ABSTRACT
Current work has been designed to investigate the immunomodulatory efficacy with particular reference to humoral, cell-mediated and cytokine-modulating potential of hot aqueous extract of Neolamarckia cadamba (HAENC) fruits in Wistar albino rats. The effect of different concentrations of HAENC fruits over cell-mediated immune response was assessed using six groups (Gp-I as control, Gp-II with 20 µg/mL, Gp-III with 50 µg/mL, Gp-IV with 100 µg/mL, Gp-V with 250 µg/mL, and Gp-VI with 500 µg/mL) of Wistar albino rats having six animals in each. The amount of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin (IL)-10 was measured by sandwich ELISA with different concentrations of HAENC (50-500 µg/mL) in splenocyte culture supernatant and their expression was determined by qRT-PCR Humoral immune response was determined by measuring the serum antibody titer of Wistar albino rats against Salmonella typhimurium 'O' antigen using four groups containing six animals each (Gp-I as control, Gp II, III & IV were respectively fed orally with 125, 250, and 500 mg/Kg body weight using HAENC fruits). LC-MS analysis suggested the presence of cadambine, chlorogenic acid, cadambagenic acid, stearic acid, octadecanoic acid ethyl ether, and 7-hydroxy-5,2'-4'-trimethoxyflavonon in the extract based on their m/z ratio. The result suggested significant (p < 0.01) dose-dependent proliferation of Concanavalin A (Con A)-treated splenocytes, depicting cell-mediated immunostimulatory potential of HAENC fruits. A dose-dependent significant decrease (p < 0.01) was found in the amount of TNF-α and IL-10 was found to increase significantly (p < 0.01) as extract concentrations increased. TNF-α and IL-10 expressions were confirmed at the molecular level by qRT-PCR analysis of mRNA transcripts of TNF-α and IL-10 genes. Fold expression of TNF-α and IL-10 gene was 0.197 and 3.58 at 250 µg/mL, 0.02 and 20.11 at 500 µg/mL concentrations of HAENC respectively in comparison to control. Serum antibody titer was significantly increased (p < 0.01) in animals fed with different doses of HAENC fruits. The present study suggested the anti-inflammatory effect of HAENC fruits which also influences the networking of cytokines, implying that it may play a role in regulating the activity of the host's immune system and can serve as a potent herbal drug with immuno-stimulatory potential.
ABSTRACT
The past several decades have witnessed the emergence and re-emergence of many infectious viral agents, flaviviruses, influenza, filoviruses, alphaviruses, and coronaviruses since the advent of human deficiency virus (HIV). Some of them even become serious threats to public health and have raised major global health concerns. Several different medicinal compounds such as anti-viral, anti-malarial, and anti-inflammatory agents, are under investigation for the treatment of these viral diseases. These therapies are effective improving recovery rates and overall survival of patients but are unable to heal lung damage caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Therefore, there is a critical need to identify effective treatments to combat this unmet clinical need. Due to its antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties, stem cell therapy is considered a novel approach to regenerate damaged lungs and reduce inflammation. Stem cell therapy uses a heterogeneous subset of regenerative cells that can be harvested from various adult tissue types and is gaining popularity due to its prodigious regenerative potential as well as immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. These cells retain expression of cluster of differentiation markers (CD markers), interferon-stimulated gene (ISG), reduce expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and, show a rapid proliferation rate, which makes them an attractive tool for cellular therapies and to treat various inflammatory and viral-induced injuries. By examining various clinical studies, this review demonstrates positive considerations for the implications of stem cell therapy and presents a necessary approach for treating virally induced infections in patients.
