Bulletin of University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca: Veterinary Medicine (May 2021)

Taraxacum Officinale Alcoholic Extract Augments the Cell-Mediated Immune Response in Anti-Anthrax Vaccinated Sheep

  • Petru POJAR,
  • Carmen Dana ȘANDRU,
  • Elisabeta PASTOR,
  • Constantin CERBU,
  • Silvana POPESCU,
  • Sergiu ZĂBLĂU,
  • Aurel VASIU,
  • Diana OLAH,
  • Marina SPÎNU,
  • Ioan Ștefan GROZA

DOI
https://doi.org/10.15835/buasvmcn-vm:2020.0045
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 78, no. 1
pp. 109 – 113

Abstract

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Phytotherapy used various preparations in both human and veterinary medicine over time, due to their increased bioavailability and lower costs. Taraxacum officinale of Compositae family, well-known for its therapeutic effects, abundantly grows on Romanian pastures. The research aimed to investigate its alcoholic extract’s effects on cell-mediated immunity in anti-anthrax vaccinated, grazing sheep. Local Turcana ewes kept on pasture from spring to fall were sc vaccinated with R1190 attenuated anthrax strain, and blood was sampled before and 14 days after the vaccination. In vitro cell-mediated immunity was monitored employing phagocytosis and blast transformation tests in the presence of T. officinale alcoholic extract. The extract increased phagocytosis two weeks after the vaccination (p<0.001), while the blastogenic response also showed significant variations (p<0.05) over time. There was a positive effect of T. officinale extract on the cellular immunity, suggesting its stress alleviating effects in anti-anthrax vaccinated sheep.

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