Immunomodulatory effects of the botanical compound LCS101: implications for cancer treatment

• Main Authors: Rachmut IH, Samuels N, Melnick SJ, Ramachandran C, Sharabi Y, Pavlovsky A, Maimon Y, Shoham J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dove Medical Press 2013-04-01
• Series: OncoTargets and Therapy
• Online Access: http://www.dovepress.com/immunomodulatory-effects-of-the-botanical-compound-lcs101-implications-a12857

Itzchak H Rachmut,1 Noah Samuels,2,* Steven J Melnick,3 Cheppail Ramachandran,4 Yedida Sharabi,1 Anya Pavlovsky,1 Yair Maimon,5 Jacob Shoham1 1The Gonda-Goldschmied Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel; 2Center for Integrative Complementary Medicine, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel; 3Department of Pathology, 4Research Institute, Miami Children's Hospital, Miami, FL, USA; 5Refuot Integrative Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel *Joint first author Objective: To examine the effects of LSC101, a botanical compound, on adaptive and innate immunity. Materials and methods: LCS101 preparations were tested for batch-to-batch consistency using high-performance liquid chromatography. T-cell activation was quantified in murine spleen cells using 3H-thymidine incorporation, and cytokine production analyzed with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Natural killer cell activity was tested on human blood cells using flow cytometry, and cytotoxicity measured by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide and apoptosis using a FACSCalibur. Effects on interferon-γ production in fluorouracil/doxorubicin-treated mice were tested with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: High-performance liquid chromatography analysis demonstrated batch-to-batch consistency. T-cell proliferation was increased, and a dose-dependent activation of natural killer cells and macrophage tumor necrosis factor-α secretion were observed with LCS101 treatment. Interferon-γ levels, reduced following fluorouracil treatment, were corrected in treated animals. No toxicity or compromised treatment outcomes were associated with LCS101 exposure. Conclusions: LCS101 demonstrated significant effects on a number of immune processes. Further research is needed in order to understand the molecular immunomodulatory pathways affected by this compound, as well as clinical implications for treatment. Keywords: botanical compound, immunomodulation, T-cell immunity, NK cells, interferon-gamma, TNF-alpha