Distinctive effects of pilose antler on mouse peripheral blood immune cell populations

Abstract

Pilose antler is a rare animal-sourced traditional Chinese medicine that has been demonstrated to cause a change in total immunity. Little is known about its specific effect on immune cells. In this study, the immunological modulatory effects of pilose antler extract on mice were investigated. Mice were gavaged daily for 7 days with pilose antler extracts, and peripheral blood was analysed by flow cytometry. Our results show that pilose antler extract exerted distinctive effects on the different immune cell types analysed. Pilose antler gavage transiently increased T cell percentage and decreased B cell percentage in peripheral blood. After treatment, the proliferation of killer and helper T cells was stimulated in the short term, but in the longer term, NK and memory T cell populations were increased. These results suggest that pilose antler treatment has both transient and long-term effects on the immune system in mice.ARTICLE HISTORY

Water extract of pilose antler can inhibit breast cancer progression of the mouse through modulating its immune system

“…Therefore, the real strategy of this strong anti-tumor function in vivo was worthy of further research. It was reported that crude extract or certain components of PA have immunomodulatory functions (Zha et al, 2013;Zheng et al, 2017). The ethanol-soluble components from PA could enhance macrophage phagocytosis and promote the level of immunoglobulins in mice (Suh, Eun, So, Seo, & Jhon, 1999;Wang & Zhou, 1991).…”

“…A further clue comes from the experiment that rapamycin could inhibit B cells and reverse splenomegaly in Tg6/λ-MYC mice (Cen & Longnecker, 2011). The previous study by Zheng et al (2017) showed that WEPA gavage decreased the level of B cells in peripheral flood in mice. But, the pathway of inhibitory effect of WEPA on the spleen enlargement still needs more investigation.…”

“…However, recent studies have shown that some peptides contained in PA have an inhibitory effect on tumour growth both in vitro and in vivo (Tang et al, 2015). This inhibitory effect in vivo may be associated with a regulatory effect of PA on the immune system (Zha et al, 2013;Zheng, Fan, Ji, & Ma, 2017). In practice, the total components of PA are used as medicine.…”

Network Pharmacology, Molecular Docking and Molecular Dynamics to Explore the Potential Immunomodulatory Mechanisms of Deer Antler

“…Deer antlers are the unossified, densely fluffy horns of sika or red deer and can periodically regenerate. Studies have shown that deer antlers can considerably improve immunity [ 3 , 4 ], treat neurological diseases [ 5 , 6 ], manage tumors [ 7 ], and treat osteoarthritis [ 8 , 9 ]. The pharmacological activity of deer antlers is derived from the richness and diversity of their active compounds [ 10 ].…”

“…The immunomodulatory effect of deer antlers has been reported by several scholars. In a study using a cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppression mouse model, a deer antler aqueous extract ameliorated spleen damage and significantly promoted splenocyte proliferation [ 4 ]. In cell-mediated immunity, deer antler polypeptides can significantly promote the proliferation of CD4+ and CD8+T cell subsets in a dose-dependent manner [ 3 ].…”