GA 2018

Maca (Lepidium meyenii Walp.) is consumed both as a sports supplement by strength and endurance athletes as well as a medical food in Peru for thousands of years. Its significant introduction in China has transformed its use within Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and with the guidance of TCM theory. Immunosuppressive activity is closely related and quite similar with the syndrome of spleen-deficiency in TCM. This study aimed to investigate the immunomodulatory activities of Maca on spleen-deficiency syndrome in mice, and to verify the TCM property of strengthening the spleen function of Maca. A spleen-deficiency model was established by intraperitoneally injecting cyclophosphamide. Ginseng, a major spleen strengthening herb was used as a control. Maca powder and Ginseng granules were intragastric administrated to different groups of mice. The bodyweight, thymus and spleen indices were measured. The number of blood cells from peripheral blood were counted. The lymphocyte proliferation inhibition rate of each group was observed by the MTT method. The rate of CD4⁺T cells, CD8⁺T cells proliferation and the ratio of CD4⁺/ CD8⁺in peripheral blood were analyzed, and the lymphocyte cycle was detected by flow cytometry. Maca significantly increased the numbers of peripheral blood cells and reversed the atrophy of the thymus and spleen. The proliferation of lymphocytes increased. Furthermore, Maca increased the rate of CD4⁺T cell proliferation and the ratio of CD4⁺/ CD8⁺, but decreased the rate of CD8⁺ T cell proliferation. The proportion of cells in the G₂/M phase and S phase increased, but the proportion of cells in the G₀/G₁ phase decreased. Our results suggested that Maca has immunomodulatory activities on spleen-deficiency syndrome in mice and has the property of strengthening spleen function in TCM.

Keywords:Maca; Immunomodulatory; Spleen-Deficiency Syndrome; Lymphocyte; TCM Property