IL-4, STAT6, pSTAT6 and GATA-3. Our data indicate that cytokine protein production were increased in CCl4 group and CCl4+SBW group. From these results, water extracts obtained from Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi may have an immunoregulatory effect in the liver induced by CCl4 of rats.

The purpose of this study evaluated the immunoregulatory effect of phellinus linteus ethanol (PLE) extracts on liver damage on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced in rats. Four-week old Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into the three experimental groups randomly; Control group, CCl4 group, CCl4 + PLE group. We found that effect of PLE on IFN-γ, STAT1 and pSTAT1 was decrease in vivo. Several genes were demonstrated to be IL-4 inducible prior to the discovery of STAT6. IL-4, STAT6 and pSTAT6 decreased significantly lower in CCl4 + PLE than the CCl4 group. Our data indicated that cytokine protein production were increased in CCl4 group with CCl4 + PLE group. In our data indicate that IgA levels in MLN lymphocytes were low, while IgE was high in CCl4 + PLE group compared with CCl4 group. Therefore, the results of this study show that PLE can be proposed to protect the liver against CCl4-induced immunoregulatory activity in rats.

The present study describes the preliminary evaluation of the anti-inflammatory activities of Phellinus linteus (PL) and Phellinus linteus Grow in Germinated Brown Rice (BRPL). In order to effectively screen for anti-inflammatory agents, we first examined the extracts' inhibitory effects on the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines activated with lipopolysaccharide. Moreover, we examined the inhibitory effects of the PL and BRPL extracts on pro-inflammatory factors such as NO, iNOS, TNF-α and IFN-γ in murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. NO production and iNOS expression was significantly augmented in LPS treated cell, the production of NO and iNOS was greater in the BRPL than in the PL group. In addition, protein and mRNA levels of TNF-α and IFN-γ in BRPL showed relatively more potent pro-inflammatory-activity inhibition compared to that of PL. These results suggest that BRPL may have significant effects on inflammatory factors, and may be a potential anti-inflammatory therapeutic materials.