ABSTRACT
Using herbal medicines as a complementary treatment method is increasing in wide variety of diseases. MS14-an herbal-marine preparation-is reported to have anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities; however, the mechanism underlying its therapeutic effect is not known. Macrophages play an important role in host defense mechanisms and carry out their role by producing various mediators including proinflammatory cytokines [TNF alpha, IL-1beta]. In this study the effects of orally administered MS14 on TNF alpha and IL-1beta production of BALB/c mice peritoneal macrophages were evaluated. MS14 at 100 mg/kg was orally administered for 5 days to BALB/c mice in MS14 group. Sterile normal saline was administered to mice in control group. Peritoneal macrophage were isolated from control and MS14 groups and cultured, then the supernatants were collected and the cytokines IL-1beta and TNF alpha were measured by ELISA test. Significant decrease in TNF alpha and IL-1beta production of macrophages both at the presence and absence of stimulators was observed. TNF alpha levels were 64.7 +/- 4.6 and 51.1 +/- 4.2 pg/ml in drug and control groups respectively [P< 0.05] and 298.7 +/- 31.3 and 177.0 +/- 26.5 pg/ml in stimulated [PMA+fMLP] cultures of drug and control groups respectively [P< 0.007]. The IL-1beta levels was 130.1 +/- 2.8 pg/ml in control and 65.1 +/- 5.6 in MS14 group [P< 0.000]. It could be concluded that MS14 is able to cause a decline in some inflammatory responses of immune system, which could be considered as at least one of its immunomodulatory mechanisms