title: Mineral pitch stimulates humoral, cellular and innate immune responses in mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mineral pitch (MP), a traditional medicine, is proposed to boost immunity in conditions that suppress Th1 cytokines such as AIDS/HIV, tuberculosis, leishmaniasis and cancer.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study investigates the immunoregulatory mechanisms of MP in innate, humoral and cell-mediated immunity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mice given MP (100, 200, 300 or 400 mg/kg, orally) for 10 consecutive days were immunized intravenously with goat RBC or ovalbumin, and investigated for plaque-forming cells (PFC), hemagglutination titer, hypersensitivity response, lymphocyte proliferation and macrophage function.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MP increased PFC (330.2 versus 182.2/10⁶ splenocytes) in mice immunized with goat RBC and elicited ovalbumin-specific IgG titer at 400 mg/kg. Increase in Th1 immunity was correlated with the increased level of IFN-γ (724 versus 470 pg/ml) and decreased IL-4 (96 versus 178 pg/ml). CD4⁺/CD3⁺ ratio and delayed-type hypersensitivity response also increased to, respectively, 20.62 ± 0.59 (versus 16.47 ± 0.72) and 1.59 ± 0.12 (versus 0.87 ± 0.10 mm) in MP-treated mice. MP increased lymphocyte proliferation (11.14 ± 0.60 versus 5.81 ± 0.40 SI) and macrophage phagocyte response (0.24 ± 0.02 versus 0.15 ± 0.009), expressed as absorbance at 570 nm, but decreased nitrite production (17.4 ± 1.10 versus 24.3 ± 1.30 µM/10⁶ cells). We also observed an increased bone marrow cellularity (24.5 ± 1.10 versus 17.10 ± 0.70 cells/femur) and WBC count (12 667 ± 377 versus 9178 ± 213 cells/mm³) following MP treatment. There was no sign of toxicity at 400 mg/kg, 1/12th of reported LD₅₀.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MP elicits a dose-dependent Th1 immune response.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Jamia Hamdard-Hamdard University, Hamdard Nagar, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Ishrina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rubab
authors.forename: Indusmitha
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Routray
authors.forename: Amena
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mahmood
authors.forename: Samina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bashir
authors.forename: Tijjani Salihu
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Shinkafi
authors.forename: Farah
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Shakir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ali
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D045424:Complex Mixtures / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology; D006041:Goats; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000187:drug effects*; D056724:Immunity, Humoral / Q000187:drug effects*; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000187:drug effects*; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology; D007194:India; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008515:Medicine, Ayurvedic; D051379:Mice; D009573:Nitrites / Q000378:metabolism; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000276:immunology; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D045424:Complex Mixtures; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D009573:Nitrites; D010047:Ovalbumin