Evaluation of immunomodulatory potential of Chenopodium album L. in cyclophosphamide immunosuppressed rats

Chenopodium album L. is a traditional food as well as a medicinal herb in India due to its anthelmintic, hepatoprotective and anticancerous properties.The objective of this current study was to investigate the immunostimulant potential of the hydroethanolic extract of C. album (CAHE) in rats.Adult Sprague Dawley Albino rats were randomly allocated into eight groups.Group I rats were given normal feed and water like other animal groups, group II rats were given cyclophosphamide @100 mg/kg body weight (b.wt.) as a standard immunosuppressant drug, group III was administered with levamisole @ 50 mg/kg b wt. as a standard immunostimulant, in group IV both cyclophosphamide and levamisole were administered, groups V and VI were administered with CAHE @ 200 and 400 mg/kg b. wt., respectively, only and in groups VII and VIII CAHE @ 200 and 400 mg/kg b. wt. was given along with cyclophosphamide @100 mg/kg b wt. on ninth and sixteenth day of investigation, respectively, for twenty eight days.Our study results indicated that CAHE significantly (p<0.05) has higher total immunoglobulin, phagocytic index, hemagglutination test, delayed type hypersensitivity and immunoglobulin IgG and IgM estimation.Thus, it can be concluded from the present experiment that C. album holds promise as immunomodulatory agent by stimulating both humoral and cellular immune system.