Inhibitory effect of Nymphaea pubescens Willd. flower extract on carrageenan-induced inflammation and CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity in rats.

Nymphaea pubescens Willd. is used as ingredient of ethnic diet and folk medicine in South-East Asia. The water (NPW), methanol (NPM) and chloroform (NPC) extracts of N. pubescens flowers were investigated for NO·, O2·â» and DPPH radical scavenging and iron chelating activities in vitro. NPW was found to be the most potent free radical scavenger (EC50<100 µg/mL) whereas NPC did not show EC50 at 500 µg/mL. Therefore, NPW was selected for further studies on anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective activities, using standard in vitro and in vivo models. NPW exhibited inhibition of nitrogen radical generation in LPS-activated macrophages (IC50=75.5 µg/mL) through suppression of iNOS protein, with no associated toxicity in the cells. Further, 500 mg/kg of NPW reduced rat paw edema by ~50% after 6h of carrageenan administration. Hepatoprotective activity of NPW was also evaluated in vivo on CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity model in rats. NPW treatment (500 mg/kg/day for ten days) attenuated CCl4-induced increase in serum enzymes, viz. alanine and aspartate aminotransferases (ALT and AST) and bilirubin. Also, glutathione and superoxide dismutase (SOD)-levels were restored towards normalcy in the liver of CCl4-treated rats, indicating the hepatoprotective role of NPW, which was found to contain a fair amount of flavonoids, phenolics, and saponin constituents.

Boosting of nonspecific host response by aromatic spices turmeric and ginger in immunocompromised mice.

The present investigation was intended to study the immunostimulant properties of Curcuma longa (turmeric) and Zingiber officinale (ginger) rhizomes on splenic macrophages in carbon tetrachloride intoxicated male albino mice. The study was based on functional parameters like morphology, cell adhesion, phagocytosis, myeloperoxidase release, nitric oxide release and intracellular killing capacity of splenic macrophages. To elucidate the detailed mechanism of boosting of these cell functions, serum levels of TNF-α, and IFN-γ were quantified in different experimental mice groups. Carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)) intoxication (0.5ml/kg body weight intraperitoneally) was found to affect the functional status of splenic macrophages as evident from these studies. Moreover, CCl(4) intoxicated mice also showed lower levels of cytokines TNF-α and IFN-γ. However, oral administration (singly) of polar fractions of C. longa (50mg/kg b.wt) and Z. officinale (120mg/kg b.wt) rhizomes ameliorated the affects of CCl(4), as evident from an increased functional status as well as the serum levels of these cytokines. Based on this study it can be suggested that, polar fractions of C. longa and Z. officinale rhizomes boost the immune system by altering the cytokine milieu of the immunosuppressed macrophages, thus modulating their functional status. Therefore, it can be inferred that dietary intake of C. longa and Z. officinale potentiates the non-specific host defenses against opportunistic infections.

[The immunomodulating effect of vilozen and splenin in the treatment of patients with acute and chronic toxic-allergic hepatitis]. / Immunomoduliruiushchii èffekt vilozena i splenina pri lechenii bol'nykh ostrym i khronicheskim toksiko-allergicheskim gepatitom.

65 patients with acute hepatitis and 116 patients with chronic hepatitis of toxico-allergic nature were examined. 20 patients with acute hepatitis and 40 patients with chronic form of the disease were prescribed in addition to conventional treatment 2-4 ml i.m. of splenin daily, 20 mg of vilosen daily in 3-4 divided doses in the form of 1% solution intranasally and the same quantity--sublingually. The drugs were administered for 10-15 days. Co-administration of splenin and vilosen was established to hasten normalization of clinical indices and immune homeostasis restitution thus advocating the use of the drugs as a part of therapeutic complex in the treatment of acute and chronic toxico-allergic hepatitis.

[Essentiale as an immunomodulator in a toxic liver lesion]. / Essentsiale kak immunomoduliator pri toksicheskom porazhenii pecheni.

Tetrachlormethanum used in Wistar rats caused an increase in their immune response to sheep red cells, followed by its decrease. Administration of essential in combination with tetrachlormethanum prevented the accumulation of immunomodulating agents and impairment of an immune response to sheep red cells.

[The mechanisms of the immunostimulating action of plant heteropolysaccharides]. / Izuchenie mekhanizmov immunostimuliruiushchego deistviia nekotorykh rastitel'nykh geteropolisakharidov.

In experiments on Wistar rats it was found that oral administration of heteropolysaccharide preparations isolated from medicinal plants of Asteraceae, Tiliaceae and Polygonaceae families induces the appearance in the blood serum and supernatant fluid of cells of the spleen and thymus of humoral immunostimulating substances. Similar factors appear in the supernatant fluid of cells of the spleen and thymus after their treatment with sera of the rats receiving polysaccharides. The administration of the preparations significantly changes the appearance of the immunostimulating factors in animals with the toxic liver damage as well as under intensive physical exercise.