Interaction of Ceftriaxone with Echinacea

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Pharmacology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, 44511, Egypt

2 Immunology Unit, Animal Reproduction Research Institute, Giza, Egypt

Abstract

Ceftriaxone is a third-generation cephalosporin with a broad-spectrum activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Ceftriaxone induced lipid peroxidation which generated the peroxidases and hydro peroxidases. The aforementioned substances caused an immune suppression. Echinacea is a popular herbal product in North America and Europe, used as an immune-­modulatory product.The objectives of this study was to evaluate the effects of Echinacea, ceftriaxone and their combination on some immunological parameters in vaccinated rabbits, moreover to investigate the effect of Echinacea to ameliorate the side effect and immune-suppression of ceftriaxone. The experiment was carried out on twenty-five male New Zealand white rabbits .They were divided into 5 equal groups, each consisting of five rabbits (control, vaccinated with formalized killed P.multocida vaccine, vaccinated and treated with 50 mg/Kg BW Ceftriaxone I/M once daily for 5 days, vaccinated and treated with 50 mg/Kg BW Echinacea orally once daily for 5 days and vaccinated and treated with Ceftriaxone and Echinacea). Some immunological parameters had been estimated (Nitric Oxide, Lysosomal activity, Lymphocyte transformation and fractionation of serum protein. The Echinacea group was the best in all estimated parameters, while the Ceftriaxone group was the worst. Both Echinacea and ceftriaxone in a combination improved the immunological parameters. In ceftriaxone group, serum nitric oxide and serum lysozyme activity were 6.73±0.32um/ml and 139.60±2.29Ugm/ml; 6.62±0.21um/ml and 136.00±1.14Ugm/ml; 6.33±0.23um/ml and 130.80±1.02Ugm/ml at the 1st, 2nd and 3rd day post vaccination, respectively. The immunological parameters were better in the combined group (14.78±0.15 γ-globulin, 14.62±0.16 β-globulin, 11.96±0.10 α-globulin, 62.09±0.05 albumin and 0.89±0.03 Lymphocyte Transformation index) when compared with the ceftriaxone group (10.22±0.17 γ-globulin, 13.13±0.16 β-globulin, 10.04±0.39 α-globulin, 60.55±0.53 albumin and 0.59±0.02 Lymphocyte Transformation index). Therefore, the current study concluded that combination of both ceftriaxone and Echinacea have a promising protective action and improving rabbit immunity, through ameliorating the obvious immune-suppression of the Ceftriaxone alone.

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