The Immune response modifier Canova® (CA) is a homeopathic drug indicated for patients with a depressed immune system, once this medicine appears to increase the innate immunity and induce an immune response against multiple and severe pathological conditions, including Neoplasms. This increase of innate immunity is due to its involvement in the proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic cells and mononuclear differentiation induction in bone marrow cells. The chemical compound N-Methyl-N-Nitrosourea (MNU) is a alkylating agent powerful carcinogenic able to cause mutations, chromosomal aberrations and DNA methylation, that induce the imbalance in the defense system of the cell and thus stop mechanisms related to cellular metabolism. This compound has been widely used in the induction of experimental tumors. The goal of this work is to assess the pattern of hematopoietic cell response in Cebus apella primate species exposed to carcinogenic N-Methyl-N-Nitrosourea (MNU) and subjected to the treatment with the Immune response modifier Canova®, through the analysis of biochemical, haematological, immune and cell cycle. We had used 13 (thirteen) adult animals of the species Cebus apella divided into five main groups: the control (negative and positive) and experimental (composed of three subgroups). The first experimental group received the MNU during thirty-five days, the second received treatment with Canova during three days, and the third received the MNU during 35 days and the end of this period received treatment with Canova during three days. Evaluation of cellular immune response was through immunophenotyping (CD3, CD4, CD8, T, B, NK) and complete blood count, liver and kidney function through biochemical analysis (ALT, AST, GGT, urea and creatinine) and kinetic evaluation of cell cycle by flow cytometry. Analysis of haematological values of hemoglobin, hematocrit and red blood cells of positive control groups performed significantly lower when compared to the negative control groups, demonstrating an anemia, while the increased white lineage cells in these groups is probably due to the animal's inflammatory response to neoplastic process. The increase of leukocytes has also been observed in experimental groups treated with the CA, a fact explained by the action of this drug, which acts as a modifier of immune response. Although it has been reported that CA can act by increasing the number of neutrophils, in this study we did not observe this action of the medicinal product, probably by the short time of treatment. Monocytes were decreased in the group treated with MNU and risen in groups that received CA probably by drug act in the activation of macrophages via stimulation of monocytes. In biochemical analysis, urea and creatinine were changed in the groups that received the MNU acutely, these changes, as well as those found in the analysis of liver enzymes, can be associated with typical symptoms of poisoning by carcinogenic drugs. Analysis of cell cycle kinetics of animals treated with CA, there had been a significant increase in cell G0-G1 as well as the percentage of cells in cellular proliferation stage (stageG2-M). We found that CA had minimized the toxicity of the MNU in certain haematological and biochemical, we had observed their partially skill to modify immune response, as improve white blood cell count, but without changing the pattern of immunological markers. Then CA is able to restore some hematopoietic system components and can act as an adjuvant in chemotherapy treatments.
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