IMMUNOSTIMULATORY POTENTIAL OF AN ALCOHOLIC EXTRACT (ACP) FROM CARICA PAPAYA AGAINST SRBC IN BALB/C MICE 

ABSTRACT

Administration of an alcoholic extract from the powdered leaves of the plant Carica papaya (ACP) was found to stimulate immunological activity in BALB/c mice against T dependent antigen (SRBC). The data obtained in the present study showed oral administration of ACP (50– 200 mg/kg) stimulated the IgM and IgG titre expressed in the form of haemagglutination antibody (HA) titre. It also elicited a dose related increase in the delayed type hypersensitivity reaction (DTH) after 24 and 48 h compared with the control. Besides augmenting the humoral and cell-mediated immune response, it induced macrophage phagocytosis which resulted in a high degree of in vivo carbon clearance. The results in these cheap trx studies demonstrated the immunostimulatory effect of ACP in a dose-dependent manner with respect to the macrophage activation possibly expressing the phagocytosis.

KEYWORDS: Carica papaya, Haemagglutination antibody titre, Delayed type hypersensitivity reaction, Carbon clearance, Phagocytosis.