IN-VITRO EFFECTS OF ECHINACEA AND GINSENG ON NATURAL-KILLER AND ANTIBODY-DEPENDENT CELL CYTOTOXICITY IN HEALTHY-SUBJECTS AND CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME OR ACQUIRED-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-SYNDROME PATIENTS

Extracts of Echinacea purpurea and Panax ginseng were evaluated for th eir capacity to stimulate cellular immune function by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from normal individuals and patients with ei ther the chronic fatigue syndrome or the acquired immunodeficiency syn drome. PBMC isolated on a Ficoll-hypaque density gradient were tested in the presence or absence of varying concentrations of each extract f or natural killer (NK) cell activity versus K562 cells and antibody-de pendent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) against human herpesvirus 6 infec ted H9 cells. Both echinacea and ginseng, at concentrations greater th an or equal to 0.1 or 10 mu g/kg, respectively, significantly enhanced NK-function of all groups. Similarly, the addition of either herb sig nificantly increased ADCC of PBMC from all subject groups. Thus, extra cts of Echinacea purpurea and Panax ginseng enhance cellular immune fu nction of PBMC both from normal individuals and patients with depresse d cellular immunity.