title: Treatment with at homeopathic complex medication modulates mononuclear bone marrow cell differentiation.
abstract: A homeopathic complex medication (HCM), with immunomodulatory properties, is recommended for patients with depressed immune systems. Previous studies demonstrated that the medication induces an increase in leukocyte number. The bone marrow microenvironment is composed of growth factors, stromal cells, an extracellular matrix and progenitor cells that differentiate into mature blood cells. Mice were our biological model used in this research. We now report in vivo immunophenotyping of total bone marrow cells and ex vivo effects of the medication on mononuclear cell differentiation at different times. Cells were examined by light microscopy and cytokine levels were measured in vitro. After in vivo treatment with HCM, a pool of cells from the new marrow microenvironment was analyzed by flow cytometry to detect any trend in cell alteration. The results showed decreases, mainly, in CD11b and TER-119 markers compared with controls. Mononuclear cells were used to analyze the effects of ex vivo HCM treatment and the number of cells showing ring nuclei, niche cells and activated macrophages increased in culture, even in the absence of macrophage colony-stimulating factor. Cytokines favoring stromal cell survival and differentiation in culture were induced in vitro. Thus, we observe that HCM is immunomodulatory, either alone or in association with other products.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia Celular, Setor de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cesar
authors.forename: Ana Paula R
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Abud
authors.forename: Carolina C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.forename: Francolino
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cardoso
authors.forename: Raffaello Popa Di
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Bernardi
authors.forename: Fernando S F
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Guimarães
authors.forename: Juarez
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gabardo
authors.forename: Dorly
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: de Freitas Buchi