Plants and Plant‐Derived Molecules as Natural Immunomodulators

Abstract

Background. Nowadays, the immunomodulatory properties of plants have been studied extensively with greater interest due to increasing awareness and combating the severity of immunomodulatory diseases. Scope and Approach. This paper highlights the efficacy of the available literature evidence on natural immunomodulators of plant origin and synthetic ones. In addition, several aspects of plants and their phytoconstituents responsible for immunomodulation have been discussed. Moreover, this review also discusses the mechanism involved in immunomodulation. Key Findings. One hundred fifty medicinal immunomodulatory plants are currently identified to find novel immunomodulatory drugs. Of these plants, the plant family Asteraceae also takes the first rank by offering 18 plant species (12%). Similarly of the plants studied so far, 40% belong to the Asteraceae family. Echinacea purpurea of this family is most known for its immunostimulating activity. The most prominent immune-active bioactive molecules are polyphenols, terpenoids, and alkaloids. Also, eight plant bioactive immunomodulators were checked for clinical trials and found in the market. These are six immunosuppressants, resveratrol, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, quercetin, colchicine, capsaicin, and andrographolide, and two immunostimulants, curcumin and genistein. Nowadays, there are a lot of polyherbal traditional medicinal products sold in the market and claimed to their immunomodulators. However, much work is still needed to find more active immunomodulatory agents. The mechanism by which immunomodulatory medicinal plant exert their effect is through the induction of cytokines and phagocyte cells and the inhibition of iNOS, PGE, and COX-2 synthesis.

Application of Support Vector Machine for Class Imbalance Learning to Predict Anticancer Compounds of Medicinal Plants in West Sulawesi

“…Immunomodulating agents, on the other hand, are a distinct group of drugs that work by modifying the body's immune response. Immunomodulating agents can potentially augment the immune system's capacity to identify and combat cancer cells [23]. These agents are commonly utilized in immunotherapy, an advanced strategy for treating cancer that revolves around strengthening the body's innate ability to defend itself against cancer.…”

Evaluation of phagocytic index and haematological parameters of Sida rhombifolia extracts in mice as immunomodulator

“…Among the prevention mechanisms that are also stated in the traditional healthcare systems of different parts of the world, enhancing the human immune system is one solution to reduce the increasing incidence of diseases and deaths. Immunotherapies using plantsourced phytochemicals are now receiving attention to combat the spread of cancer, autoimmune disease, and infection (Trinh et al, 2020;Zebeaman et al, 2023).…”

“…Strengthening the immune system is a strategy to defend from virus attacks. Several plants medicinal plants were reported to enhance the human immune system through various mechanisms (Zebeaman et al, 2023) Indonesia has a large variety of natural resources, especially the diversity of plants used for medicinal plants. There are 40,000 species of medicinal plants in the world, 30,000 of which are widespread in Indonesia, with 9,600 species of them having known Wahyuni et al Immunomodulator of Sida rombifolia Pharmacy Education 24(3) 95 -100 96 medicinal properties.…”

“…Azadirachta indica A., Emblica officinalis, Picrorhiza kurroa Royle, Tinospora cordifolia, Moringa oleifera, Ocimum sanctum L, and Withania are several plants that have been used to prevent the infection of novel viruses (Das, 2022). Many studies also reported the activity of medicinal plants as immunostimulants (Tanti Azizah et al, 2021;Zebeaman et al, 2023). Echinacea purpurea is a medicinal plant that has been used as a component in many commercial immunostimulant products.…”

The immune enhancing effect of Cirsium japonicum var. maackii-derived flavone components in IFN-γ-induced RAW264.7 macrophage cells

“…면역조절제는 면역증강제, 면역보조제, 면역억제제의 세 가지 로 구분되며, 이 중 면역증강제는 다양한 작용 방식으로 면역 체계의 효능을 향상시키는 물질을 말하고, 면역보조제는 특정 백신과 함께 사용 시에 면역 반응을 향상시키는 물질을 말한다 [6]. 반면에 면역억제제는 면역 체계의 활성을 감소시키는 물질 을 의미한다 [7].…”