Immunomodulatory effects of aqueous extract of ocimum basilicum (Linn.) and some of its constituents on human immune cells
Journal
Journal of Medicinal Plants Research
Journal Volume
5
Journal Issue
10
Pages
1873-1883
Date Issued
2011
Author(s)
Abstract
Ocimum basilicum Linn. (OB) is an edible plant with high concentrations of caffeic (CA) and p-coumaric acid (pCA). In this study, the authors evaluated the immunomodulatory activities of aqueous extract of OB, CA and pCA on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) by lymphoproliferation test, and defined the responding cells by flow cytometry, secretion of various cytokines by ELISA, and expression of mRNA by quantitative Real Time-PCR (qPCR) methods. At concentrations tested (0.135, 0.27, and 0.54 μg/ml of OB extract, 2.5, 5, and 10 μg/ml of CA, 5, 10, and 20 μg/ml of pCA), OB, CA, and pCA were capable of dose-dependently stimulating DNA synthesis of human PBMC. In addition, OB extract suppressed cytokines produced by T H1 (IL-2, IFN-γ, and TNF-β), T H2 (IL-5, IL-10) as well as regulatory T (TGF-β) cells, and expression of ERK2 mRNA in PBMC. OB constituents CA and pCA alsosuppressed some of the cytokines. These data convincingly demonstrate that OB possesses direct immunomodulatory effect on basic functional properties of human immune cells, possibly mediated by the ERK2 MAP-kinase signal pathway. Thus, aqueous extract of OB can be considered as a powerful natural immunomodulatory spice influencing various types of immune-responses and may have potential health effects. ? 2011 Academic Journals.
Subjects
Caffeic acid; Cytokines; Immune cells; Immunomodulation; Ocimum basilicum (Linn.); P-coumaric acid
SDGs
Other Subjects
caffeic acid; interleukin 2; messenger RNA; mitogen activated protein kinase 1; Ocimum basilicum extract; para coumaric acid; transforming growth factor beta; article; controlled study; cytokine production; cytokine release; DNA synthesis; flow cytometry; gene expression regulation; human; human cell; immunity; immunomodulation; immunophenotyping; immunostimulation; lymphocyte proliferation; protein expression; quantitative analysis; real time polymerase chain reaction; regulatory T lymphocyte; signal transduction; transcription regulation; Ocimum basilicum
Type
journal article