The Immunomodulatory Effects of Li-Ginseng Powder in Mice

Background: The immune system protects the body against invasion by external pathogens and is fundamental to survival; appropriately enhancing immunity enables organisms to maintain health more effectively. Li-Ginseng Powder (LGP) is a specifically processed ginseng product with reported natural killer (NK) cell activating effects in tumor-bearing animals; however, its immunostimulatory effects and underlying mechanisms in healthy animals remain largely unclear. Methods: Female BALB/c mice were used to investigate the effect of LGP on immune function. A network pharmacology method was employed to explore the possible mechanism of its immunomodulatory effects. Results: LGP enhances the adaptive and innate immune functions of mice, including enhancing the body’s antibody response, improving the proliferation activity and cytotoxic ability of T cells and NK-like cells, and increasing the phagocytic ability of macrophages. LGP did not significantly change the differentiation subtypes of T cells in the body. In addition, LGP rapidly regulates the inflammatory response through positive and negative feedback mechanisms by regulating the secretion of inflammatory cytokines, thereby maintaining the homeostasis of the immune microenvironment. Network pharmacology analysis predicted the potential involvement of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K-Akt) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways in the immunomodulatory effects of LGP. Conclusions: LGP enhances both adaptive and innate immune functions in mice and may therefore show considerable potential as a dietary supplement for supporting immune function.