Uncovering potential ‘herbal probiotics’ in Juzen-taiho-to through the study of associated bacterial populations

Abstract

Juzen-taiho-to (JTT) is an immune-boosting formulation of ten medicinal herbs. It is used clinically in East Asia to boost the human immune functions. The active factors in JTT have not been clarified. But, existing evidence suggests that lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-like factors contribute to the activity. To examine this possibility, JTT was subjected to a series of analyses, including high resolution mass spectrometry, which suggested the presence of structural variants of LPS. This finding opened a possibility that JTT contains immune-boosting bacteria. As the first step to characterize the bacteria in JTT, 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing was carried out for Angelica sinensis (dried root), one of the most potent immunostimulatory herbs in JTT. The sequencing revealed a total of 519 bacteria genera in A. sinensis. The most abundant genus was Rahnella, which is widely distributed in water and plants. The abundance of Rahnella appeared to correlate with the immunostimulatory activity of A. sinensis. In conclusion, the current study provided new pieces of evidence supporting the emerging theory of bacterial contribution in immune-boosting herbs.

Activities and Prevalence of Proteobacteria Members Colonizing Echinacea purpurea Fully Account for Macrophage Activation Exhibited by Extracts of This Botanical

“…The mean in vitro activity exhibited by the E. purpurea extracts can be accounted for by the activities and prevalence of Proteobacteria alone, substantiating that components from Proteobacteria are responsible for the in vitro macrophage activation exhibited by extracts of E. purpurea aerial material. A similar finding was recently reported by Montenegro et al [8] who found Proteobacteria of the genus Rahnella was the most abundant taxa in the root material from Angelica sinensis , and its prevalence was correlated with in vitro macrophage activation by extracts of this plant.…”

Tokishakuyakusan, a traditional Japanese medicine (Kampo) mitigates iNKT cell‐mediated pregnancy loss in mice

“…27,28 In fact, plant-colonizing microorganisms such as Rahnella species have been linked to the immunostimulatory effects of Angelicae Radix, a central ingredient of TSS. 27,28 In fact, plant-colonizing microorganisms such as Rahnella species have been linked to the immunostimulatory effects of Angelicae Radix, a central ingredient of TSS.…”

“…Interestingly, recent studies propose the new concept that glycolipid factors derived from bacteria colonizing medicinal plants contribute to the immune-boosting activities. 27,28 In fact, plant-colonizing microorganisms such as Rahnella species have been linked to the immunostimulatory effects of Angelicae Radix, a central ingredient of TSS. 28 In this context, the molecular interaction of bacteria-derived glycolipid components in TSS with iNKT cells could be a compelling target for future investigation.…”

Cell‐line‐based assay for the toxicity/benefit analysis of lipopolysaccharides in plants

“…Recent studies revealed that the immunostimulatory factors in Echinacea and JTT were lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) of plant‐associated Gram‐negative bacteria (Haron et al, ; Kalpana et al, ; Montenegro et al, ; Pugh, Jackson, & Pasco, ; Pugh et al, ; Todd et al, ). These findings opened a possibility that the immunostimulatory activity of other medicinal plants might also arise from LPSs.…”