*Article* **Hochu-Ekki-To Improves Motor Function in an Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Animal Model**

**Mudan Cai 1 and Eun Jin Yang 2,\***


Received: 23 September 2019; Accepted: 31 October 2019; Published: 4 November 2019

**Abstract:** Hochu-ekki-to (Bojungikgi-Tang (BJIGT) in Korea; Bu-Zhong-Yi-Qi Tang in Chinese), a traditional herbal prescription, has been widely used in Asia. Hochu-ekki-to (HET) is used to enhance the immune system in respiratory disorders, improve the nutritional status associated with chronic diseases, enhance the mucosal immune system, and improve learning and memory. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is pathologically characterized by motor neuron cell death and muscle paralysis, and is an adult-onset motor neuron disease. Several pathological mechanisms of ALS have been reported by clinical and *in vitro*/*in vivo* studies using ALS models. However, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive, and the critical pathological target needs to be identified before e ffective drugs can be developed for patients with ALS. Since ALS is a disease involving both motor neuron death and skeletal muscle paralysis, suitable therapy with optimal treatment effects would involve a motor neuron target combined with a skeletal muscle target. Herbal medicine is e ffective for complex diseases because it consists of multiple components for multiple targets. Therefore, we investigated the e ffect of the herbal medicine HET on motor function and survival in hSOD1G93A transgenic mice. HET was orally administered once a day for 6 weeks from the age of 2 months (the pre-symptomatic stage) of hSOD1G93A transgenic mice. We used the rota-rod test and foot printing test to examine motor activity, and Western blotting and H&E staining for evaluation of the e ffects of HET in the gastrocnemius muscle and lumbar (L4–5) spinal cord of mice. We found that HET treatment dramatically inhibited inflammation and oxidative stress both in the spinal cord and gastrocnemius of hSOD1G93A transgenic mice. Furthermore, HET treatment improved motor function and extended the survival of hSOD1G93A transgenic mice. Our findings sugges<sup>t</sup> that HET treatment may modulate the immune reaction in muscles and neurons to delay disease progression in a model of ALS.

**Keywords:** amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; Hochu-ekki-to; herbal medicine; muscle dysfunction; motor neuronal cell death
