Objective: To investigate the regulating pattern of kidney-tonifying recipes and spleen-invigorating recipe on the expression of T lymphocyte apoptosis signaling-related genes in corticosterone-treated rats.
Methods: We analyzed the activation-induced T lymphocyte apoptpsis rate through TUNEL-labelled flow-cytometry assay, quantified the mRNA expression level of T cell apoptosis-regulating genes by using the fluoresecence real-time PCR, analyzed the activity of caspase-8 and caspase-3 by colorimetric assay.
Results: (1) T lymphocyte apoptosis rate of corticosterone-treated rats was higher than that of the normal control rats; T lymphocyte apoptosis rates of Youguiyin treated rats and Bushen Yishou Capsule treated rats were lower than that of the corticosterone-treated group; T lymphocyte apoptosis rate of Sijunzi Decoction treated rats displayed no significance compared with that of the corticosterone-treated group. (2) Pro-apoptotic genes such as Fas, FasL, TNFR1, and Bax displayed increased expression level in corticosterone-treated group compared with normal control group. Two kidney-tonifying recipes down-regruated the expression level of FasL and TNFR1, at the same time, both recipes up-regulated the expression level of Bcl-2. The spleen-invigorating recipe had up-regulating effect on the expression level of Bcl-2. And all these results had statistical significance. (3) The activities of caspase-8 and caspase-3 were increased in corticosterone-treated rats compared with normal control; both kidney-tonifying recipes had significant effect on decreasing the activities of these two apoptosis executioners.
Conclusion: The excessive apoptosis of T cell in corticosterone-treated rats could be effectively modulated with two kidney-tonifying recipes. Down-regulating the expression of FasL and TNFR1 and up-regulating the expression of Bcl-2 as well as decreasing the activities of caspase-8 and caspase-3 may be the unique regulating pattern of tonifying-kidney method with respect to T cell apoptosis related genes in corticosterone-treated rats.