Immune-Modulatory Effects upon Oral Application of Cumin-Essential-Oil to Mice Suffering from Acute Campylobacteriosis

Human campylobacteriosis, commonly caused by Campylobacter jejuni, is a food-borne infection with rising prevalence causing significant health and socioeconomic burdens worldwide. Given the threat from emerging antimicrobial resistances, the treatment of infectious diseases with antibiotics-independent natural compounds is utmost appreciated. Since the health-beneficial effects of cumin-essential-oil (EO) have been known for centuries, its potential anti-pathogenic and immune-modulatory effects during acute experimental campylobacteriosis were addressed in the present study. Therefore, C. jejuni-challenged secondary abiotic IL-10(-/-) mice were treated perorally with either cumin-EO or placebo starting on day 2 post-infection. On day 6 post-infection, cumin-EO treated mice harbored lower ileal pathogen numbers and exhibited a better clinical outcome when compared to placebo controls. Furthermore, cumin-EO treatment alleviated enteropathogen-induced apoptotic cell responses in colonic epithelia. Whereas, on day 6 post-infection, a dampened secretion of pro-inflammatory mediators, including nitric oxide and IFN-γ to basal levels, could be assessed in mesenteric lymph nodes of cumin-EO treated mice, systemic MCP-1 concentrations were elevated in placebo counterparts only. In conclusion, our preclinical intervention study provides first evidence for promising immune-modulatory effects of cumin-EO in the combat of human campylobacteriosis. Future studies should address antimicrobial and immune-modulatory effects of natural compounds as adjunct antibiotics-independent treatment option for infectious diseases.