Evaluation of immunomodulatory activity of Balachaturbhadra Churna - An Ayurvedic formulation

Balachaturbhadra churna (BCBC) is an extensively used poly-herbal formulation of Ayurveda for pediatrics disorders.It is indicated for respiratory disorders, fever, diarrhoea, and vomiting. It is practiced as a potent immune enhancer in children. The present study was undertaken to evaluate immunomodulatory activity of BCBC to validate the classical claims of therapeutic efficacy made on it. The cell-mediated immune response was evaluated against triple antigen induced immunological paw edema in pre-sensitized rats. The humoral immune response against cyclophosphamide induced immunosuppression in sheep red blood cells (SRBC) pre-sensitized rats was evaluated by hemagglutination titer, ponderal changes, and histopathological studies. BCBC produced significant increase (P<0.05) in immunological paw edema in triple antigen pre-sensitized rats and significant increase (P<0.05) in hemagglutination titer value in humoral immune response compared to control and vehicle control groups. The drug had significant effect in reversal of cyclophosphamide induced immune suppression in thymus, spleen, and lymph nodes. The results indicate a significant effect of the BCBC on cell-mediated immune response and humoral immune response. The reversal of cyclophosphamide induced immune suppression of organs indicates cytoprotective activity of BCBC in rats.