Stimulatory effect of Holy basil and Thai basil on mouse spleen cell proliferation

Potentials of Gynura procumbens to modulate chronic stress and immunological responses in Oreochromis niloticus

Natural products and traditional remedies have become more popular over the years since they have less harmful side effects and are considered environmentally friendly. In this study we aimed to investigate the potential of Gynura procumbens extract (GPE), a well-known traditional medicinal plant extract, on the stress modulation of Oreochromis niloticus (Nile tilapia). Four different experimental groups: control, stress, prevention, and treatment were monitored for 12 weeks. Hydrocortisone (0.01% of body weight) was incorporated with the feed to induce the stress response in stress, prevention and treatment groups. Feed was also supplemented with 0.15% GPE of body weight for the prevention and treatment groups. Cortisol concentration was reduced significantly in the prevention (1870.52 pg/mL; p = 0.006) and treatment (2925.91 pg/mL; p = 0.002) groups than the stress group (7614.22 pg/mL). The result is substantiated by significant decrease in blood glucose level in prevention (29.5 mg/dL; p = 0.002) and treatment (31.5 mg/dL; p = 0.006) groups, compared to stress group (47.33 mg/dL) at the end of the experiment. Considering the current finding, we can conclude the GPE has potential to be used as therapeutic option for stress regulation however there is a room for further detailed study to understand the in-depth mechanism.

ECHOPvir: A Mixture of Echinacea and Hop Extracts Endowed with Cytoprotective, Immunomodulatory and Antiviral Properties

Respiratory viral infections continue to pose significant challenges, particularly for more susceptible and immunocompromised individuals. Nutraceutical strategies have been proposed as promising strategies to mitigate their impact and improve public health. In the present study, we developed a mixture of two hydroalcoholic extracts from the aerial parts of Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench (ECP) and the cones of Humulus lupulus L. (HOP) that can be harnessed in the prevention and treatment of viral respiratory diseases. The ECP/HOP mixture (named ECHOPvir) was characterized for the antioxidant and cytoprotective properties in airway cells. Moreover, the immunomodulating properties of the mixture in murine macrophages against antioxidant and inflammatory stimuli and its antiviral efficacy against the PR8/H1N1 influenza virus were assayed. The modulation of the Nrf2 was also investigated as a mechanistic hypothesis. The ECP/HOP mixture showed a promising multitarget bioactivity profile, with combined cytoprotective, antioxidant, immunomodulating and antiviral activities, likely due to the peculiar phytocomplexes of both ECP and HOP, and often potentiated the effect of the single extracts. The Nrf2 activation seemed to trigger these cytoprotective properties and suggest a possible usefulness in counteracting the damage caused by different stressors, including viral infection. Further studies may strengthen the interest in this product and underpin its future nutraceutical applications.

Assessment of the role of anthocyanin standardized elderberry (Sambucus nigra) extract as an immune-stimulating nutraceutical of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus

The study of nutraceuticals and their connection to immunity is an expanding field of research. The use of nutraceuticals to alleviate stress and enhance immunity in adverse aquaculture environments have been examined to a certain extent. To elucidate the understanding, we focused on the immunological effect of membrane-separated 13% anthocyanin standardized elderberry (EB) extract with maltodextrin excipient, widely used first-line nutraceuticals to augment the immunity, in aquaculture fish, Nile tilapia. To evaluate the potential of EB-extract, we assessed their capability to enhance lymphocyte proliferation and interleukin-2 production in an in-vitro condition using spleen and thymus lymphocytes. The experiments on spleen and thymus T-cells demonstrated significantly higher T-cell proliferation by EB-extract when lectin mitogen Con A was present as a stimulator. Likewise, our spleen B-cell proliferation result reveals a significant effect of EB-extracts, along with B-cell stimulator non-lectin mitogen LPS. Further, the quantification of IL-2 indicates elevated IL-2 levels when spleen T-cells were cultured with EB-extracts and with Con A present as a stimulator. These suggest that 13% anthocyanin standardized EB-extracts can aggrandize fish cells' cellular and humoral immune responses. With further research, elderberry extracts could be used to supplement commercial feed in aquaculture to reduce stress and stimulate the immune response.

