The effect of aerial parts of Echinacea on the circulating white cell levels and selected immune functions of the aging male Sprague–Dawley rat

Echinacea is one of the most widely used over-the-counter herbal preparations that purport to “improve immune system function”, especially when taken as a short course of therapy (6–8 weeks). Since many purchasers are older individuals, a double-blind, placebo-controlled study was performed to inves...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International immunopharmacology 2003-07, Vol.3 (7), p.1041-1048
Main Authors: Cundell, Diana R, Matrone, Michael A, Ratajczak, Paulina, Pierce, John D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Administration, Oral
Aging - immunology
Analysis
Animals
Arachis hypogaea
Biological and medical sciences
Echinacea
Echinacea - chemistry
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
General pharmacology
Granulocytes - cytology
Granulocytes - immunology
IL-2
Interleukin-2 - blood
Leukocyte Count
Leukocytes - cytology
Leukocytes - immunology
Lymphocytes - cytology
Lymphocytes - immunology
Male
Medical sciences
Monocytes - cytology
Monocytes - immunology
Phagocytosis - drug effects
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Plant Components, Aerial - chemistry
Plant Preparations - administration & dosage
Plant Preparations - pharmacology
Rat
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Time Factors
White blood cells
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Summary:Echinacea is one of the most widely used over-the-counter herbal preparations that purport to “improve immune system function”, especially when taken as a short course of therapy (6–8 weeks). Since many purchasers are older individuals, a double-blind, placebo-controlled study was performed to investigate whether Echinacea could affect total and differential white cell counts, phagocytic activity and interleukin (IL-2) levels in 12-month-old, healthy, male Sprague–Dawley rats when administered over an 8-week period. Echinacea (50 mg/kg of aerial parts) mixed with peanut butter or peanut butter alone was fed to 16 rats, which were receiving regular food and water ad libitum. Cell counts and immune functions were determined on rat tail vein blood on a weekly basis. Echinacea significantly increased circulating total white cell counts during the first 2 weeks of administration, and IL-2 levels during the final 5 weeks of the study period ( p
ISSN:1567-5769
1878-1705
DOI:10.1016/S1567-5769(03)00114-0