Evaluation of immunostimulant activity and inhibition of cytokine storm activity of proprietary herbal formulation virulina�

Abstract

Immunostimulation is the strengthening of the immune system through the induction of nonspecific immune responses. Synthetic drugs have harmful side effects, enormous costs, and are ineffectual in controlling several pathological disorders. Therefore, nowadays, herbal immunostimulants have been considered as a superior and less toxic opportunity for the management of disorders as well as their complications. The objective of the current investigation is the formulation of Virulina� -Natural Solutions (VL� -NS) polyherbal formulation and its evaluation for immunostimulant and cytokine storm inhibition activity. The immunostimulant & anti-inflammatory potential of Virulina� were determined by using in-vitro phagocytosis through polymorphonuclear analysis, indicating the invasion of leukocytes. In-vitro cytokine storm inhibitory activity was also performed using mouse macrophage cells (RAW264.7) treated with polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid to test the ability of Virulina� to attenuate the immune responses. The inflammatory responses were evaluated by the endotoxin-lipopolysaccharide (LPS) model following the endotoxin challenges of aggravating the inflammatory mediators (cytokines); thereby, the LPS derived from E. coli as antigen at a dose of 10 mgkg-1 , i.p was used for the systemic inflammation. VL� -NS exhibited enhanced phagocytic efficacy at 100 mgml-1 in PMN function test. VL� -NS significantly decreases the expression of a cytokine such as interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-? & vascular endothelial growth factor in RAW264.7 cell culture. The increase in LPS-induced cytokine levels in rat serum was dose-dependently & significantly (p<0.05) inhibited by VL�-NS treatment. VL� -NS tend to be potent immunostimulant therapy as a superior and less toxic opportunity for the strengthening of the immune system for the management of several inflammatory disorders.