Nigella sativa
Seed Extract Affects Granulocyte Phagocytosis and Lymphocytes
Proliferation in Goats
Anas Sarwar
Qureshi1,2*,Sarmad
Rehan2 and Heinrich
Enbergs1
1Institute of Anatomy,
Physiology and Hygiene of
Domestic Animals, University of Bonn,
Germany 2Department of Anatomy,
University of Agriculture Faisalabad 38040
Pakistan *Corresponding author:
anas-sarwar@uaf.edu.pk
Abstract
Herbal medication is becoming very popular in today’s world as people seek for
natural remedies and avoid synthetic ones.
These are widely used as
immuno- modulatory agents. Nigella sativa is one of them and
its extract contains a major component thymoquinone (TQ), which has
immuno-modulatory activities. The objectives of current study were to evaluate
the immunomodulatory effects of Nigella sativa extract in ethanol on the
polymorphonuclear (PMN)/leukocyte phagocytosis
and lymphocyte proliferation in goats. For this purpose, whole blood was
analyzed with Phagotest® by flow cytometry and lymphocyte
proliferation using WST-1® test kit.
All doses of D4 and D8 dilutions of Nigella
sativa exerted an inhibitory effect on phagocytosis activity, maximal
effect was observed with 10 µl (highest dose). In
contrast, all doses of the D6 dilution of Nigella sativa enhanced
the phagocytosis activity in a dose-dependent
manner. The maximum stimulating effect (median: 8%) was observed
at the highest dose (l0 µl), which was significantly (P<0.05)
different from other doses. Various doses of all tested dilutions (D4, D6, D8)
of Nigella sativa stimulated lymphocyte proliferation. The maximum
stimulating effect (median: 8%) was observed by the lowest dose (0.5 µl) of D4
dilution of Nigella sativa, which was significantly (P<0.05) different
from other doses tested. Thus, ethanolic dilutions of Nigella sativa seed
extract may be considered as an immuno- modulatory agent to cure immune mediated
disorders.