Title:Immunomodulation Induced in BALB/c Mice after Subacute Exposure to
Hydroalcoholic Extract of Artimisia Dracunculus
Volume: 21
Issue: 5
Author(s): Fatemeh Forouzanfar, Seyed Mostafa Moshirian Farahi, Hassan Rakhshandeh, Bahram Memar, Roghayeh Rashidi, Ramin Mahdipour and Bamdad Riahi-Zanjani*
Affiliation:
- Medical Toxicology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Keywords:
Tarragon, immunomodulatory, antioxidant, cellular immunity, humoral immunity, herbaceous plant.
Abstract:
Introduction: Tarragon, with the scientific name of Artemisia dracunculus, is a perennial
herbaceous plant with a wide spectrum of pharmacologic properties. In the current investigation,
BALB/c mice were used to examine the immunomodulatory effects of hydroalcoholic extract of tarragon
(HET).
Methods: Mice were treated with hydroalcoholic extract of Artimisia dracunculus (HET) at two doses
(250 and 500 mg/kg) for 14 days. The host hematological parameters, spleen cellularity histopathology,
hemagglutination titer assay (HA), delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses, IFN-γ and
IL-4 levels produced by spelenocytes, and the proliferation of lymphocytes were assayed.
Results: HET at a high dose significantly could increase the number of white blood cells and lymphocytes
compared to the control group. The lymphocyte proliferation in exposure to PHA significantly
increased in the HET group at both doses compared to the control group, whilst this index in
the presence of LPS increased significantly for the 500 mg/kg-HET group only. Moreover, in the HA
and DTH tests, HET significantly increased the proliferation of lymphocytes as compared with the
control group. Furthermore, HET significantly increased the amount of IFN-γ parallel to a decrease
in the level of IL-4 in compared to the control group.
Conclusion: Based on our findings, HET has potent immunostimulant characteristics. More investigation
into tarragon's potential to be used in the treatment of disorders caused by a weakened immune
response should be conducted.