ABSTRACT
The patients suffering from Coxsackie B viral myocarditis with depressed natural killer (NK) activity were treated with Astragulas membranaceus (AM) intramuscularly for 3-4 months. After the treatment, the NK activity was increased significantly from 11.5 +/- 11.9% before therapy to 44.9 +/- 15.0%. Another 6 patients of Coxsackie B viral myocarditis with depressed NK activity were treated with conventional therapy. The NK activity remained unchanged in 12.9 +/- 6%. The general condition and symptoms improved in all patients with AM therapy, while the titers of neutralizing antibody remained at the same level. Two days after AM treatment, the mean titers of alpha- and gamma-interferon (IFN) markedly increased in comparison with those before therapy and 3 weeks after AM therapy in 16 patients with Coxsackie B viral myocarditis, with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) less than 65% and/or weak ventricular wall motion assayed by radionuclide angiocardiography. Whereas, in 12 patients treated with conventional therapy, there was no statistical difference among the results before and 2 days and 3 weeks after treatment. The results indicate that AM could partly regulate the lost of control of cellular immunity in patients with viral myocarditis.
Subject(s)
Coxsackievirus Infections , Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use , Interferon Type I/biosynthesis , Interferon-gamma/biosynthesis , Killer Cells, Natural/immunology , Myocarditis/drug therapy , Enterovirus B, Human , Humans , Myocarditis/etiology , Myocarditis/immunologyABSTRACT
Astragalus membranaceus (AM) which has a protective effect on rat beating heart cells infected experimentally with Coxsackie B-2 virus was evaluated on the basis of changes in morphologic and electric activity of the cells. Rhythm, beating frequency, beating percentage, cardiac cellular damage and cytopathic effects (CPE) were monitored every 24 h after challenge; electric activities parameters were measured by conventional intracellular microelectrode technique. Significant protective effects were demonstrated when AM was given in the early period of infection. The results suggest that AM should be valuable in preventing and treating acute myocarditis caused by Coxsackie B virus.
Subject(s)
Enterovirus B, Human/physiology , Heart/physiopathology , Myocardium/pathology , Action Potentials/drug effects , Animals , Astragalus propinquus , Cells, Cultured , Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology , Microelectrodes , Rats , Rats, Inbred StrainsABSTRACT
A murine model system for observing the effect of Astragalus Membranaceus (AM) on experimental myocarditis caused by Coxsackie B-3 virus (CB3V) was developed in 4-week-old male BALB/C mice. Gross, histopathologic and ultrastructural examinations of the infected-AM treated group showed that the severity and involved area of the myocardial lesions became milder and smaller than those in the infected-NS treated mice. The total lesion area, and the total lesion area/total myocardial area examined (%) and virus titer in the former group were also smaller and lower than those in the latter group. The results suggest that AM is effective in the inhibition of Coxsackie B virus propagation and protection of myocardium in mouse myocarditis.