Immunostimulant activity of Ashtamangal ghrita in rats

Objective: To study the Immunostimulant effect of an Indian Ayurvedic Polyherbal formulation, Ashtamangal ghrita (AG) in healthy albino rats. Methods: AG was administered orally at doses of 150 mg/kg/day and 300 mg/kg/dayto healthy rats. The assessment of immunostimulant activity was carried out by testing the humoral (antibody titre) and cellular (foot pad swelling) immune responses to the antigenic challenges with sheep RBCs and by neutrophil adhesion test. Results: Orally administered AG showed a significant increase of test parameters viz. neutrophil adhesion, haemagglutinating antibody titre (HAT) and delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) response. In rats immunized with sheep RBC, AG enhanced the humoral antibody response to the antigen and significantly potentiated the cellular immunity by facilitating the footpad thickness response to sheep RBC in sensitized rats. With a dose of 300 mg/kg/day the values of HAT and DTH responses were 455.08 ′ 0.75 and 31.0 ′ 10.72 respectively, in comparison to the control group. These differences were statistically significant. Conclusion: The study demonstrates the immunostimulant activity of Ashtamangal ghrita in rats.