Experimental immunology
The in vitro effect of Rhodiola quadrifida and Rhodiola kirilowii extracts on pigs blood lymphocyte response to mitogen Concanavalin A

Rhodiola quadrifida (RQ) and Rhodiola kirilowii (RK) are medicinal plants belonging to the Crassulaceae family. Their adaptogenic properties are well known and they are traditionally used in Asiatic medicine as anti-stressors and for many other purposes, including infections, inflammatory diseases and protection of people against cardiopulmonary function problems when moving to high altitude. We previously reported that extracts of these plants influenced some parameters of specific and non-specific cellular immunity in rodents. The aim of this work was to study the in vitro effect of aqueous and hydro-alcoholic extracts of under-ground parts of RQ and RK on Con A – induced activation of lymphocytes isolated from the blood of mammals (pigs). For this study we choose MTT proliferation assay. Aqueous (RKW, RQW) and 50% hydro-alcoholic (RKA, RQA) extracts of underground parts of RQ and RK have influenced response of pigs blood lymphocytes to ConA. Stimulatory effect was observed in cell cultures established in the presence of lower concentrations of Rhodiola extracts (from 1 to 10 µg/ml). This effect was dose-dependent, more pronounced in the cultures containing Rhodiola kirilowii than in the cultures with Rhodiola quadrifida extracts, and more pronounced in the cultures established at the presence of hydro-alcoholic extracts.
At the presence of higher, 20 µg/ml extracts dose, stimulatory effect disappeared, and in the highest,
50 µg/ml concentration of all types of extracts , the response of lymphocytes to Con A was highly significantly lower than in the cultures which contained the mitogen alone.