Wild epiphytic Bangladeshi orchids Cymbidium aloifolium (L.) Sw. and Papilionanthe teres (Roxb.) Lindl. potentially modulates the immune functions in Swiss albino mice.

OBJECTIVE: This research investigated the immunomodulatory potentials of two medicinally important wild epiphytic Bangladeshi orchids Cymbidium aloifolium and Papilionanthe teres using Swiss albino mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Orchid extracts were prepared using a cold methanol extraction procedure. To assess the immunomodulatory action, Swiss albino mice of either sex weighing 25-35 gm were divided into five groups each with six animals. Sheep red blood cells (SRBC) of 0.5 × 109 cells/ml were used to immunize all mice on the 7th day, and a booster dose of the same quantity of SRBC was given on the 11th day of the experiment. After 14 days of oral treatment with 100 and 200 mg/kg bw of orchid extract, the mice were sacrificed to collect serum and organs. Hematological assays, delayed type of hypersensitivity assays, phagocytic index (PI), and histopathological investigations were used to assess in vivo immunomodulatory efficacy. RESULTS: The body weight changes of the experimental animals were considerably greater at 100 mg/kg bw than at a higher dose (200 mg/kg bw). There was a substantial improvement of relative organ weights of the thymus and spleen at the low dose, but no effect on kidney weights was evident. The liver weight increased significantly (p < 0.05) at both doses. Total neutrophil, leukocyte, and lymphocyte counts, hemoglobin percentage, delayed hypersensitivity reaction, and PI were all significantly (p < 0.05) increased in mice receiving the lower dose. In contrast to the control group, the higher dose reduced immunological response, suggesting the negative influence of a higher dose of extracts on the immune reaction. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrate that orchid extracts can potentially modulate the innate immune system in the experimental animal.

Chloroplast characterization and phylogenetic relationship of Cymbidium aloifolium (Orchidaceae).

Cymbidium aloifolium is an epiphytic orchid with high medicinal and ornamental value. In order to get a deeper understanding of C. aloifolium, we determined the complete chloroplast genome of C. aloifolium by Illumina sequencing data. The length of this genome is 157,328 bp, including a couple of inverted repeat (IR) regions of 26,829 bp, a large single-copy (LSC) region of 85,793 bp, and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 17,877 bp. The chloroplast genome comprised of 139 genes, including 78 protein-coding genes, 38 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. In addition, the phylogenetic analysis based on 17 chloroplast genomes of Orchidaceae indicated that C. mannii was closely related to C. aloifolium. This study will provide more valuable information for the classification and phylogenetic research of Cymbidium genus.