Abstract
PHELA is a herbal traditional medicine that is under development for use as an immune booster in immune compromised individuals. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine PHELA's mechanism of action by observing for changes in cytokine profiles. Four groups of Sprague Dawley rats (n = 8) were treated daily and separately with normal-saline, cyclosporine-A, PHELA-only and PHELA+ cyclosporine-A. Thereafter, 4 animals from each group were sacrificed after 7 and 14 days of treatment. Serum Th1 cytokines (IL-2, IFN-γ and TNF-α) and Th2 cytokines (IL-4 and IL-10) were measured by ELISA. The concentrations of Th1 cytokines in the PHELA-only treated group were similar to the control group on days 7 and 14. However, the Th1 cytokines were higher in the PHELA+cyclosporine-A treated group compared to cyclosporine-A group, and cyclosporine-A concentrations were similar in both groups. These results show that PHELA did not stimulate Th1 cytokines of a normal immune system but stimulated them when the immune system was suppressed by cyclosporine-A. In conclusion, PHELA is an immune-stimulant to a compromised immune system.
Highlights
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that leads to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)
These results show that PHELA did not stimulate Th1 cytokines of a normal immune system but stimulated them when the immune system was suppressed by cyclosporineA
IIncreased Th1 cytokines lead to cell mediated immunity (CMI), while increased Th2 cytokines leads to humoral immunity
Summary
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that leads to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). HIV infects the immune sytem, making the host unable to control the virus and at the same time more susceptible to infections by other pathogens. It targets the major immune cells, CD-4 T cells, macrophages and microglial cells. In 2008, about 33.4 million people were living with HIV, of whom 2.7 million more people were newly infected with HIV and 2.0 million die of AIDS (UNAIDS, 2009). South Africa experienced one of the most severe AIDS epidemics in history whereby by the end of 2008, there were 5.7 million people living with HIV in South Africa (UNAIDS, 2008)
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