Basic Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Methodol. Mar 20, 2024; 14(1): 88518
Published online Mar 20, 2024. doi: 10.5662/wjm.v14.i1.88518
Rikkunshito increases peripheral incretin-hormone levels in humans and rats
Hiroshi Kono, Shinji Furuya, Hidenori Akaike, Katsutoshi Shoda, Yoshihiko Kawaguchi, Hidetake Amemiya, Hiromichi Kawaida, Daisuke Ichikawa
Hiroshi Kono, Shinji Furuya, Hidenori Akaike, Katsutoshi Shoda, Yoshihiko Kawaguchi, Hidetake Amemiya, Hiromichi Kawaida, Daisuke Ichikawa, The First Department of Surgery, University of Yamanashi, Chuo, Yamanashi 409-3898, Japan
Author contributions: Kono H conducting and organizing this experiment; Furuya S, assessment of samples; Akaike H, assessment of samples; Shoda K, analyzing the data; Kawaguchi Y, analyzing the data; Amemiya H, assessment of samples; Kawaida H, collecting samples; Ichikawa D advising for these experiments.
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the University of Yamanashi Hospital, Institutional Review Board: ID No. 820.
Institutional animal care and use committee statement: This study is approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Committee.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Data sharing statement: Technical appendix, statistical code, and dataset available from the corresponding author at (hkouno@yamanashi.ac.jp). Participants gave informed consent for data sharing.
ARRIVE guidelines statement: The authors have read the ARRIVE guidelines, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the ARRIVE guidelines.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Hiroshi Kono, MD, PhD, Adjunct Associate Professor, The First Department of Surgery, University of Yamanashi, 1110 Shimokato, Chuo, Yamanashi 409-3898, Japan. hkouno@yamanashi.ac.jp
Received: September 29, 2023
Peer-review started: September 29, 2023
First decision: December 6, 2023
Revised: December 27, 2023
Accepted: February 3, 2024
Article in press: February 3, 2024
Published online: March 20, 2024
Abstract
BACKGROUND

It was reported that rikkunshito (TJ-43) improved the cisplatin-induced decreases in the active form of ghrelin in plasma; however, other effects on gastrointestinal hormones have not been investigated.

AIM

To investigate the effects of TJ-43 on peripheral levels of incretin hormones, including gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like polypeptide-1 (GLP-1), in humans and rats.

METHODS

Patients were divided into two groups, namely patients who received TJ-43 immediately following surgery [TJ-43(+) group] and those who received TJ-43 on postoperative day 21 [TJ-43(-) group], and the plasma levels of active GIP and active GLP-1 were assessed. In animal experiments, rats were treated with TJ-43 [rat (r)TJ-43(+) group] or without [rTJ-43(−) group] by gavage for 4 wk, and the plasma active GIP and active GLP-1 levels were measured. The expression of incretin hormones in the gastrointestinal tract and insulin in the pancreas were investigated by immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, the cyclic adenosine monophosphate activities were assessed in pancreatic tissues from rats treated with or without TJ-43 in vivo, and the blood glucose levels and plasma insulin levels were measured in rats treated with or without TJ-43 in oral glucose tolerance tests.

RESULTS

In humans, the active incretin hormone levels increased, and values were significantly greater in the TJ-43(+) group compared those in the TJ-43(-) group. In rats, the plasma active incretin levels significantly increased in the rTJ-43(+) group compared with those in the rTJ-43(-) group. GIP and GLP-1 expressions were enhanced by TJ-43 treatment. Moreover, plasma insulin levels increased and blood glucose levels were blunted in the rTJ-43(+) group.

CONCLUSION

The results show that TJ-43 may be beneficial for patients who undergo pancreatic surgery.

Keywords: Incretin hormone, Japanese traditional herbal medicine, Gastric inhibitory polypeptide, Glucagon-like polypeptide-1, Islet cells, Insulin

Core Tip: This study aimed to investigate the effects of rikkunshito (TJ-43) on gastrointestinal hormones, including gastric inhibitory polypeptide and glucagon-like peptide-1, in humans and rats. As a result, TJ-43 increased incretin hormones, and insulin expression, and suppressed increases in blood glucose levels in human and animal models. Thus, TJ-43 may provide benefits after pancreatic surgery.