Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the effect of Tounong San (TNS), a well-known traditional Chinese medicine prescription for suppurative infections, on the immune function.
Methods: A suppurative infection model was established by injecting Staphylococcus aureus into subcutaneous tissue on the backs of rats. The expressions of CD68, CD163, CD31 and MPO in abscess tissues, phagocytosis rate and reactive oxygen species (ROS) of neutrophils in blood, phagocytosis function of peritoneal macrophages, and proliferation of blood lymphocytes, expression of IL-1, IL-6, CH50, TNF-α, IFN-γ, IgG, IgM in serum were detected at different time points.
Results: On the 3rd day of medication, fibrinogen wrapped around the abscesses was visible in TNS groups, with an increase in new blood vessels and the expression of a large number of macrophages and neutrophils. On the 6th day, the pus of TNS groups diminished, and the number of new blood vessels reached its peak. On the 9th day, the abscesses disappeared in TNS groups, fewer new blood vessels, macrophages, and neutrophils were expressed, and more fibrocytes appeared and filled the original pus cavities. On the 3rd and 9th day of medication, the phagocytic rates of neutrophils and macrophages were significantly improved in TNS group, and the ROS content of neutrophils was increased on the 9th day. TNS has no effect on lymphocyte proliferation in vitro, but it can regulate the secretion of IgG and IgM by lymphocytes. TNS increases the level of IL-1, decreases the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α, and regulates the expressions of IFN-γ and CH50 in two ways.
Conclusion: TNS can form fibrinogen-wrapped pus to prevent bacterial infection from going deeper, and to improve the phagocytic function of phagocytes, the secretion of lymphocytes, and the defense function of the complement system. Therefore, it is a competitive drug for the treatment of suppurative diseases.
Keywords: Tounong San, suppurative infection, immune function, pharmacological mechanism