Free radical quenching and immunomodulatory effect of a modified siddha preparation, kalpaamruthaa

Kalpaamruthaa (KA), a modified indigenous Siddha formulation constitutes Semecarpus anacardium nut milk extract (SA), Phyllanthus emblica and honey. The present study attempt has been to investigate the antioxidant and immunomodulatory activities of KA. Antioxidant activity of KA was determined by using ferric thiocyanate and thiobarbituric acid methods. KA showed higher antioxidant activity when compared with vitamin E (α-tochoperol), a well-known antioxidant. Immunomodulatory activities on humoral and cellular immunity were studied by heamagglutination (HA) titre, delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) and phagocytic index. KA was administered at the dosage level of 100, 150, 200, 250 and 300 mg/kg body weight. Also, KA enhanced the HA titre, phagocytic index and delayed type hypersensitivity in a dose dependent manner, which indicates that KA triggers both humoral and cell mediated immune responses to a greater extent. This improved antioxidant and immunomodulatory activities of KA might be due to the synergistic effect of flavonoids, vitamin C and hydrolysable tannins present in the drug. The current study shows that KA is effective at the dosage level of 200 mg/kg body weight were significantly induced immunomodulatory activity in a dose dependant manner.