Stimulation of immune function activity by the alcoholic root extract of Heracleum nepalense     D. Don

Objective: To assess the immunostimulatory activity of H. nepalense, using different in vitro and in vivo experimental models.
Materials and Methods: The immunostimulatory potential of the test compound was investigated by in vitro , phagocytic index and lymphocyte viability tests, using interferon a-2b, a known immunostimulant drug, as the standard. Other tests such as carbon clearance, antibody titer and delayed type hypersensitivity were studied in mice, using levimasole as the standard.
Results: The dried root extract (1000 μg/ml) and isolated quercetin glycoside (50 μg/ml) significantly increased the i n vitro phagocytic index and lymphocyte viability in all assays. They also showed a significant increase in antibody titer, carbon clearance and delayed type hypersensitivity in mice.
Conclusion: H. nepalense exhibited a dose-dependent immunostimulant effect, which could be attributed to the flavonoid content or due to the combination with other component(s).