Evaluation of Immunomodulating Activity of Selected Thai Medicinal Plants by Lymphocytes Proliferation A ssay

Main Article Content

Chutinun Prasitpunprccha
Bungorn Sripanidkulchai
Viraphong Lulitanond
Jaratbhan Saguansermsri

Abstract

Forty extracts of indigenous Thai medicinal plants having ethnomedical application in the treatment of chronic diseases and immunological disorders by local practitioners of Ubon Rathathani were investigated for their immunobiological activity. They were studied for mouse spleenic lymphocyte proliferation in the absence and presence of mitogens by colorimetric MTT assay. Among these extracts, three plants displayed strong immunostimulating activities: Dendrophthoe pentandra, Croton cascarilloides, Bauhinia penicilliloba. Three plants showed potential to be immunosupressors: Crateva adansonii, Polygala chinensis, Chionanthus ramiflorus. These results are discussed in relation with traditional medicine.

Article Details

Section
Pharmacy

References

Abbas, K.; Lichtman, A. 2003. Cellular and molecular immunology, fifth ed. Saunders, Philadelphia, USA, pp. 16-40.

Atal, C.K.; Sharma, M.L.; Kaul, A.; Khajuria, A. 1986. Immunomodulating agents of plant origin I: Preliminary screening. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 18: 133-41.

Brousseau, P; Payette, Y.; Tryphonas, H.; Blackley, B. ; Boermans, H.; Flipo, D.; Fournier, M. 1998. Assessment of cell viability. In: Manual of Immunological methods. CRC Press, USA, pp.27-28.

Diasio, R.B.; LoBuglio, A.F. 1996. Immunomodulators: Immunosuppressive agents and Immunostimulants. In: Goodman and Gilman’s (Eds.), The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, ninth ed. McGraw-Hill, New York, pp.1291-1307.

Janeway, C.; Travers, P. Walport, M.; Shlomchik, M. Immunobiology : the immune system in health and disease. Sixth ed., Garland Science Publishing, UK, pp. 1-102.

Gerlier, D.; Thomasset, N. 1986. Use of MTT colorimetric assay to measure cell activation. Journal of Immunological Methods. 94: 57-63.

Hansen, M.B.; Neilsen, S.E.; Berg, K 1989. Re-examination and future development of a precise and rapid dye method for measuring cell growth/ cell kill. Journal of Immunological Methods. 119: 203-10.

Labadie, R.P.; van der Nat, J.M.; Simons, J.M.; Kroes, B.H.; Kosasi, S.; van den Berg, A.J.; Hart, L.A.; van der Sluis, W.G.; Abeysekera, A. and Bamunuarachchi, A. 1989. An ethnopharmacognostic approach to the search for immunomodulators of plant origin. Planta Medica. 55: 339-48.

Masihi, N. 2000. Immunomodulatory agents for prophylaxis and therapy of infections. International Journal Antimicrobial Agents. 14: 181-91.

Mosmann, T. 1983. Rapid colorimetric assay for cellular growth and survival: application to proliferation and cytotoxicity assays. Journal of Immunological Methods. 65:55-63.

Nakamura, A.; Nagai, K.; Suzuki, S.; Ando, K.; Tamura, G. 1986. A novel method of screening for immunomodulating substances, establishment of an assay system and its application to culture broth of microorganisms. Journal of Antibiotics. 8: 1148-54.

Neelam, M.; Subhash, B.; Vinod, R. 2001. Immunomodulatory activity of alcoholic extract of Mangifcra indica L. in mice. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 78: 133-37.

Patwardhan, B.; Kalbag, D.; Patki, P.S.; Nagsampagi, B.A. 1990. Search of Immunomodulatory agents: a review. Indian Drugs. 28 (2): 348-58.

Prasitpuriprccha, C.; Sripanidkulchai, B.;Lulitanond, V.; Jaratbhan, S. 2005. Studies on the utilization of medicinal plants as immunomodulators in Ubon Ratchathani Province, Thailand. KKU Research Journal. 10(1):

Roitt, I.; Brostoff, J.; Male, D. 2000. Immunology, fifth ed. Mosby, London, pp.1-24.

Schreck, C.; Lambcrson, H.; Davey, F. 1982. Characterization of the B lymphocytes response to pokeweed mitogens. Annals of Clinical and Laboratory Science. 12(6): 455-62.