Immune Enhancing Effect of Medicinal Herb Extracts on a RAW 264.7 Macrophage Cell Line

Abstract

Medicinal herbs have long been used as a remedy for diverse diseases in Asia owing to their various pharmacological effect. In this study, the immuno-enhancing activity of medicinal herbs was investigated using macrophage cell lines. Specifically, we examined the effects of extracts of twelve medicinal herbs on nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW 264.7 cells, and selected five that were highly effective (Glycyrrhiza glabra, Rehmannia glutinosa, Angelica gigas, Platycodon grandflorum, and Actinidia polygama) for further immune related studies.The effects of extracts from five theses medicinal herbs, which were mainly composed of polysaccharides and proteins on the production of immune-related cytokines in the RAW 264.7 macrophage cell line and the Molt-4 T cell line were investigated. The extracts of all investigated medicinal herbs increased the production of NO and cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1beta (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-10 (IL-10). Additionally, they slightly increased the proliferation of T-cells when compared to the control. Overall, the result of this study suggests that the five medicinal herb extracts investigated herein are useful natural immune enhancing agents.

Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Activities of Functional Plant Materials

“…현재 항산화제로 알려져 있는 대부분은 채소류, 과일 및 생 약재(한약재) 등과 같은 식물 소재로 활성을 나타내는 주요 물질은 식물체에 다량 함유되어 있는 2차 대사산물인 페놀 화합물로 밝혀져 있다 [18]. 특히, 생약재는 과일이나 채소류에 비해 약리효과가 우수하여 음료 및 가공식품의 주원료 또는 부재료로 활용되며, 질병의 예방이나 치료, 건강 유지 등의 생체 기능 증강을 위한 소재로 다양하게 이용되고 있다 [41]. 식물류로부터 항산화 활성 연구는 오래전부터 수행되어져 왔 으며, 유사한 기작에 의해 생체 방어, 면역 기능을 조절함으로 써 질병 예방이나 노화 지연 등의 효능이 발휘되는 것으로 알려져 있다 [26,33].…”

Synergistic Effect of Natural Killer Cells and Bee Venom on Inhibition of NCI-H157 Cell Growth

“…In korean medicine, A lot of research regarding the treatment of cancer with herb medication [13][14][15][16][17] and pharmacopuncture 18) has been conducted and many korean medicine doctor have made a great effort to find a cure for cancer through a variety of case report. In other medicine fields, studies using herbal medicine extract have been made for human immune [19][20][21][22][23] .…”

Enhancement of Anti-inflammatory Activities of Aronia melanocarpa through High-pressure Homogenization Process

“…Immunity is a mechanism of tissues or cells in the body for protecting the body against external infection factors [9]. In the immune system, inflammatory reactions, in particular, are defense phenomena appearing when the body has been infected with bacteria.…”