In vitro immunomodulatory and antioxidant effects of oligopeptides and four characteristic peptides in black-bone silky fowl (Gallus gallus domesticus Brisson)

Black-bone silky fowl (Gallus gallus domesticus Brisson) is considered to have strengthening effect on the body and immunomodulatory effects. The black-bone silky fowl peptide (BSFP) was produced by enzymatic digestion of the whole black-bone silky fowl (including the head and claws) after removal of the viscera. Afterwards, the four of the characteristic peptides Glu-Phe (EF), Glu-Glu-Leu (EEL), Glu-His-Pro-Thr (EHPT), Ala-Gly-Gly-His (AGGF) of the BSFP were identified by HPLC-MS/MS. The preventive effects of BSFP and the four characteristic peptides on antioxidant and immunomodulation were investigated. The antioxidant capacity was assessed by in vitro HepG2 intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). The immunomodulatory experiments were conducted by measuring the effects of the BSFP and four peptides on the proliferation of splenocytes, T and B lymphocytes cells, the CD4⁺ /CD8⁺ T lymphocytes ratio, and the phagocytic capacity of macrophages and the nitric oxide (NO) content of macrophages. The four peptides of BSFP showed strong antioxidant capacity, with the most potent peptide for intracellular ROS being AGGF, with 56% inhibition. AGGF, EF, and BSFP showed highly positive effects on splenocyte proliferation and when Concanavalin A (ConA) was used as a stimulus for T lymphocytes and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as a stimulus for B lymphocytes, the peptides stimulated cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. Of these, EF, AGGF, and BSFP promoted the proliferation of T lymphocytes; EF, EHPT, and BSFP significantly promoted the proliferation of B lymphocytes. EHPT and BSFP increased the CD4⁺ /CD8⁺ ratio of T cells. Needle aspiration of neutral red was significantly promoted by macrophages treated with peptides other than EF. In addition, EEL, EHPT, AGGF, and BSFP had a promotive effect on NO production in phagocytes. The results indicate that BSFP is a peptide product with good immunomodulatory functions, four peptides identified from BSFP show outstanding effects in terms of antioxidant properties and immunomodulation. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: In this study, the amino acid composition and relative molecular masses of the black-bone silky fowl peptide were analyzed, while the four peptides with significant effects on antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties in black-bone silky fowl peptide were identified by HPLC-MS/MS technique. Positive effects of black-bone silky fowl peptide and its four peptides on antioxidant capacity and immunomodulatory ability as revealed by cell experiments. The results of this experiment provide a preliminary theoretical basis for the development of new functional foods using black-bone silky fowl peptide and their characteristic peptides.

Modulation of acute stress and immune response in tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, using longevity spinach, Gynura procumbens extract, as nutraceuticals

We investigated the effects of different concentrations of longevity spinach, Gynura procumbens, on the hematological parameters of acutely stressed Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, (average weight 461.81 ± 16.60 g and average length 28.71 ± 0.34 cm) and determined the best concentration. The fish were subjected to hormonal stress in this research. We fed the stress control group commercial feed with 0.01% hydrocortisone, a stress hormone (0.01% of fish body weight) without Gynura. All the treatment groups were supplemented with Gynura extracts (0.5 g/kg, 1.0 g/kg, and 1.5 g/kg of feed weight) in combination with hydrocortisone. We evaluated blood glucose, lysozyme activity, phagocytic capacity, hematocrit, spleen somatic index, and hepatosomatic index. During the acute stress period, G. procumbens has been shown to decrease the levels of blood glucose in 1.5 g/kg treatment group (49.60 mg/dl at Day 1; 53.75 mg/dl at Day 3) compared to stress control group (80.00 mg/dl at Day 1; 69.20 mg/dl at Day 3). Higher lysozyme activity observed in 1.5 g/kg Gynura treatment group (11.44 T/min at 540 nm) compared to control (7.85 T/min at 540 nm). The 1.5 g/kg treatment group maintained the homeostatic level of significant physiological parameters including phagocytic capacity, packed cell volume, and hepatosomatic index. These findings are promising for the development of new nutraceuticals for the aquaculture industry.