Department of Medical Mycology, AJA University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol. 2011 Dec;33(4):676-81. doi: 10.3109/08923973.2011.560158. Epub 2011 Mar 14.
Natural products are important resources in traditional medicine and have been long used for prevention and treatment of many diseases. Medicinal plants have immunomodulatory properties. Aloe is one of the herbal medicines widely used in natural treatment and alternative therapy for various types of diseases. Aloe vera has been shown to modulate the immune response. Macrophages have been shown to play an essential role as the first line of defense against invading pathogen. Candida albicans is a communal and opportunistic pathogen in humans. In this study, we investigated the effect of A. vera extract and its fractions on infected macrophages with C. albicans. Viability of intraperitoneal macrophages was evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) test. Cell viability of infected macrophages was increased by the extract and dose of some isolated fractions dependently. The extract as well as R100, R50, R30, and R10 fractions of A. vera significantly increased cell viability of macrophages in most doses. R5 and F5 fractions showed no significant difference in comparison with control group. Further studies in animal models and human are necessary to clarify the modulatory effects of A. vera on macrophage function. Isolation and purification of A. vera components are also needed to find out the effective molecules.
天然产物是传统医学的重要资源，长期以来一直被用于预防和治疗许多疾病。药用植物具有免疫调节特性。芦荟是一种广泛用于天然治疗和替代疗法的草药，可用于治疗各种类型的疾病。已证实芦荟具有调节免疫反应的作用。巨噬细胞作为抵御入侵病原体的第一道防线，发挥着至关重要的作用。白色念珠菌是人类共生和机会性病原体。在这项研究中，我们研究了芦荟提取物及其馏分对感染白色念珠菌的巨噬细胞的影响。通过 3-(4,5-二甲基噻唑-2-基)-2,5-二苯基四氮唑溴盐（MTT）试验评估腹腔巨噬细胞的活力。提取物和一些分离馏分的浓度依赖性地增加了感染巨噬细胞的存活率。提取物以及芦荟的 R100、R50、R30 和 R10 馏分在大多数剂量下均显著增加了巨噬细胞的细胞活力。与对照组相比，R5 和 F5 馏分没有显著差异。需要在动物模型和人体中进一步研究，以阐明芦荟对巨噬细胞功能的调节作用。还需要对芦荟的成分进行分离和纯化，以找出有效分子。
