Abstract

Bioavailability is an important concept when evaluating natural products for their bioactivities. Therefore, the demand for foods that improve immunity has increased recently. The use of herbal medicine as immunomodulators is so common that it just requires hard scientific evidence to support its effectiveness. In this study, bioavailability, immunomodulatory, and in vitro antioxidant activity of "Storg-HIM max," a herbal formulation developed by Star Hi Herbs Pvt Ltd in Bangalore and containing Psidium guajava, Citrus limon, Emblica officinalis, Sesbania grandiflora, Ocimum sanctum, Bixa orellana, and Moringa oleifera. Two different doses of Storg-HIMmax that is, 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight were administered orally for 14 consecutive days. Cyclophosphamide (100 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally as single dose. Levamisole was used as positive control. The effect of Storg-HIMmax on the neutrophil activation was evaluated by the neutrophil adhesion test for a nonspecific immune response.  Storg-HIMmax showed a significant increase in the primary and secondary humoral antibody responses by increasing the hemagglutinating antibody titre at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg/bw. The immunomodulatory effect of the Storg-HIMmax was assessed using measures like the neutrophil adhesion test, white body cell (WBC), red blood cell (RBC), and platelet count, as well as blood collection through the retro orbital plexus. Moreover, in addition to conventional butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), Storg-HIMmax was tested for its antioxidant potential using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH). The result of this parameter clearly indicates that the immunomodulatory effect of Storg-HIMmax against cyclophosphamide shows its promising function.

Key words: Storg-HIMmax, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, bioavailability.