A Review of Evidence for a Therapeutic Application of Traditional Japanese Kampo Medicine for Oral Diseases/Disorders

Kampo medicines prescribed by specialized medical practitioners and Japanese physicians have gradually reemerged in Japan as alternatives to Western medications. Kampo formulations are composed of several plant extracts and, as such, the broad variety of phytochemicals they contain likely act synergistically to provide their beneficial effects. Kampo medicines have traditionally been prescribed for a number of health conditions, including chronic hepatitis, bronchial asthma, anemia, etc. The aim of this article is to review the beneficial effects of Kampos with respect to oral health. Pertinent papers published between 1970 and 2017 were retrieved by searching in PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Scopus using key words followed by evaluation of the relevant articles. In vitro studies have identified a number of properties that give credence to the potential of Kampos for treating or preventing oral diseases/disorders. Given their anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties, they may be promising agents for controlling periodontal diseases, oral mucositis, xerostomia, and drug-induced gingival overgrowth. Since some oral diseases have a complex etiology that involves microbial pathogens and the host immune response, agents with dual functionality such as Kampo phytochemicals may offer a therapeutic advantage

Kampo medicine for esophageal cancer treatment

Objective : The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the use of two Kampo medicines on oral mucositis, tongue coating bacteria, and gingiva condition in patients with esophageal cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Methods : Twenty-three esophageal cancer patients who receive chemotherapy at Tokushima University Hospital, were included. The participants, who received professional oral healthcare, were randomly divided into three groups : 7 subjects received Daiokanzoto sherbets, 7 subjects received Hangeshashinto sherbets, and 9 subjects received nothing (control). The numbers of total bacteria and specific periodontopathogenic bacteria in tongue coating were determined in addition to clinical parameters. Results : No difference on the onset of oral mucositis was found among the three groups. However, tongue coating index, gingival index (GI), plaque index, the number of total bacteria, Fusobacterium nucleatum and Campylobacter rectus were decreased during chemotherapy. More specifically, GI as well as the number of F. nucleatum and C. rectus were decreased significantly in the Daiokanzoto group when compared to the controlgroup (p<0.05). No such differences were observed for the group receiving Hangeshashinto. Conclusion : This clinical trial showed that Daiokanzoto might be effective in attenuating gingival inflammation and reducing the levels of periodontopathogenic bacteria in patients with esophageal cancer

A Review of Evidence for a Therapeutic Application of Traditional Japanese Kampo Medicine for Oral Diseases/Disorders

Kampo medicines prescribed by specialized medical practitioners and Japanese physicians have gradually reemerged in Japan as alternatives to Western medications. Kampo formulations are composed of several plant extracts and, as such, the broad variety of phytochemicals they contain likely act synergistically to provide their beneficial effects. Kampo medicines have traditionally been prescribed for a number of health conditions, including chronic hepatitis, bronchial asthma, anemia, etc. The aim of this article is to review the beneficial effects of Kampos with respect to oral health. Pertinent papers published between 1970 and 2017 were retrieved by searching in PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Scopus using key words followed by evaluation of the relevant articles. In vitro studies have identified a number of properties that give credence to the potential of Kampos for treating or preventing oral diseases/disorders. Given their anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties, they may be promising agents for controlling periodontal diseases, oral mucositis, xerostomia, and drug-induced gingival overgrowth. Since some oral diseases have a complex etiology that involves microbial pathogens and the host immune response, agents with dual functionality such as Kampo phytochemicals may offer a therapeutic advantage

Preventive effect of Daiokanzoto (TJ-84) on 5-fluorouracil-induced human gingival cell death through the inhibition of reactive oxygen species production.

Daiokanzoto (TJ-84) is a traditional Japanese herbal medicine (Kampo formulation). While many Kampo formulations have been reported to regulate inflammation and immune responses in oral mucosa, there is no evidence to show that TJ-84 has beneficial effects on oral mucositis, a disease resulting from increased cell death induced by chemotherapeutic agents such as 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). In order to develop effective new therapeutic strategies for treating oral mucositis, we investigated (i) the mechanisms by which 5-FU induces the death of human gingival cells and (ii) the effects of TJ-84 on biological events induced by 5-FU. 5-FU-induced lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release and pore formation in gingival cells (Sa3 cell line) resulted in cell death. Incubating the cells with 5-FU increased the expression of nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat containing PYD-3 (NLRP3) and caspase-1. The cleavage of caspase-1 was observed in 5-FU-treated cells, which was followed by an increased secretion of interleukin (IL)-1β. The inhibition of the NLRP3 pathway slightly decreased the effects of 5-FU on cell viability and LDH release, suggesting that NLRP3 may be in part involved in 5-FU-induced cell death. TJ-84 decreased 5-FU-induced LDH release and cell death and also significantly inhibited the depolarization of mitochondria and the up-regulation of 5-FU-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) production. The transcriptional factor, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) was not involved in the 5-FU-induced cell death in Sa3 cells. In conclusion, we provide evidence suggesting that the increase of ROS production in mitochondria, rather than NLRP3 activation, was considered to be associated with the cell death induced by 5-FU. The results also suggested that TJ-84 may attenuate 5-FU-induced cell death through the inhibition of mitochondrial ROS production