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Immunosuppressive effects of Euphorbia hirta in experimental animals

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Abstract

Euphorbia hirta L. (Euphorbiaceae) (E. hirta) is a tree locally used as a traditional medicine in Africa and Australia to treat numerous diseases such as hypertension, respiratory ailments, tumors, wounds, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory activities, etc. Therefore, we undertook to investigate their immunomodulatory effect on T lymphocytes (CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ receptors) and Th1 cytokines (IL-2, TNF-α, IFN-γ) in a dose-dependent manner. E. hirta ethanol extract at 25, 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg doses was given orally for 7 days from the day of immunization. E. hirta maximum inhibition at 100 and 200 mg/kg p.o. was found to significantly block the production of the cell-mediated immune response, (CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ receptors) and (IL-2, TNF-α, IFN-γ) and also prolongs graft rejection. E. hirta also showed a decrease of delayed hypersensitivity (DTH) response and dose-related decrease in the primary antibody response, respectively. Based on the data, it can be suggested that E. hirta is a potent and non-toxic immunosuppressor, which can be further explored for the development of potent immunosuppressor.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for the Research Center of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, PO Box 11451, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Sheikh Fayaz Ahmad, Saleh A. Bakheet, Sabry M. Attia, Khairy M. A. Zoheir & Adel R. A. Abd-Allah

  2. Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine formerly known as Regional Research Laboratory (CSIR), Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India

    Beenish Khan, Sarang Bani, Anpurna Kaul, Phalisteen Sultan, Sheikh Abid Ali & N. K. Satti

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  1. Sheikh Fayaz Ahmad
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  2. Beenish Khan
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  3. Sarang Bani
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  5. Phalisteen Sultan
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  6. Sheikh Abid Ali
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  7. N. K. Satti
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  8. Saleh A. Bakheet
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  9. Sabry M. Attia
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  10. Khairy M. A. Zoheir
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  11. Adel R. A. Abd-Allah
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Correspondence to Sheikh Fayaz Ahmad.

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Ahmad, S.F., Khan, B., Bani, S. et al. Immunosuppressive effects of Euphorbia hirta in experimental animals. Inflammopharmacol 21, 161–168 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10787-012-0144-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10787-012-0144-6

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