Context: Mineral pitch (MP), a traditional medicine, is proposed to boost immunity in conditions that suppress Th1 cytokines such as AIDS/HIV, tuberculosis, leishmaniasis and cancer. Objective: This study investigates the immunoregulatory mechanisms of MP in innate, humoral and cell-mediated immunity. Materials and methods: Mice given MP (100, 200, 300 or 400 mg/kg, orally) for 10 consecutive days were immunized intravenously with goat RBC or ovalbumin, and investigated for plaqueforming cells (PFC), hemagglutination titer, hypersensitivity response, lymphocyte proliferation and macrophage function. Results: MP increased PFC (330.2 versus 182.2/10 6 splenocytes) in mice immunized with goat RBC and elicited ovalbumin-specific IgG titer at 400 mg/kg. Increase in Th1 immunity was correlated with the increased level of IFN-g (724 versus 470 pg/ml) and decreased IL-4 (96 versus 178 pg/ml). CD4 þ
/CD3þ ratio and delayed-type hypersensitivity response also increased to, respectively, 20.62 AE 0.59 (versus 16.47 AE 0.72) and 1.59 AE 0.12 (versus 0.87 AE 0.10 mm) in MP-treated mice. MP increased lymphocyte proliferation (11.14 AE 0.60 versus 5.81 AE 0.40 SI) and macrophage phagocyte response (0.24 AE 0.02 versus 0.15 AE 0.009), expressed as absorbance at 570 nm, but decreased nitrite production (17.4 AE 1.10 versus 24.3 AE 1.30 mM/10 6 cells). We also observed an increased bone marrow cellularity (24.5 AE 1.10 versus 17.10 AE 0.70 cells/femur) and WBC count (12 667 AE 377 versus 9178 AE 213 cells/mm 3 ) following MP treatment. There was no sign of toxicity at 400 mg/kg, 1/12th of reported LD 50 . Conclusion: MP elicits a dose-dependent Th1 immune response.
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