The Influence Of Centella Asiatica Extracts On Lymphocyte Proliferation In Mice

ObjectiveTo isolate the main active ingredient with antioxidant activity of centella asiatica, and evaluate the antioxidant potentical of centella asiatica extracts by some different assays. Lymphocyte proliferation was assessed to observe the influence of centella asiatica extracts, and probe the mechanism.Methods1. Centella asiatica was extracted with alcohol and different organic solvent. Different methods were used to evaluate the antioxidant activity of centella asiatica extracts.2. The spleen lymphocyte proliferation model of mice was established to observe the influence of centella asiatica extracts.3. The spleen lymphocyte total RNA was extracted by Trizol method. The IL-2 mRNA and IFN-y mRNA expression in three cases such as normal, mitogen group and centella asiatica extract group was determinded by RT-PCR technique. IL-2 and IFN-y in the cell supernatant were also tested by ELISA.Results1. Centella asiatica was found to have abundant polyphenol extrated from different phases and in a descending order as follows:ethyl acetate extracts>n-butanol extracts>water extracts>ligarine extracts.2. Extracts of centella asiatica exhibited the scavenging efficacy of OH'and DPPH·free radical, also inhibited the the generation of ROS in stimulated lymphocytes, acetic ether extracts showed significant effect. The active ingredient was identified as flavone.3. Acetic ether extracts of Centella asiatica showed ability of inhibiting the spleen lymphocyte proliferation induced by LPS and ConA. N-butanol extracts of Centella asiatica just inhibited the spleen lymphocyte proliferation induced by ConA.4. Acetic ether extracts of Centella asiatica can down regulate the spleen lymphocytic expression of IL-2 mRNA and IFN-y mRNA. It also reduced IL-2 and IFN-γproduction.Conclusions1. Flavones in the centella asiatica have possesed antioxidant activity.2. Acetic ether extracts of Centella asiatica effectively inhibits lymphocytes proliferation, through the mechanism of down regulating the spleen lymphocytic expression of IL-2 mRNA and IFN-γmRNA and reducing the production of IL-2 and IFN-γ.