title: Dietary supplementation with an extract of North American ginseng in adult and juvenile mice increases natural killer cells.
abstract: Cells belonging to the innate immune system are referred to as natural killer (NK) cells. We recently demonstrated that normal, pre-weaned infant mice, injected with a proprietary extract of ginseng (CVT-E002) had augmented NK cell numbers vs. sham-injected mice. In the present study, we extended these observations into juvenile and adult mice. Thus, young adult (age: 8-9 wk) C3H mice were given daily dietary CVT-E002 for 4 wk followed by untreated chow for the following 2 months, then euthanized (age: 20-21 wk). Other C3H mice (juvenile: 4-wk-old) were given CVT-E002 under the same protocol and sampled at 18 wk of age. In spite of withdrawing the extract 2 months earlier, the absolute numbers of NK cells in the young adults, remained significantly (p < 0.01), and slightly, elevated in the spleen and bone marrow (BM), respectively. The relative numbers (%) of NK cells in the blood also remained elevated (p < 0.05). In juvenile mice fed CVT-E002, the absolute numbers (spleen, BM) and % (blood) of NK cells were all elevated (p<0.01 - p<0.05). The mechanisms responsible for these super-normal numbers of NK cells long after withdrawal of CVT-E002, is as yet unknown.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada. sandra.miller@mcgill.ca
authors.forename: Sandra C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Lianping
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ti
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000473:pathology; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000187:drug effects; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D005894:Panax / Q000276:immunology*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts