[Effect of ming-men mixture on corticosterone-rats' neuro-endocrino-immunological network]

The hypothalamus-pituitary adrenal-thymus(HPAT) axis is an important form of the neuroendocrino-immunological network (NEIN). To study the essential link between Ming-Men, Kidney and the NEIN, the corticosterone (CORT) injected rats was used. The CORT The CORT caused HPAT axis inhibiting model was established and then the regulation of Ming-Men mixture (MMM) was observed. The results showed that the number of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) positive neurones in hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus, CRF positive neurofibril in in median eminence, anterior pituitary ACTH positive secretory cells decreased markedly in the CORT inhibited rats and the immunohistochemical ABC staining became lighter than the control. We also observed that there was atrophy in adrenal, especially fasculate zone became thinner compared with the control. The thymus atrophied, the number of lymphocytes and thymic corpuscles decreased obviously. The content of ACTH and CORT in plasma decreased, the proliferative reaction of lymphocytes, interleukin-2 and the inductive ability of gamma-IFN reduced. After the MMM was instilled into stomach in experimental group, it was foiund that MMM could improve the inhibition on HPAT axis caused by CORT significantly, P < 0.01. It suggested that MMM possibly was an effective and ideal prescription which could regulate the HPAT axis.