Evaluation of the effects of fungal beta-glucan and Zataria multiflora on the stimulation of respiratory burst and secretion of TNFα cytokine in Balb/c mice

Shokri, Hojjatollah; Khosravi, Alireza; Khademi Shurmasti, Dariush; Asadi, Sepideh; Shokri, Poorya

doi:10.22034/cjvs.2025.545281.1045

Evaluation of the effects of fungal beta-glucan and Zataria multiflora on the stimulation of respiratory burst and secretion of TNFα cytokine in Balb/c mice

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Hojjatollah Shokri ¹

Alireza Khosravi ²

Dariush Khademi Shurmasti ³

Sepideh Asadi ¹

Poorya Shokri ⁴

¹ Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Amol University of Special Modern Technologies, Amol, Iran.

² Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

³ Department of Agriculture, Sava. C., Islamic Azad University, Savadkooh, Iran.

⁴ Department of English Linguistics, Faculty of Humanities and Management, Mazandaran University of Science and Technology, Babol, Iran.

10.22034/cjvs.2025.545281.1045

Abstract

Fungal beta-glucan is among the most important immune stimulant, which can enhance the immune system and be used as medication to treat a wide range of diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of respiratory burst stimulation in neutrophils and the secretion of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) cytokine by standard beta-glucan and Zataria multiflora in Balb/c mice. Laboratory animals were divided into four groups (B, C, E, and F) and treated with beta-glucan, Z. multiflora, and distilled water. The blood samples were collected on fourth and seventh days after intraperitoneally injections and then subjected to chemiluminescence testing (to measure neutrophil respiratory burst) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) testing (to measure the TNFα cytokine). In the chemiluminescence, on the fourth and seventh days, the highest respiratory burst activities were in the combination of standard beta-glucan + Z. multiflora (262.5 millivolts and 283.75 millivolts), respectively. In the ELISA, the highest level of TNFα on the fourth day was observed in the combination of standard beta-glucan + Z. multiflora (2.95), followed by standard beta-glucan (2.45), and Z. multiflora (1.64). On the seventh day, the highest levels were also in the combination of standard beta-glucan + Z. multiflora (2.56), followed by standard beta-glucan (2.27) and Z. multiflora (1.84). The combination of standardized beta-glucan and Z. multiflora has significant immunomodulatory effects and can be utilized as an adjuvant, either alone or in a complex form, for the prevention or treatment of patients with immune deficiencies.

Keywords

Balb/c mice, Respiratory burst, Standard beta-glucan, TNF&alpha

cytokine, Zataria multiflora

Subjects