[The effect of kampo preparations and their effect on peptidase activity in damage caused by free radicals]

The activity of peptidases (trypsin from bovine pancreas and trypsin-like enzymes from the liver rat homogenate) was influenced by five preparation of Kampo medicine, TJ-9 (Sho-Saiko-To), TJ-15 (Oren-Gedoku-To), TJ-23 (Toki-Shakuyaku-San), TJ-96 (Saiboku-To), and TJ-114 (Sairei-To) and studied in relation to their effect on the uptake of free oxygen radicals demonstrated earlier. On the basis of increased activity of trypsin and trypsin-like enzymes and the previously found capability of uptaking free oxygen radicals, the mechanism of action of the Kampo preparations may be assumed to be connected not only with a direct support of enzymes of digestion and increased activity of peptidases, capable of eliminating oxidatively damaged proteins, but with an antioxidative effect as well, which prevents increased cumulation of oxidatively damaged macromolecules and the action of superoxide radicals developed earlier by the well-known and trypsin-stimulated conversion of xanthinedehydrogenase to xanthinoxidase.