Leaves of a Chinese medicinal hibiscus helped rebuild immunity in weakened mice
Yang S, Jin J, Zhao D, Cai M, Liang R
Medicinal Plants
The leaves of Abelmoschus manihot, a showy yellow-flowered hibiscus relative you can grow in a warm border, are usually discarded, yet this study shows they carry flavonoids that boosted immune recovery in mice.
Researchers gave mice a chemotherapy drug that wrecks the immune system, then fed some of them flavonoids from the leaves of a yellow-flowered hibiscus relative called sunset hibiscus (Abelmoschus manihot). Those mice recovered larger immune organs, more immune cells, and healthier guts than untreated mice. The leaf compounds also shifted gut bacteria toward helpful types and raised the acids those microbes produce.
Key Findings
AMLF raised spleen and thymus indices, boosted splenic lymphocyte proliferation, and increased CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets in cyclophosphamide-treated mice.
AMLF increased serum IL-1β, IL-2, TNF-α and IgG, reduced tissue damage in immune organs and colon, and protected the liver by regulating antioxidant enzymes.
AMLF enriched Lactobacillaceae and Prevotellaceae, suppressed Desulfovibrionaceae, raised short-chain fatty acids, and increased serum leukotrienes and prostaglandin E2; Alistipes, Muribaculaceae and Kurthia were tied most strongly to recovery.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Flavonoids extracted from the leaves of Abelmoschus manihot, a hibiscus relative used in traditional Chinese medicine, helped restore immune function in mice weakened by a chemotherapy drug. The extract reshaped gut bacteria and blood chemistry, pointing to possible uses in functional foods and as a supporting therapy.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Abelmoschus manihot (L.) leaf flavonoids (AMLF) restore cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppression in mice via gut microbiota and serum metabolomics modulation.
Immune homeostasis serves as the foundation for disease prevention and the cornerstone for ensuring human health. The effects of Abelmoschus manihot (L.) leaf flavonoids (AMLF) on restoring immune ...
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Abelmoschus manihot, commonly known as aibika, is a flowering plant in the family Malvaceae. It is also known as the sunset muskmallow, sunset hibiscus, or hibiscus manihot. It is a tropical subshrub or shrub native to Asia, New Guinea, and Queensland, Australia. It is cultivated and eaten as a l...