In VitroEffects of Some Botanicals with Anti-Inflammatory and Antitoxic Activity

Abstract

Several extrinsic factors, like drugs and chemicals, can foster autoimmunity. Tetracyclines, in particular oxytetracycline (OTC), appear to correlate with the emergence of immune-mediated diseases. Accumulation of OTC, the elective drug for gastrointestinal and respiratory infectious disease treatment in broiler chickens, was reported in chicken edible tissues and could represent a potential risk for pets and humans that could assume this antibiotic as residue in meat or in meat-derived byproducts. We investigated thein vitroanti-inflammatory properties of a pool of thirteen botanicals as a part of a nutraceutical diet, with proven immunomodulatory activity.In addition, we evaluated the effect of such botanicals in contrasting thein vitroproinflammatory toxicity of OTC. Our results showed a significant reduction in interferon- (INF-)γproduction by human and canine lymphocytes in presence of botanicals (p⁎<0.05). Increased INF-γproduction, dependent on 24-hour OTC-incubation of T lymphocytes, was significantly reduced by the coincubation withHaematococcus pluvialis, withGlycine max, and with the mix of all botanicals (p⁎<0.05). In conclusion, the use of these botanicals was shown to be able to contrast OTC-toxicity and could represent a new approach for the development of functional foods useful to enhance the standard pharmacological treatment in infections as well as in preventing or reducing the emergence of inflammatory diseases.