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Potassium Humate Inhibits Complement Activation and the Production of Inflammatory Cytokines In Vitro

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Abstract

The effects of brown coal derived potassium humate on lymphocyte proliferation, cytokine production and complement activation were investigated in vitro. Potassium humate increased lymphocyte proliferation of phytohaemaglutinin A (PHA) and pokeweed mitogen (PWM) stimulated mononuclear lymphocytes (MNL) in vitro from concentrations of 20 to 80 μg/ml, in a dose dependant manner. On the other hand potassium humate, at 40 μg/ml, significantly inhibited the release of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-10 by PHA stimulated MNL. Regarding complement activation it was found that potassium humate inhibits the activation of both the alternative and classical pathways without affecting the stability of the red blood cell membranes. These results indicate that the anti-inflammatory potential of potassium humate could be partially due to the inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines responsible for the initiation of these reactions as well as inhibition of complement activation. The increased lymphocyte proliferation observed, might be due to increased IL-2 production as previously been documented.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by Unique Health Trust (Milnerton, South Africa) and a grant from the South African National Research Foundation (NRF).

The corresponding author, CEJ van Rensburg, acts as consultant for the company.

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  1. University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

    Constance E. Jansen van Rensburg & Pieter J. Naude

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  1. Constance E. Jansen van Rensburg
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Correspondence to Constance E. Jansen van Rensburg.

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Jansen van Rensburg, C.E., Naude, P.J. Potassium Humate Inhibits Complement Activation and the Production of Inflammatory Cytokines In Vitro . Inflammation 32, 270–276 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10753-009-9130-6

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