Abstract: Objective To study the effects of Qi Jia Zhen Wu Decoction (QJZWD),a traditional Chinese medicinal decoction,in combination with corticosteroid on the apoptosis and expression of Fas,FasL in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).Methods QJZWD containing sera were collected from rabbits.PBLs isolated from 19 SLE patients and 10 healthy controls were incubated with QJZWD containing sera (20%,10%,5%),dexamethasone (0.001 mol/L),and QJZWD containing sera (20%,10%,5%) in combination with dexamethasone.Apoptosis and expression of Fas and FasL of PBL were detected by flow cytometry.Results ①Apoptosis of PBLs cultured in vitro was significantly higher in SLE patients than that in healthy controls (P<0.01),so did expression of Fas.There was no significant difference of FasL expression between SLE patients and controls (P>0.05).②Significantly decreased apoptosis was found in PBLs cultured with herb-containing sera (10%,20%) compared to that without herb-containing sera (P<0.001).Cultivation with herb-containing sera also decreased Fas expression (P<0.01),and increased FasL expression (P<0.05).③Apoptosis of PBLs cultured with dexamethasone was increased (P<0.05) in comparison with PBLs cultured without dexamethasone.However,expression of Fas and FasL did not show any change with or without dexamethasone treatment.④PBLs cultured with dexamethasone and herb-containing sera significantly decreased apoptosis (P<0.001),decreased Fas expression (P<0.05) and increased FasL expression (P<0.001),compared to PBLs treated with dexamethasone alone.Conclusions There are abnormal apoptosis and expression of Fas and FasL of PBLs from SLE patients.Qi Jia Zhen Wu Decoction could change the abnormalities and inhibit over-apoptosis induced by dexamethasone,which may explain its mechanism in alleviating the side effects of dexamethasone.

Key words: Qi Jia Zhen Wu Decoction, Lupus erythematosus,systemic, Apoptosis, Antigens,CD95