Table 5.
Immunomodulatory effect of Ocimum basilicum and its constituents
| Preparation | Part of Plant | Dose | Experimental design | Effect | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydro-ethanolic E. | Leaves | 0.75, 1.50 and 3.00 mg/mL | Ovalbumin-induced asthma | Decreased IL-4, IgE, PLA2 and TP levels, but increased IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio | (9) |
| Methanolic E. | Whole plant | 1 µg/mL | LPS-stimulated PBMC | Inhibited TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-2 | (38) |
| Caffeic (CA) and p-coumaric acid | Whole plant | 0.135, 0.27, and 0.54 μg/ml of OB extract, 2.5, 5, and 10 μg/ml of CA, 5, 10, and 20 μg/ml of pCA | PBMC Lymphoproliferation test | Suppressed Th1 (IL-2, IFN-γ, and TNF-β), Th2 (IL-5, IL-10) cytokines and regulatory T (TGF-β) cells, and expressed ERK2 mRNA in PBMC | (85) |
| Hydro-ethanolic E. | Leaves | 0.75, 1.50 and 3.00 mg/mL | Ovalbumin-induced rat model of asthma | Decreased IL-4, IgE, PLA2 and TP levels, but increased IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio | (9) |
| Methanol and aqueous E. | Leaves | 3.9, 7.8, 15.6, 31.2, 62.5, 125 and 250 μg/ml | Lymphoproliferation test | Increased pool of lymphocyte | (86) |
| Essential oils | Leaves | Serial dilution 50 to 350 mg/mL | Anti-cancer and cytotoxicity activities | Obtained IC50 values were 90.5 and 96.3 µg mL−1, | (89) |
| Hydro-ethanolic E. | Leaves | 0.75, 1.50, and 3.00 mg/ml | Ovalbumin-induced asthma | Decreased total WBC count, percentages of eosinophils, monocytes, neutrophils, and levels of oxidant biomarkers | (36) |
| Aqueous and ethanolic E. | Leaves | 400 mg/kg/day | Cyclophosphamide and levamisole- induced immunosuppression | increased production of circulating antibody titer in response to SRBCs | (88) |
PBMC: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells, TNF-α: Tumor necrosis factor-α, IL: Interleukin, SRBCs: Sheep red blood cells, WBC: White blood cell, ERK2: Extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2