Objective: To comparatively investigate the features of gene expression profiling in nasopharyngeal tissues on D area of Atlas(TM) cDNA array between rats with Qi deficiency pattern and heat pattern respectively. Methods: Qi deficiency pattern was induced with Senna leaf decoction perfused gastrically and supplemented by forced swimming in deep pool, and heat pattern was induced with the decoction made from heat herbs perfusing gastrically, all being prepared in rats. Then, they were randomly divided into modeling group (MG) and treating group (TG), with corresponding therapies against these patterns to treat the animals in TGs. By the end of therapy, animals were killed and nasopharyngeal tissues were taken from nasopharynx for assay of gene expression profiling on D area of Atlas(TM) cDNA array. After this, a comparative analysis was made to see the expressive features of genes on D area and their differences between the two groups before and after treatment. Results: Among the animals with Qi deficiency, the expressive activities of serine phospholipid-specific phospholipase A (SPSPA) and beta-arrestin (beta-ARN) genes were down-regulated and that of signal transducer CD24 (CD24) gene was up-regulated among those without treating given. With one week of herbal therapy to the animals with this pattern, all of the genes in abnormal expressive status were brought to normal expression. In contrast, up-regulated were the expressive activities of epidermal fatty acid-binding protein (eFABP), 60s ribosomal protein L21 (RPL21) and 40s ribosomal protein S12 (RPS12) genes and down-regulated were those of p-arrestin and cadherin 6 precusor (cd-6p) among the animals with heat pattern without treatment. All the expressive activities of genes showing up-regulated and that of cd-6p showing down-regulated were brought to the normal expressive level, while that of beta-ARN showing down-regulated was still remained in a lowered level of expression, among the animals received a course of therapy for one week. Moreover, up-regulated expressive activity of CD24 and down-regulated expressive activity of SPSPA were shown among these animals to compensate the defects of gene expression seen among the animals without treatment given in this pattern. Conclusions: There is a significant difference in the activity expression of genes responsible for transcription factors and DNA-binding proteins between the two groups of animals with different pattern, i.e. Qi deficiency or heat pattern. Furthermore, the response of these genes to various herbal therapies is also greatly different among these animals with different patterns.
