Effect Of Supplemented Diet With Curcumin, Anthocyanin And Foods Rich In Them On Immune System In Experimental Rats

Abstract

The function of the immune system is to protect individuals against pathogenic microorganisms. Nutrition plays a crucial role for individuals to achieve normal systemic homeostasis and support the immune system. The present study was performed to evaluate the effect of supplemented diet with Curcumin, Anthocyanin and foods rich in them against Cadmium chloride (CdCl2) - induced immunosuppression in rats. Thirty-six male rats were distributed into 6 groups, of 6 rats each. The first group was kept a negative control, fed on basal diet and fresh tape water was freely provided. The remaining rats were divided into 5 equal group and allowed to drink water to which 40 mg/L of CdCl2 was dissolved to inhibit their immune system. Rats of group 2 remained a positive control and the other rats were fed on supplemented diets with Curcumin, Anthocyanin and foods rich in them via the stomach tube for 6 weeks. At end of the experiment, blood biochemical parametrs and biomarkers of hepato-renal functions were estimated.  Serum levels of antioxidant enzymes and immunoglobulin G (IgG) were determined.  Results revealed that there were significant improvements in complete blood count (CBC) and biomarkers of hepato-renal functions, decreases in serum levels of triglycerides (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) and IgG. Antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT) significantly increased after feeding rats on the above mentioned supplemented diets. In conclusion, diet supplementation with Curcumin and Anthocyanin stimulates the immune system and may serve as promising and cheaply available immunostimulant ingredients.  Therefore, intake of natural and synthetic Curcumin and Anthocyanin may be beneficial to patients who suffer from immunosuppression.