Original Article
Immune enhancing effects of WB365, a novel combination of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) and
Maitake (Grifola frondosa) extracts
Vaclav Vetvicka, Jana Vetvickova
Department of Pathology,
Citation:
Vetvicka V, Vetvickova J.
Immune
enhancing effects of WB365, a novel combination of Ashwagandha (Withania
somnifera) and Maitake (Grifola
frondosa) extracts.
North Am
J Med Sci
2011; 3: 320-324.
doi:
10.4297/najms.2011.3320
Abstract
Background:
Stress has been found to significantly reduce the abilities of the immune system
to fight infections. One of the ways to overcome the defects of the immune
system is the strengthening of the defense reactions by nutrition.
Aims: To evaluate immune enhancing
effects of the following material: WB365, a novel combination of Ashwagandha (Withania
somnifera) and Maitake (Grifola
frondosa) extracts. Results: We
found that both glucan-rich maitake extract and WB365 caused a similar
stimulation of phagocytic activity. Stress-induced increase of corticosterone
production was blocked by feeding with Ashwagandha extract and even more by
WB365. Cytokine experiments showed that feeding with WB365 helped overcome the
stress-related inhibition of IL-6, IL-12 and IFN-γ production.
Conclusion: This study clearly
demonstrated that WB365, a combination of Maitake mushroom-derived glucan and
Ashwagandha extracts, has strong pleiotropic biological effects related to
immune health and stress reduction.
Keywords:
Glucan, stress, immunomodulator, cytokines.
Correspondence to:
Vaclav Vetvicka, University
of Louisville, Department of Pathology, 511 S. Floyd, Louisville, KY 40292, USA.
Tel.:
502-852-1612, Fax: 502-852-1177, Email: vaclav.vetvicka@louisville.edu