Essential Oil of Niaouli Preferentially Potentiates Antigen-Specific Cellular Immunity and Cytokine Production by Macrophages

• Published in: Immunopharmacology and immunotoxicology 2008-09, Vol.30 (3), p.459-474
• Main Authors: Nam, Sang-Yun, Chang, Mi-Hye, Do, Jeong-Su, Seo, Hyo-Jung, Oh, Hong Keun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies - blood; CD4-CD8 Ratio; Cells, Cultured; Cellular Immunity; Cytokines - metabolism; Essential Oil; Hemocyanins - immunology; IFNγ; IL-12; Immunity, Cellular - drug effects; Immunologic Factors - administration & dosage; Immunologic Factors - pharmacology; Immunologic Factors - toxicity; Injections, Intraperitoneal; Interferon-gamma - metabolism; Interleukin-12 - metabolism; Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit - analysis; Lymph Nodes - drug effects; Lymph Nodes - immunology; Lymphocyte Activation - drug effects; Macrophages - drug effects; Macrophages - immunology; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Niaouli; Oils, Volatile - administration & dosage; Oils, Volatile - pharmacology; Oils, Volatile - toxicity; T-Lymphocytes - drug effects; T-Lymphocytes - immunology; Terpenes - administration & dosage; Terpenes - pharmacology; Terpenes - toxicity; Time Factors; TNF-α; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - metabolism
• ISSN: 0892-3973; 1532-2513
• DOI: 10.1080/08923970802135187

In vivo immunomodulatory effect of essential oil of niaouli (EON) was investigated using a mouse model, in which mice were immunized with keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) and intraperitoneally given EON (less than 500 μl kg-1 body weight). In vivo efficacy of EON for immune potentiation was convinced by significantly higher expression of an activation marker, CD25, on freshly isolated draining lymph node (LN) T cells, but not B cells. However, immunofluoresence analysis failed to show any proportional change in T B and CD4+ CD8+ T cell ratios. Data of KLH-specific immunoglobulin serum levels showed that EON does not affect humoral immune response. Instead, proliferative response and IFNγ production of LN T cells ex vivo stimulated with KLH were significantly higher in EON-treated group, but not IL-2 and IL-4 production. These results clearly show that EON preferentially upregulates T-cell mediated cellular immunity. We further clarified the accessory cells' contribution to the EON-mediated potentiation of cellular immunity and found considerably higher production of and TNF-α and IL-12 by splenic macrophages from EON-treated mice when stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and IFNγ. Collectively, in vivo EON treatment potentiates T cell-mediated cellular immunity and macrophage activity, but not humoral immunity. The current study provides a rationale for clinical application of EON to control infectious diseases, in particular, those caused by intracellular pathogens.