Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Cyperus scariosus Chloroform Fraction Inhibits T cell Responses in Balb/C Mice

Deepak Bhagwat¹ , M D Kharya², Sarang Bani³, Anjali Pandey³, Prashant Singh Chauhan³, Kiranjeet Kour³, K A Suri⁴, N K Satti⁴, Prabhu Dutt⁴

¹Pharmacology Research Laboratory, ASBASJSM College of Pharmacy, Bela (Ropar), 140 111, PB; ²Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dr. Hari Singh Gour University, Sagar, 470 003, M.P; ³Cell Biology Laboratory, Department of Pharmacology, Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu Tawi, 180 001. J & K, India; ⁴Natural Products Chemistry Division, Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu Tawi, 180 001. J & K, India.

For correspondence:- Deepak Bhagwat Email: bhagwatdeepak@rediffmail.com Tel:+919464373994

Received: 12 March 2009 Accepted: 18 July 2009 Published: 23 October 2009

Citation: Bhagwat D, Kharya MD, Bani S, Pandey A, Chauhan PS, Kour K, et al. Cyperus scariosus Chloroform Fraction Inhibits T cell Responses in Balb/C Mice. Trop J Pharm Res 2009; 8(5):399-408 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v8i5.4

© 2009 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the T cell inhibition potential of 50% ethanol extract of Cyperus scariosus (CS) and its bioactive chloroform fraction (CSC).

Methods: The preliminary screening of the extract was carried out by humoral antibody response and delayed-type hypersensitivity models employing sheep red blood cells (SRBC) as the antigen. Further, the extract was studied by skin allograft rejection test, and phagocytosis - in vitro and ex vivo - by C. albicans method and carbon clearance test, respectively. The extract was fractionated with chloroform, n-butanol and water, and then used to investigate the T-cell specific immunosuppressive potential of these fractions by flow cytometry.

Results: On p.o. administration, CS inhibited both humoral and cell-mediated immune responses significantly (p < 0.01) by suppressing primary (26.8 %) and secondary (29.7 %) antibody titres, and also inhibited cell-mediated delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) immune response (45.9 %) at 600 mg/kg dose, phagocytosis - both in vitro (37.4 %) and ex vivo (37.8 %) - and delayed the graft rejection time (45.8%), thus confirming marked immunosuppression. Out of the three isolated fractions, only the chloroform fraction significantly (p < 0.01) suppressed CD8+/ CD4+ T cell surface markers (14.0/25.3 %) and intra-cellular Th1 cytokines, viz, IL-2 (34.4 %), and IFN-γ (34.7 %), compared to cyclosporine-A (5), a standard T cell inhibitor (53.6 %) which was given to Balb/C mice at 200 mg/kg dose. CSC did not significantly (p < 0.01) suppress Th2 (IL-4) system.

Conclusion: The findings from this investigation reveal that C. scariosus causes immunosuppression by inhibiting Th1 cytokines.

Keywords: Cyperus scariosus; Immunosuppression; Humoral antibody titre; Cell-mediated immune response; CD 4+ T- helper cells; CD 8+ T- cytotoxic cells