Cyclopia Extracts Enhance Th1-, Th2-, and Th17-type T Cell Responses and Induce Foxp3+ Cells in Murine Cell Culture

Abstract

, one of the traditional South African medicinal plants, and other species of the same genus offer noteworthy phenolic profiles, in particular high levels of the anti-allergic xanthone mangiferin. Hot water and 40% ethanol-water (v/v) extracts, prepared from , and were tested for immune-regulating activity using murine splenocytes and mesenteric lymph node cells. The 40% ethanol-water extracts of significantly enhanced production of several types of cytokines, including IL-4, IL-17, and IFN-, by antigen-stimulated splenocytes. A concentration-dependent response was observed, noticeably for IFN- production. The activity of the extracts did not correlate with the content of any of the major phenolic compounds, indicative that other extract constituents also play a role in immunomodulation. Additionally, the increased ratio of CD4CD25Foxp3 Treg cells to total CD4 cells indicated induction of Foxp3 cells when mesenteric lymph node cells were cultured in the presence of these two extracts. This study is the first reporting immunostimulatory activity for , which are widely consumed as the herbal tea known as honeybush, underpinning further investigations into the potential use of its extracts as adjuvants for mucosal immunotherapy.

Cyclopia extracts act as selective estrogen receptor subtype downregulators in estrogen receptor positive breast cancer cell lines: Comparison to standard of care breast cancer endocrine therapies and a selective estrogen receptor agonist and antagonist

“…Extracts of A. linearis and A. phylicoides demonstrate assorted medicinal attributes, as do extracts from Cyclopia species, the major focus of the current study ( Joubert et al, 2008 ; Louw et al, 2013 ; Joubert et al, 2019 ) Specifically, Cyclopia species, such as C. subternata Vogel, C. genistoides C. sessiliflora , C. intermedia , C . longifolia , and C. maculata, demonstrate anti-diabetic ( Chellan et al, 2014 ; Schulze et al, 2016 ), anti-obesity ( Pheiffer et al, 2013 ; Jack et al, 2018 ), and immune-stimulatory activities ( Murakami et al, 2018 ) and osteoclast formation inhibition ( Visagie et al, 2015 ); in addition to their useful application in nutraceutical, and cosmetic products ( Joubert et al, 2019 ). Particularly of relevance to the current study, the C. subternata Vogel extract, SM6Met, was shown in several studies to possess phytoestrogenic activity, to display ERα antagonism and ERβ agonism, to antagonize estrogen-induced proliferation in ER + BC cells ( Mfenyana et al, 2008 ; Louw et al, 2013 ; Visser et al, 2013 ; Mortimer et al, 2015 ; van Dyk, 2018 ) and to ameliorate BC in rats ( Visser et al, 2016 ; Oyenihi et al, 2018 ).…”

Anticancer and Drug-Sensitizing Activities of Gold Nanoparticles Synthesized from Cyclopia genistoides (Honeybush) Extracts

“…Cyclopia are classified into 20 species of flowering plants, examples include C. intermedia, C. genistoides, C. maculata, C. sessiliflora, and C. longifolia that are endemic to the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa. HB leaves are commonly used to make medicinal beverages and a herbal tea [7,8] that is caffeine-free and recognized for its many health benefits [4,9,10], such as anti-oxidant, anti-mutagenic, and anti-carcinogenic activities [8,11,12]. HB tea has been used by indigenous South African people for many centuries in folk medicine [7,8] to treat various ailments such as respiratory infections and digestive problems, to soothe the central nervous system, and to boost the immune system [9].…”

“…HB leaves are commonly used to make medicinal beverages and a herbal tea [7,8] that is caffeine-free and recognized for its many health benefits [4,9,10], such as anti-oxidant, anti-mutagenic, and anti-carcinogenic activities [8,11,12]. HB tea has been used by indigenous South African people for many centuries in folk medicine [7,8] to treat various ailments such as respiratory infections and digestive problems, to soothe the central nervous system, and to boost the immune system [9]. It has also been reported to have the inherent ability to prevent the development of skin cancer [13,14] and confer protection against oxidative stress via radical scavenging activity, iron-reducing potential, and inhibition of lipid peroxidation [7].…”

The effect of Aspalathin linearis, Cyclopia intermedia and Sutherlandia frutescene on sperm functional parameters of healthy male wistar rats

“…The anti-wrinkle effect of honeybush has been reported in animals ( Im et al, 2014 ) and in vitro studies ( Magcwebeba et al, 2016 ). Furthermore, studies have also shown its antioxidant ( Sánchez et al, 2000 ; Marnewick et al, 2003 ), anti-mutagenic ( Kokotkiewicz and Luczkiewicz, 2009 ) and mucosa immune therapy ( Murakami et al, 2018 ) effects in both in vivo and in vitro studies.…”