Ketema Tsige, Yohannes Moti, Alemayehu Esayas, Ambelu Argaw
Department of Environmental Health Sciences and Technology, Jimma University, College of Public Health and Medical Sciences, Jimma, Ethiopia.
Department of Biology, Jimma University, College of Natural Sciences, Jimma, Ethiopia.
BMC Immunol. 2015 Feb 22;16:9. doi: 10.1186/s12865-015-0072-5.
The objective of this study was to explore the immunomodulatory effect of khat and its active component, cathinone, using mice.
Female Swiss albino mice aged 7-8 weeks weighing 25-30 g were used in the study. Mice were randomized into eight groups of 6 each and oral treatment of khat crude extract and cathinone were given daily for four weeks. Physical, hematological, biochemical, and immunological parameters were measured. Immunological studies included humeral immunity (IgG and IgM), cellular immune response (delay type hypersensitivity), phagocytic activities of reticuloendothelial system, and determination of T-lymphocyte population: CD3(+), CD4(+), CD8(+) count and CD4(+)/CD8(+) status.
Findings of this study showed that, khat and its major metabolite, cathinone, can positively affect immune system in dose dependent manner. When doses of crude khat extract and cathinone increase, the induction of humeral (IgG and IgM) and cellular immune responses were up-regulated significantly (P < 0.05), while at higher dose of khat (200 mg/kg) cellular immune response was suppressed. In support of this, as doses of the two test substances increased, the count of T helper cells (CD4(+)) was significantly increased (P < 0.05), while higher dose significantly reduced whole white blood cell (WBC), CD8(+), and CD3(+) counts.
At relatively lower dose (50-100 mg/kg), crude khat extract has immune stimulating property, although higher dose (200 mg/kg) leads to suppression of cellular immune response. Cathinone also share all immune modulating property of its parent compound, khat, but with intense strength. Thus, it calls for further detailed investigation of khat for practical application of the same in human medication.
本研究的目的是利用小鼠探讨巧茶及其活性成分卡西酮的免疫调节作用。
本研究使用7 - 8周龄、体重25 - 30 g的雌性瑞士白化小鼠。将小鼠随机分为8组，每组6只，每天口服巧茶粗提物和卡西酮，持续4周。测量身体、血液学、生化和免疫学参数。免疫学研究包括体液免疫（IgG和IgM）、细胞免疫反应（迟发型超敏反应）、网状内皮系统的吞噬活性以及T淋巴细胞群的测定：CD3(+)、CD4(+)、CD8(+)计数和CD4(+)/CD8(+)状态。
本研究结果表明，巧茶及其主要代谢产物卡西酮可呈剂量依赖性地对免疫系统产生积极影响。当巧茶粗提物和卡西酮的剂量增加时，体液（IgG和IgM）和细胞免疫反应的诱导显著上调（P < 0.05），而在较高剂量的巧茶（200 mg/kg）下细胞免疫反应受到抑制。支持这一点的是，随着两种受试物质剂量的增加，辅助性T细胞（CD4(+)）计数显著增加（P < 0.05），而较高剂量显著降低全白细胞（WBC）、CD8(+)和CD3(+)计数。
在相对较低剂量（50 - 100 mg/kg）下，巧茶粗提物具有免疫刺激特性，尽管较高剂量（200 mg/kg）会导致细胞免疫反应受到抑制。卡西酮也具有其母体化合物巧茶的所有免疫调节特性，但强度更大。因此，需要对巧茶进行进一步详细研究，以便将其实际应用于人类药物治疗。
