The herbal medicine Shosaiko-to exerts different modulating effects on lung local immune responses among mouse strains.

Shosaiko-to (SST), a Chinese/Japanese traditional herbal medicine, has recently been demonstrated to increase lung interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels and to ameliorate pulmonary disorders in BALB/c mice (BALB). In the present study, we examined the effects of SST on lung cytokine levels and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced lung injury in C57BL/6 mice (B6), which are known to show different immune responses from BALB due to the difference in genetic backgrounds. In B6, in contrast with BALB, SST decreased lung IL-6 levels and exacerbated LPS-induced lung injury. Investigation of the active components of SST suggested that multiple ingredients were supposed to be responsible for IL-6-attenuating activity in vivo. Further, we examined the effect of metabolites of major ingredients of SST on IL-6 production from lung immune cells in vitro. Saikogenin D and oroxylin A attenuated IL-6 production in LPS-stimulated alveolar macrophages of B6 more than in that of BALB. Liquiritigenin, which was previously reported to enhance IL-6 production in anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody-stimulated lung mononuclear cells of BALB, showed no effect on that of B6. These findings suggest that SST may have different, possibly even opposite, effects on lung immunity in hosts with different genetic backgrounds.