| Abstrak/Abstract |
Objective:The aim of this study is to determine the activity of an Indonesian herbal formulation, which is specific for
respiratory disorders and contains a combination of Curcuma xanthorrhizarhizome, Vitex trifolialeaves, Zingiber
officinalerhizome, Citrusfruit, and Echinacea purpureaherb, as an immunomodulator in mice. Materials and
Methods:Thirty male Balb/c mice were divided into five groups as follows: negative control, E. purpureafor reference,
and three doses of herbal formula. The samples were administered daily for 14 days, and immune response was induced
by hepatitis B vaccine on days 7 and 14. On day 18, blood was collected via the retro-orbital plexus. Macrophage
phagocytosis and lymphocyte proliferation assay and measurement of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody titers were
carried out on day 20. Results:The herbal formula can significantly increase the phagocytic index compared with the
negative control. Interestingly, the herbal formula showed higher activity compared with E. purpurea-only treatment.
This indicates the possible synergistic effects of the herbal components in the formula. This synergistic pattern was also
observed in the production of IgG antibody. The herbal formula can significantly increase IgG titer compared with the
negative control group (P< 0.05). However, the increase was nonsignificant compared with E. purpurea-only treatment.
On the other hand, the herbal formula showed less effect on the induction of lymphocyte proliferation compared with E.
purpurea-only treatment. Low-dose treatments showed suppressive effects. Conclusions:The herbal formula showed
more immunostimulatory activity on nonspecific responses than specific immune ones. Other herbal components may
contribute to the overall immunomodulatory effect of the studied herbal formula. |
