Immunomodulatory Activity of Achyranthes aspera on the Elicitationof Antigen-Specific Murine Antibody Response.

The extract of Achyranthes aspera Linn. (Amaranthaceae) was found to enhance the induction of ovalbumin (OVA)specific humoral antibody response in mice, on intraperitoneal injection of extract along with OVA. The antibody response was evaluated by passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) and ELISA for IgE and other classes or subclasses of antibodies, respectively. Furthermore, the plant extract was found to increase the induction of OVA-specific antibody response in a dose-dependent manner. A significant elevation of IgM, IgG[sub 1] and IgG[sub 3] antibodies was observed (p < 0.01); however, interestingly, the anti-OVA PCA titers were suppressed. The adjuvant property of the extract was further examined in different strains of mice and a significant elevation of the OVA-specific IgG antibody response in all strains tested was found. When the extracts of different parts of the herb were tested, the seed and root extracts appeared to exhibit relatively higher activity. These results confirm the immunostimulatory properties of Achyranthes aspera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]