Korean J Vet Res.  2016 Sep;56(3):183-187. 10.14405/kjvr.2016.56.3.183.

Fermented antler extract enhances the viability and interleukin-12 production of spleen cells

• Yang HY
• Kim Y
• Joo HG

• KMID: 2368765
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.14405/kjvr.2016.56.3.183

Abstract

The effects of antlers have long been known in traditional Asian medicine. However, few studies have investigated the effects of antlers on immunity. In this study, we investigated whether fermented antler extract (FAE) has immunomodulatory effects on spleen cells. FAE enhanced the activity of spleen cells in a concentration dependent manner compared to antler extract. Interestingly, FAE significantly increased the production of interleukin-12, a representative cytokine of cell-mediated immunity, while it marginally increased that of tumor necrosis factor-alpha. Flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that FAE can protect spleen cells from spontaneous cell death without a significant proportional change in subsets, mainly lymphocytes. Taken together, the results of the present study showed that FAE has beneficial effects on spleen cells, a major type of immune cell, indicating that it can function as an immunomodulator without significant cytotoxicity. These data may broaden the use of FAE in basic research and clinical areas.

Keyword

fermented antler extract; immunomodulation; spleen cells

MeSH Terms

Animals
Antlers*
Asian Continental Ancestry Group
Cell Death
Flow Cytometry
Humans
Immunity, Cellular
Immunomodulation
Interleukin-12*
Lymphocytes
Spleen*
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
Interleukin-12
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha