中草藥之抗發炎與免疫增強活性的系統生物學研究

楊寧蓀
中央研究院
祖傳藥草和健康功能性的密切聯繫，我們認為可藉由各種藥草對人類免疫細胞或系統反應的研究獲得較具體及更真確的體會。系統生物學是科學的新領域，它開啟了以系統性或全局整合性的角度來定量地闡述體內或細胞內各組成部分之間的交互作用。在上年度的計畫中，我們非常努力同時也見成效地建立了研究中草藥抗發炎和免疫調節生物活性的幾項分析技術平台，同時能加以利用來篩檢抗發炎與增強特定免疫力的中草藥植化物（phytocompounds），以及相關藥用植化物的生物活性或特性。根據這些成果為基礎，本計畫之目的擬將生命科學領域中發展迅速的系統生物學與中醫藥之免疫調節作用（亦為全身性及整合型生理功能）相互配合，進行系統化及具體的研究，以達中醫藥現代化的目標。一些重要複方中藥特色之一便是同時具有既能抗發炎又能增強免疫力的“雙面”生物活性。我們因此假設：認為以系統生物學的模式看分析問題，則中草藥特定的多種成分與細胞之多種特定的接受器（receptor）反應，傳遞特殊訊號給細胞，再經由蛋白質與蛋白質互動，細胞與細胞間之交互作用，最終是可以（而非不能）形成整體而特殊的藥效。例如西方分子醫學已知NF-kappa B基因轉錄因子的活性與細胞激素（cytokines，如IL-4、IL-6、IL-8、IL-10、IL-12與TNF-alpha捄央^的活性有高度的相關性，這些細胞激素活性的圖譜組成(profilings)會對單核細胞(monocytes)、巨噬細胞(macrophages)、樹突狀細胞 (dendritic cell, DC)、B細胞和T細胞等免疫細胞的分化、成熟和活化有不同程度的影響。由於免疫系統既有複雜性又有專一性，傳統生物學語言上，實在難以一簡單的活性測定就能說明中藥可能的免疫調節作用機制。
關鍵字：抗發炎；植化物；中草藥；系統生物學

Use of Systems Biology Approach on Bio-Activity Studies of Anti vs. Pro-Inflammatory and Other Immunomodulatory Effects of Phyto-Compounds from Medicinal Herbs

Ning-Sun Yang
Academia Sinica
The possible correlation between the appropriate use of traditional medicinal herbs and good human health care may be investigated, as we proposed here, by evaluating the specific effect on human immune cells or systems as a respond to a variety of traditionally used herbal medicines and the derived phytocompounds. Systems biology is a very new field of scientific discipline; it addresses biology at a system or holistic level of understanding, often by describing quantitatively the interactions among all (if possible) the individual components of the cell or the body. During the last years (2004) grant study project, we built specific technology platforms for studying the anti-inflammatory and a number of other immuno-modulatory activity assay systems for traditional herbal medicines. These include the molecular evaluation or screening methods to identify novel immune modifiers or candidate therapeutic agents, using in vitro and in vivo quantifiable model systems. Based on these results, we would like to extend our future experimental studies by employing the approaches and tools of systems biology, and focusing on the immune modulation effects of Chinese herbal medicines. With the theory (we can call hypothesis) of traditional Chinese medicine, an immune response cascade begins with the stimulation of a mixture of phytocomponents from combined medicinal herbs.
關鍵字：anti-inflammation；phytocompound；herbal medicine；systems biology