Effects of Modified Sijunzi Decoction on spleen and cytokines of aging rats

Objective: To observe the effects of Modified Sijunzi Decoction on spleen and cytokines of aging rats. Methods: 40 healthy Wistar rats of 12 months were randomly divided into four groups: older control group and low, medium, andhigh dose of Modfiied Sijunzi Decoction groups. Then 10 healthly Wistar rats of 3 months old which belonged to the youth control group were selected. The rats were sacrfiiced after treatment of 90 days. Observing the spleen index and serum immunoglobulin(IgG) levels. HE coloration was used to observe the morphological changes of spleen tissue. The immunohistochemical was used to test the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α). The real-time quantitative PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB) p56 mRNA. Results: Compared with the older control group, the spleen index, serum IgG in the high dose group were increased(P0.01) and NF-κB p56 in drug groups increased(P0.05, P0.01), and TNF-α decreased in drug groups(P0.05). The splenic white pulp boundaries in the drug group were more clearly than that of older control group under the light microscope. Conclusion: Modfiied Sijunzi Decoction can improve the spleen pathological morphology of senility rats. It also can increase the levels of IgG and NF-κB p56 and reduce TNF-α expression, and increase the body's immune to delaying the senescence of the aged rats by regulating the interaction in cytokines.