Effect of Kalpaamruthaa on immunosuppression of both humoral and cell-mediated immunity in DMBA-induced mammary tumours of rats

Abstract

The present study was carried out to elucidate the protective effect of Kalpaamruthaa on improving 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA)-induced immunosuppression of both humoral and cell-mediated immunity in mammary carcinoma-induced rats. Breast cancer was induced in rats by administering DMBA orally (25 mg/rat) as a single dose. After 90 days of induction, SA (200 mg/kg body weight) and KA (300 mg/kg body weight) were administered for 14 days, by gastric intubation. Several immunotoxicological assays such as T cell rosette delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) response, migration inhibition factor (MIF) assay, lymphocyte proliferation assay, plaque forming cell (PFC) assay and haemagglutination assay, plaque forming cell (PFC) assay, serum soluble immune complex and cytokine production, T and B cell mitogenesis induced by Con A and nonspecific cell-mediated immunity were evaluated using phagocytosis activity and NBT reduction. In cancer-induced animals (group II), the leukocyte migration inhibition declined markedly (p<0.001), the levels of cytokines IFN-γ and IL-2 were significantly decreased (p<0.001) and also the antibody titre level (p<0.001) was significantly reduced when compared with control rats. A marked decline in PFC (p<0.001) and serum soluble immune complex (PEG) formation (p<0.001) was also observed. Hence, the present study clearly demonstrates the immunoprotective effect of KA.