Immunomodulating, antianemic, and adaptogenic effects of polysaccharides from plaster clover (Melilotus officinalis)

Abstract

Daily oral administration of polysaccharides extracted from plaster clover plants increased physical endurance (as determined in swimming tests) and body weight in mice and rats, stimulated the recovery of hematopoiesis in rats with experimentally produced lead anemia, and boosted the immune response to rat erythrocytes in mice, causing pronounced changes in the erythrocytic and leukocytic series and particularly in immunocompetent organs such as the thymus and spleen. Key Words: plaster clover; polysaccharides; lead anemiaBroad-spectrum immunomodulating preparations have been shown to be able to produce a diversity of beneficial effects in the host (e.g., to enhance regeneration, mitigate anemia, and promote adaptive responses) and are therefore of considerable practical interest. Such effects appear to stem from the ability of certain T-lymphocyte populations to act directly on cell growth, as has been discussed at length in reports on studies with various animal models [1][2][3][4][5][6][7].Much promise in this regard seems to lie in research into the immunomodulating, antianemic, and adaptation-promoting potentials of preparations made from the plant plaster clover, whose polysaccharides are endowed with valuable biological properties while being virtually nontoxic.In the present study we tested plaster clover polysaccharides (PCP) for their effects on lead anemia in rats, on immune plaque formation in the spleen of mice, and on the general physical activity of both mice and rats. MATERIALS AND METHODSPCP were obtained from plaster clover (Melilotus officinalis D.) plants by extraction with hot water, N. A. Semashko Medical Stomatological Institute, Moscow followed by precipitation with 96% ethanol and purification by electrodialysis. The resulting preparations of light gray color were soluble in hot water and contained 76-82% of the active principle.A total of 55 random-bred male mrs (body weight 85-95 g) and 120 female BALB/c mice (body weight 18-20 g) were used. Test animals were administered PCP by the oral route once daily at 50 or 500 ~ag/kg body weight for 30 days.At 3-5-day intervals during the 30-day treatment period, the animals were weighed, their physical work capacity was evaluated in a swimming test by noting how long they could swim, and samples of their peripheral blood were taken from the retroorbital sinus and assayed for hemoglobin and erythrocyte, leukocyte, and differential blood counts using Romanowsky's stain; in addition, several animals were sacrificed at each 3-5-day interval to measure thymus and spleen weights and determine the number of peripheral blood lymphocytes after their isolation by centrifugation in a Ficoll density gradient [8].In rats, lead anemia was produced by the standard method using lead acetate.In mice, the immune response to rat erythrocytes was assessed in a plaque assay in monolayers [9] by counting the number of antibody-producing cells (APC) in their spleens on day 4 or 5 after in-

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N‐Butanol Extract from Melilotus suaveolens Ledeb Affects Pro‐ and Anti‐Inflammatory Cytokines and Mediators

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