Antitumoral and Immunomodulatory Effect of Mahonia aquifolium Extracts

The prodrug potential of Mahonia aquifolium, a plant used for centuries in traditional medicine, recently gained visibility in the literature, and the activity of several active compounds isolated from its extracts was studied on biologic systems in vitro and in vivo. Whereas the antioxidative and antitumor activities of M. aquifolium-derived compounds were studied at some extent, there are very few data about their outcome on the immune system and tumor cells. To elucidate the M. aquifolium potential immunomodulatory and antiproliferative effects, the bark, leaf, flower, green fruit, and ripe fruit extracts from the plant were tested on peripheral blood mononuclear cells and tumor cells. The extracts exert fine-tuned control on the immune response, by modulating the CD25 lymphocyte activation pathway, the interleukin-10 signaling, and the tumor necrosis-alpha secretion in four distinct human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) subpopulations. M. aquifolium extracts exhibit a moderate cytotoxicity and changes in the signaling pathways linked to cell adhesion, proliferation, migration, and apoptosis of the tumor cells. These results open perspectives to further investigation of the M. aquifolium extract prodrug potential.