Influence of Honey on Immune Status in Mice-Bearing Ehrlich Carcinoma

Honey is currently the focus of many research projects due to its varied biological activities including antiinflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, antihypertensive and hypoglycemic effects. In the current study antitumor effect of coriander honey was investigated in mature mice bearing Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) with special reference to immune status. Coriander honey (500 mg/kg) caused decrease in tumor volume, packed cell volume and viable cell count, and caused increase in non-viable cell count and mean survival time thereby increasing life span of EAC bearing mice. The study of the effect of honey on immunological status in mice bearing Ehrlich carcinoma showed that the levels of immunoglobulin M, G and A were increased following the administration of coriander honey. It was also clear that coriander honey increased the phagocytic activity in mice bearing Ehrlich carcinoma. There was reduction in the stimulation indices of lymphocyte transformation of mice bearing Ehrlich carcinoma. Delayed hypersensitivity skin test revealed that the Ehrlich carcinoma reduced the reaction after 72 hours post inoculation with bovine serum albumin. The administration of honey caused the rise in skin thickness as shown in Ehrlich carcinoma and subsequently treated with coriander honey with a rise of 0.61 mm as compared with 0.52 mm in EAC control group. The skin thickness in coriander honey group was the highest among all groups with 0.90 mm thickness. Based on these results, it can be concluded that coriander honey exhibited antitumor effect by modulating cell mediated immune response and immunoglobulin levels, in EAC bearing mice.