Open AccessImmunomodulatory activity of aqueous extract from Crassostrea sikamea in the splenocytes of Sprague‐Dawley rats
Author(s) -
Guo Guannan,
Kong Ying,
Su Jie,
Wang Geng,
Zhang Muqing,
Wang Shuyue,
Song Zhenbo
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
food science and nutrition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.614
H-Index - 27
ISSN - 2048-7177
DOI - 10.1002/fsn3.2710
Subject(s) - splenocyte , flow cytometry , mapk/erk pathway , in vitro , p38 mitogen activated protein kinases , pharmacology , downregulation and upregulation , chemistry , tumor necrosis factor alpha , aqueous extract , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , phosphorylation , traditional medicine , biochemistry , medicine , immunology , gene
Crassostrea sikamea ( C . sikamea ) is used as an important edible and medicinal seafood in China. In the present study, an aqueous extract of C . sikamea (AECs) was prepared, and its immunomodulatory effects on rat splenocytes were studied. 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐5‐(3‐carboxymethoxyphenyl)‐2‐(4‐sulfophenyl)‐2H‐tetrazolium (MTS) assay revealed that AECs was able to promote splenocyte proliferation. Moreover, flow cytometry revealed that AECs treatment markedly altered the populations of splenic lymphocyte subtypes. Data from real‐time quantitative PCR (RT‐qPCR) and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) showed that AECs promoted the mRNA expression and secretion of TNF‐ α , IL‐2, IL‐6, IL‐12, and IFN‐γ. Mechanistically, p38 MAPK phosphorylation in splenocytes was significantly upregulated under AECs treatment and p38 MAPK inhibitor reversed the promoting effect of AECs on the expression of inflammatory cytokines. Collectively, our novel evidence suggests that AECs exhibits immunomodulatory activity in vitro, supporting the further application of C . sikamea as a potential functional food.