Objective
Taking leads from the available research, we aimed to develop a synergy-based herbal combination of
Tinospora cordifolia
(TC),
Phyllanthus emblica
(PE)
,
and
Piper nigrum
(PN)
.
Also, evaluating their synergistic effect on CP-induced immunosuppression in mice model and exploring the possible mechanisms involved in reversing the damage.
Methodology
The immunomodulatory activity of combination, of TC stem, PE fruits, and PN dried fruits, was determined by
in vitro
assays (splenocyte proliferation and pinocytic activity of peritoneal macrophages of mice) and
in vivo
study using CP-induced immunosuppression model in Swiss Albino mice. The ratio was optimized for combining three by
in vitro
MTT assay. The combination was further evaluated for anti-oxidant activity by DPPH scavenging method and quantified for its bioactive metabolites by HPTLC. Serum collected on day 0, 4, 7 and 14 was employed for estimation of haematogram (haematocrit, TLC, DLC, and haemoglobin, etc) and immune parameters (IL-10, IL-6 and TNF-α) by ELISA.
Results
The study demonstrated, that combination of herbal extracts at an intermediate dose could inhibit the proliferation of spleen cells and peritoneal macrophages (P ≤ 0.0001) and induce suppression of pro-inflammatory mediators, and also certified that combination exerts synergized effects. The results showed that the combination possess potential antioxidant activity by DPPH scavenging method (IC
50
-113.5 µg/ml). It was identified that combination significantly (P ≤ 0.0001) improved the immune markers, haematogram parameters, and histological parameters, with maximum protection offered by an intermediate dose.
Conclusion
The results suggested that present combination could be further explored clinically as potent synergy-based therapeutic approach for immune modulation.