Abstract
Brazilian propolis AF-08 as a dietary supplement has been shown to be effective in alleviating symptoms of herpes simplex virus and respiratory syncytial virus infection in mice. The alleviation was associated with the modification of immunological activity by AF-08 as a cytokine regulator. The immunomodulatory activity of AF-08 was suggested to contribute to the severity of symptoms and pathogenesis in cytokine-mediated diseases. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of AF-08 as a potential cytokine modulator in alleviating autoimmune diseases. The efficacy and cytokine-modulatory activity of AF-08 were examined in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in mice. Mice were immunized with type II collagen. AF-08 at 0, 30, or 100 mg/kg was administered orally to the immunized mice once daily for three weeks before and/or three times daily for two weeks after the onset of CIA. The development of arthritis of the paws and inflammatory cytokine levels in serum were examined. AF-08 at 100 mg/kg significantly reduced the incidence and severity of CIA prophylactically and therapeutically and reduced the rise of systemic interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α levels in the early phase of CIA. In the early phase of CIA, the reduction of inflammatory cytokine levels by AF-08 correlated with the amelioration of symptoms of CIA. AF-08 might inhibit the initiation of cytokine-mediated disease rather than suppressing disease progression without toxicity. AF-08 was confirmed to possess cytokine-modulatory activity in vivo. It is possible that AF-08 is a potential prophylactic and therapeutic agent for autoimmune diseases.
Highlights
Cytokine is an important factor in modulating immune responses and establishing the host defense system against microbial infection
We previously showed that traditional herbal medicines, dietary supplements, probiotics, and some components of them were effective in alleviating or exacerbating symptoms correlated with the changes of cytokine productions in Corresponding author: Kurokawa Masahiko Department of Biochemistry, Graduate School of Clinical Pharmacy, Kyushu University of Health and Welfare, Nobeoka, Miyazaki 882-8508, Japan
Brazilian propolis AF-08 as a dietary supplement was shown to be effective in alleviating herpetic symptoms and augmenting immunological activity associated with IFN-γ production-inducing Th1 immunity in mice [6]
Summary
Cytokine is an important factor in modulating immune responses and establishing the host defense system against microbial infection. It plays primary roles directly or indirectly in the onset and development of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases and microbial infection [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]. Brazilian propolis AF-08 as a dietary supplement was shown to be effective in alleviating herpetic symptoms and augmenting immunological activity associated with IFN-γ production-inducing Th1 immunity in mice [6]. The modification of immunological activity associated with cytokine production by propolis AF-08 in mice was suggested to contribute to the elucidation of various pharmacological actions of AF-08 in health and disease.
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