Immunomodulatory activity of various fractions derived from Physalis angulata L extract.

The immunomodulatory effects of Physalis angulata L. extract fraction VII (PA-VII), PA-VII-A, PA-VII-B and PA-VII-C were investigated in this study. The results showed that PA-VII and PA-VII-C strongly enhanced blastogenesis response, PA-VII-B had moderate activity, and PA-VII-A exerted only slight effect on cell proliferation. A synergistic effect was observed when the suboptimal dosage of phytohemagglutinin (PHA) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was added to the culture. Furthermore, PA-VII and PA-VII-C possessed stimulatory activity on B cells and less effect on T cells. The antibody responses were also augmented by PA-VII, PA-VII-B and PA-VII-C, but not by PA-VII-A. The enhancement of antibody response could be observed both in BALB/c and C3H/HeJ mice.