EFFECT OF ACORUS CALAMUS LINN. AND ITS ACTIVE PRINCIPLE ON NOISE STRESS-INDUCED CHANGES ON IMMUNE SYSTEM

Abstract

Noise is an inevitable everyday stressor in our lives and is detrimental to our immune system. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential of Acorus calamus and its active component, α-asarone on the noise stress induced changes on immune system of Wistar albino rats. Noise stress of 100dB for 4h/day for 30 days was employed in this study and the dosage of AC and α-Asarone used were 50 mg / Kg b.wt and 9 mg/Kg b.wt respectively. Sheep red blood cells were used to immunize the animals. Nine different groups were used: Control Immunized, AC treated immunized, α-Asarone treated immunized, Noise stress immunized, AC treated stress immunized, α-Asarone treated stress immunized groups. The immune status was assessed by the serum cytokine levels of IL-2, IL-4, IFN-γ and the CD4, CD8 T cell lymphocyte phenotype in spleen while biochemical markers of oxidative stress- LPO, GSH in spleen and corticosterone in plasma were estimated in the immune challenged animals. Results showed that noise-stress significantly increased the lipid peroxidation and corticosterone level with depletion of GSH in the immunized rats. Noise-stress significantly suppressed the CD4 and CD8 T cells in spleen and the cytokines IL2, IFN-γ and enhanced IL4 levels in the serum. The supplementation with AC as well as α-Asarone prevents the noise-stress induced changes in the antioxidant as well as immune status in rats. This study concludes that AC restores the noise-stress induced changes which may be due to its active principle α-Asarone.