Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, National Chung Hsing University, 250 Kuokuang Road, Taichung 40227, Taiwan.
Biomolecules. 2020 Feb 19;10(2):338. doi: 10.3390/biom10020338.
To clarify the effects of steam distilled essential oils (SDEO) from herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine on immune functions, two potential herbs, (AG) and (ER) cultivated in Taiwan, were selected to assess their immunomodulatory effects using mouse primary splenocytes and peritoneal macrophages. T helper type 1 lymphocytes (Th1) (IL-2), Th2 (IL-5), pro-inflammatory (TNF-α) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines secreted by correspondent immune cells treated with SDEO samples were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The total amounts of potential phytochemicals, including total flavonoids, polyphenols and saponins, in these two selected SDEOs were measured and correlated with cytokine levels secreted by immune cells. Our results evidenced that ER SDEO is rich in total flavonoids, polyphenols and saponins. Treatments with AG and ER SDEO significantly ( < 0.05) increased IL-5/IL-2 (Th2/Th1) cytokine secretion ratios by splenocytes, suggesting that both AG and ER SDEO have the Th2-polarization property and anti-inflammatory potential. In addition, AG and ER SDEO, particularly ER SDEO, markedly decreased TNF-α/IL-10 secretion ratios by macrophages in the absence or presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), exhibiting substantial effects on spontaneous and LPS-induced inflammation. Significant correlations were found between the total polyphenols, flavonoids or saponins content in the two selected SDEOs and Th1/Th2 immune balance or anti-inflammatory ability in linear, non-linear or biphasic manners, respectively. In conclusion, our results suggest that AG and ER, particularly ER, SDEO have immunomodulatory potential in shifting the Th1/Th2 balance toward Th2 polarization in splenocytes and inhibiting inflammation in macrophages in the absence or presence of LPS.
为了阐明来自中药的蒸汽蒸馏精油（SDEO）对免疫功能的影响，选择了两种在台湾种植的潜在草药（AG）和（ER）来评估它们对小鼠原代脾细胞和腹腔巨噬细胞的免疫调节作用。使用酶联免疫吸附试验测定经 SDEO 样品处理的相应免疫细胞分泌的辅助性 T 细胞 1 型淋巴细胞（Th1）（IL-2）、Th2（IL-5）、促炎（TNF-α）和抗炎（IL-10）细胞因子。测量了这两种选定的 SDEO 中潜在植物化学物质的总量，包括总黄酮、多酚和皂苷，并将其与免疫细胞分泌的细胞因子水平相关联。我们的结果表明，ER SDEO 富含总黄酮、多酚和皂苷。AG 和 ER SDEO 的处理显著（<0.05）增加了脾细胞中 IL-5/IL-2（Th2/Th1）细胞因子分泌的比率，表明 AG 和 ER SDEO 均具有 Th2 极化特性和抗炎潜力。此外，AG 和 ER SDEO，特别是 ER SDEO，显著降低了巨噬细胞在无或有脂多糖（LPS）存在时的 TNF-α/IL-10 分泌比率，对自发性和 LPS 诱导的炎症具有显著作用。在这两种选定的 SDEO 中，总多酚、类黄酮或皂苷的含量与 Th1/Th2 免疫平衡或抗炎能力之间存在线性、非线性或双相关系。总之，我们的结果表明，AG 和 ER，特别是 ER，SDEO 具有免疫调节潜力，可以使 Th1/Th2 平衡向脾细胞中的 Th2 极化转移，并抑制 LPS 无或有存在时巨噬细胞的炎症。
