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A Dietary Supplement Improves Outcome in an Experimental Influenza Model in Old Mice
Author(s) -
CERVI J.,
MAROTTA F.,
BATER C.,
MASULAIR K.,
MINELLI E.,
HARADA M.,
MARANDOLA P.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1196/annals.1354.059
Subject(s) - nasal administration , ascorbic acid , medicine , titer , lung , catalase , immunology , formazan , inflammation , viral load , virus , chemistry , oxidative stress , biochemistry , food science
Twenty‐month‐old Swiss mice were allocated into three groups: (A) control; (B) infected group; and (C) infected but treated with 5 mg of the phytocompound MMT. Mice were infected intranasally with 30 μL of 75 HA viral units. MMT markedly blunted the nasal signs of virus infection and the febrile response. Formazan‐positive cells, lung and plasma lipoperoxides, and TNF‐α in lung tissue increased during viral infection, but improvement was seen in the MMT‐treated group ( P < 0.05). MMT also normalized SOD, catalase activities, and ascorbic acid and determined a significant decrease of lung but not nasal viral titer, although nasal inflammatory infiltrate dropped significantly. MMT has potential clinical applications with and has an excellent safety profile even in old animals.