Title : Immunomodulatory potential of Cannabis sativa and a group of medicinal plants grown in Colombia
Abstract:
Throughout medical history, medicinal plants have been used traditionally in the treatment of different diseases of the immune system. Modern scientific research in this field has helped to support the use of such plants to characterize their potential as an immunomodulator in autoimmune and infectious diseases as well as cancers. In Colombia, there is a great biodiversity of medicinal plants native to or introduced into the territory, which is used by indigenous or rural communities to manage inflammation. Some of these plants are Cannabis sativa, Acmella ciliata and oppositifolia, Bidens pilosa, Pelargonium graveolens, and Kalanchoe pinata. In our research group, we have established and characterized the immunomodulatory potential of these plants based on the results obtained by regulating or activating in vitro different cells of the immune system, such as peripheral blood mononuclear cells, macrophages, and human dendritic cells. The results have allowed us to determine the cytotoxic potential of these plants in mononuclear cells, the changes in their proliferation indices, the macrophage polarization profile (M1 or M2), and the maturation effect that they may or may not produce in human dendritic cells. In the same way, it has also been possible to establish the main chemical components present in these plants, which could be later used to induce such activity on the immune system.
Audience Take Away Notes:
- Descriptions of some medicinal plants cultivated in Colombia that are traditionally used to manage inflammation.
- The characteristics of the cytotoxicity, proliferation index and immunomodulatory activity of the medicinal plants Cannabis sativa, Acmella ciliata and oppositifolia, Bidens pilosa, Pelargonium graveolens and Kalanchoe pinata.
- Knowledge of the main chemical components involved in the immunomodulatory activity of medicinal plants on macrophages and human dendritic cells.
- Possible applications of each medicinal plant that our results characterize as pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory.
- Possibilities for collaborative work between countries and university research groups, focused on the development of new Phytoimmunomodulatory drugs.
