Efficacy of a pure compound H1-A extracted from Cordyceps sinensis on autoimmune disease of MRL lpr/lpr mice☆☆☆

Abstract 

Cordyceps Sinensis (CS) is a traditional Chinese medicine with immunomodulatory effect and is effective in improving the survival of lupus mice. In the present study we isolated a pure compound (H1-A) from CS and investigated its effect on inhibiting autoimmune disease progression in MRL lpr/lpr mice. Our results demonstrated that MRL lpr/lpr mice treated daily with H1-A (40 μg/kg/d orally) for 8 weeks had a progressive reduction in anti-ds-DNA production (optical density value decreased from 0.172 ± 0.009 to 0.112 ± 0.015) when compared with the control group (optical density value increased from 0.141 ± 0.036 to 0.198 ± 0.047). In clinical presentation, the treated group had a reduction in lymphadenopathy, a delayed progression of proteinuria, and an improvement in kidney function. Histologic analysis of kidney tissue indicated that H1-A could inhibit the mesangial proliferation that was evident in lupus nephritis. However, there was no significant change in immune complex deposition. The studies reveal that the pure compound (H1-A) may be potentially useful for treating systemic lupus erythematosus in human patients, and they provide some questions for further investigation of the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus and lupus nephritis. (J Lab Clin Med 1999;134:492-500)

Abbreviations:  ABTS , 2,2′-azino-di-[3-ethylbenzthiazoline sulfate (6)], BUN , blood urea nitrogen, CS , Cordyceps sinensis, ds , double strand, ELISA , enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, H+L , heavy chain plus light chain, HPLC , high-performance liquid chromatography, IF , immunofluorescence, IgA , immunoglobulin A, IL-2 , interleukin-2, NMR , nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, PBMNC , peripheral blood mononuclear cell, PBS , phosphate-buffered saline solution, PHA , phytohemagglutinin, SLE , systemic lupus erythematosus, TLC , thin-layer chromatography