Effects of Agaricus blazei Murill extract on immune responses in normal BALB/c mice.
Agaricus blazei Murill (ABM) has shown particularly strong results in treating and preventing cancer and has also traditionally been used as a food source in Brazil. However, the exact immune responses regarding the phagocytosis of macrophage and, the activity of natural killer (NK) cells in normal mice after exposure to ABM extract was unclear. The goal of this study was to investigate whether or not ABM extract can promote immune responses in normal BALB/c mice. BALB/c mice were treated with different doses of ABM extract for different time periods. The results indicated that ABM extract significantly promoted the proliferation of splenocytes both in vitro and in vivo. ABM extract promoted the levels of interleukein-6 (IL-6) and, interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) but reduced the levels of IL-4 in vitro and in vivo. The percentage of macrophages with phagocytosis after ABM extract treatment increased and these effects were of dose-dependent manners, both in vitro and in vivo. YAC-1 target cells were killed by NK cells from the mice after treatment with ABM extract at 3 and 6 mg/kg/day for up to 14 days at target cell ratios of 25:1 and 50:1. Taken together, these results show that ABM extract promoted immunomodulations in normal BALB/c mice in vitro and in vivo.
Tang
Nou-Ying
NY
School of Chinese Medicine, Taichung, Taiwan, PCR.
Yang
Jai-Sing
JS
Lin
Jing-Pin
JP
Hsia
Te-Chun
TC
Fan
Ming-Jen
MJ
Lin
Jen-Jyh
JJ
Weng
Shu-Wen
SW
Ma
Yi-Shih
YS
Lu
Hsu-Feng
HF
Shen
Jiann-Jong
JJ
Lin
Jaung-Geng
JG
Chung
Jing-Gung
JG
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000364:Agaricus / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D007107:Immune System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000378:metabolism; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D015850:Interleukin-6; D010936:Plant Extracts; D003208:Concanavalin A; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma