Efficacy and mechanism of Wuzi Yanzong pill in the treatment of EAE

Abstract

Wuzi Yanzong Pill (WYP, a classical Chinese herbal formula) has a potential therapeutic effect on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), but the mechanism is not clear. To determine the therapeutic effect of WYP in EAE, and explore its mechanism. C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into control, EAE, and high/medium/low dose WYP groups. Mice received WYP twice daily from 7 days before immunization to 14 and 28 days post immunization (p.i.) (high/medium/low dose =16/8/4 g/kg). At days 14 and 28 p.i., spinal cord and spleen were obtained. WYP treatment delayed EAE onset and relieved the severity of EAE accompanied by the inhibition of inflammatory cell infiltration and the improvement of demyelination in spinal cord. WYP treatment may more effectively induce M2 macrophage polarization that was related with decreased IFN-γ, IL-17 and TNF-α. WYP treatment also inhibited the expression/activation of ROCK and TLR-4/NF-κB signaling pathway and reduced the expression of MCP-1 and CCR-2 in brain, spinal cord and spleen compared to EAE control. Provides an experimental basis for further clinical application of WYP for the treatment of MS. (NNSF of China 81102552 and 81703978, Shanxi Scholarship Council project 2017-129 and 2017-19, Shanxi International Science and Technology cooperation project 201703D421016, Scientific and technological innovation team of integrated Chinese and western medicine for the prevention and treatment on nervous system diseases of Shanxi university of Chinese medicine 2018TD-012, Shanxi Key Laboratory project SXIDL-2018-04, Shanxi Key project 201803D31209. Ma and Xiao are corresponding authors).