Immunomodulatory activities of Allium sativum L and Piper nigrum L on albino mice

Immunomodulatory activities of Allium sativum L and Piper nigrum L on albino mice

Charles Modilim1 , Stella Amarachi Ihim2,4*, Vivian Chidimma Onyali3 , Moses Ikegbunam1 ,

Malachy Ugwu1 and Chukwuemeka Sylvester Nworu2

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  1. Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Biotechnology, Nnamdi Azikiwe University,Awka, Nigeria.
  2. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria;
  3. Department of Medical Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Missouri, Columbia, USA.
  4. Pharmacology and Physiology unit, Department of Science Laboratory Technology, Universityof Nigeria, Nsukka.

 

Key words: Piper nigrum, Allium sativum, immunomodulatory, complement, humoral, cyclophosphamide

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Corresponding author:

ihim.stella@unn.edu.ng;

DOI: 10.48245/tnpr-2734391.2022.3.102

Page No:23-39
Volume: 3, Issue 1, 2022
Trends in Natural Products Research
Copy Right: NAPREG

Abstract

Piper nigrum and Allium sativum have been recognized as spices and a rich source of natural compounds which possess interesting and diverse pharmacological activities. The immunomodulatory activities of these reputed spices were evaluated using different experimental models, such as delayed type hypersensitivity test, carbon clearance test, cyclophosphamide induced myelosuppression, humoral antibody response and hemolytic complement fixation assay. Aqueous extracts of the spices of Piper nigrum (APN) and Allium sativum (AAS) were prepared from the commercially available ground spices and their immunomodulatory potentials evaluated. The oral treatment with APN or AAS (100, 200 or 400 mg/kg) evoked a significant (p < 0.05) increase in carbon clearance at all doses and potentiated the delayed type hypersensitivity response induced by sheep red blood cells (SRBC) compared to the untreated mice except AAS,100 mg/kg. Following short-term oral supplementation with APN or AAS (200 or 400 mg/kg), total lymphocytes, neutrophils and lymphocyte count increased significantly (p < 0.05) at all doses, indicating that mice were protected from cyclophosphamide induced myelosuppression. The hemolytic activity of the complement protein and sensitized SRBC were significantly (p < 0.05) inhibited at all doses of APN and AAS except at 62.5µg/ml. Furthermore, the extracts produced significant (p < 0.05) high titres of total ovalbumin-specific or tetanus-specific IgG1 and IgG2A compared with the untreated control. These results suggest that the extracts of Piper nigrum (APN) and Allium sativum (AAS) may be useful as potential sources of natural immunomodulatory agents with immunostimulatory effects