The Immunomodulatory Activity of Some Maltese Medicinal Plants: Tradition, Science and Future Prospects | Chapter 5 | Trends in Pharmaceutical Research and Development Vol. 1
Aims: To review previous studies conducted on some Maltese medicinal plants for their immunomodulatory effects on lymphocytes. Methodology: Human peripheral lymphocytes were obtained from the whole blood of human healthy volunteers. Several extracts were obtained from Olea europea L., Ephedra fragilis Desf., Aster squamatus (Sprengel) Hieron., Glebionis coronaria (L.) Tzvelev, Calendula arvensis L., Carlina involucrata Poir., Dittrichia viscosa (L.) Greuter, Galactites tomentosa Moench, Inula crithmoides L., Leontodon tuberosus L., Reichardia picroides (L.) Roth, Sonchus oleraceus L. and Ecballium elaterium (L.) A. Rich. These extracts, pure metabolites and phytohaemagglutinin were tested on both resting and stimulated lymphocytes. The blastogenic transformation was monitored by morphological observations and biochemical tests using the WST-1 tetrazolium reagent and the LDH cytotoxicity assay. Results: This current study collates all previous studies. Most of the extracts tested exhib...