| As an autoimmune disease involving many systems in the body, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by the presence of autoantibodies in the patient serum. It is one of the common diseases difficult and complicated to treat as there is still no therapy remarkably effective for it. The 3 approaches below are typical current therapies for SLE. The first one is entirely one of a western medicine, dominated by adrenocortical steroids and immuno-depressants in combination with some non-steroid anti-inflammatory agents, anti-malarials, plasma substitution, general lymphocyte substitution, etc. The second is from top to bottom a traditional Chinese herbal medicinal approach, tackling the problem from the viewpoints of exopathy, internal injury, the pathogenic factors of external and internal injuriesThis Chinese approach is acknowledged as an effective one owing to its remarkable effectiveness. The last one, primarily a combination of Western and traditional Chinese approaches, is dominated by the traditional Chinese herbal medicines and accompanied with steroids. The efficacy of the purely western approach is tampered by the long-term use of steroids and immuno-depressants, which can inevitably result in many toxic effects and complications including digestive ulcers, bleeding, hyperglycemia, hyperlipemia, atherosclerosis, osteoporosis, injuries in the liver, blood system, reproductive system, infection, etc. In contrast, the traditional Chinese herbal approach, thanks to its stable and remarkable efficacy, isincreasingly applied clinically. In the present study, we established an SLE animal model that is similar to the pathologic mechanism of SLE and its clinical symptoms in humans, simple and easy to apply, and in particular highly successful. Based upon this model, the therapeutic effects of Qingteng Capsules on SLE were observed and its mechanism of action was investigated in an attempt to contribute some empirical data for SLE treatment.The present paper is divided into two parts, the establishment of the SLE animal model and the investigation of the therapeutic efficacy of Qingteng Capsules. I. Establishment of the SLE animal model1. MethodsIn the establishment of the SLE mouse model, methods reported in related literature and the common inducing factors were referred to and the orthogonal method was employed to determine the best combination of various factors and levels. Then the randomly-selected mice were acutely ultraviolet irradiated for 2h/d X 3d and injected peritoneally with lipopolysaccharides (LPS) (2.5mg/kg). An SLE mouse model was thus established.2. ResultsThe investigation into the model obtained the following results. 1) At 24h after the model was set up, the ENA polypeptidase assay of the mice sera indicated that the autoantibodies were Sm, anti-Rib, anti-ssA and positive anti-SSB antibodies. Indirect immune-fluorescence found Hep-2 cells in each serum sample was positive and showed strong fluorescence light, which suggests that in the auto-antibodies, (Rib)-p, Jo-1 antibodies and anti-smooth muscle antibodies (AMA) were positive. There was no significant difference between these antibodies in the results of the assay at all the points of time. At 2d,3d,7d,14d,21d and 28d, the serum assay showed a sharp decrease in the fluorescence of the (Rib)-p, Jo-1 antibodies and AMA. 2) Silver staining at 24h indicated an enlarged glomerulus and increased number of renal cells, infiltration of the glomerulus and chronic intercellular inflammatory cells and that the glomerular and renal tubular basement membranes of the model mice apparently thickened compared to that of the control; and so did the liver blood vessel basement membranes. And the same result at 2d,3d,7d,14d,21d . At 28d an increase was found in the size of glomerulus and the number of renal cells whereas the glomerular and renal tubular basement membranes of the model mice apparently became less thick compared to that of the control; the silver staining on the membrane dimmed and the staining on the liver... |
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