title: Effect of dietary rosemary extract on cell-mediated immunity of young rats.
abstract: The impact of rosemary extract on splenic mononuclear cell proliferation was determined. Weanling male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed diets containing 0, 100, 200 or 400 ppm rosemary extract or 400 ppm butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) in combination with 10 or 20% casein enriched diets for 8 weeks. Splenic mononuclear cells were isolated from these animals and mitogenic response to Concanavalin A (Con A), Phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and lipopolysaccharide was determined. Con A and PHA-stimulated proliferation of spleen cells from rats fed 10% casein and 200 ppm rosemary extract was significantly higher than that of cells from the corresponding control animals. However, other levels of rosemary at 10% dietary casein or rosemary at any concentration fed along with 20% dietary casein had no impact on the mitogenic stimulation of splenic mononuclear cells. Thus, these results suggest that the use of rosemary might not have a generalized immunoenhancing effect, and will probably be effective in some stressed conditions, such as protein or antioxidant deficiency.
authors.affiliation: Division of Science and Applied Technology, Office of Special Nutritionals, US Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, MD 20708, USA.
authors.forename: U S
authors.initials: US
authors.lastname: Babu
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Wiesenfeld
authors.forename: M Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Jenkins
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002084:Butylated Hydroxytoluene / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002364:Caseins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002455:Cell Division; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000494:pharmacology; D004032:Diet; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D019686:Lamiaceae; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins / Q000494:pharmacology; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D037121:Plant Lectins; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D002364:Caseins; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins; D010936:Plant Extracts; D037121:Plant Lectins; D003208:Concanavalin A; D002084:Butylated Hydroxytoluene