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. 2018 Feb 25:2018:5690816.
doi: 10.1155/2018/5690816. eCollection 2018.

Effects of 4-Week Intervention with Ulmus macrocarpa Hance Extract on Immune Function Biomarkers in Healthy Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial

A Ra Cho  1 , Sang Yeoup Lee  1   2 , Young Hye Cho  1 , Cheol Min Kim  3   4 , Sung Goo Kim  5
Affiliations

Effects of 4-Week Intervention with Ulmus macrocarpa Hance Extract on Immune Function Biomarkers in Healthy Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial

A Ra Cho et al. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. .

Abstract

Ulmus macrocarpa extract has been shown to have immune-related effects in animals, but no studies have yet been performed in humans. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted to determine the effect of short-term administration of Ulmus macrocarpa Hance extract (UME) on immune function biomarkers and its safety in human subjects. Fifty-eight subjects were randomly assigned to a UME group or a placebo group. Subjects in the UME group were given 500 mg per day of UME orally for 4 weeks. Mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of tumor necrotic factor-α increased only in the UME group at 1 week (P = 0.027). The MFI of interleukin-2 decreased less significantly in the UME group than in the placebo group at 1 week (P = 0.028). However, unfortunately, at 4 weeks, no intergroup differences were detected in MFIs of cytokine. In conclusion, administration of UME for 1 week increased serum TNF-α and sustains IL-2 in human, which suggests that UME increases Th1-related immune function in the short term in healthy people. However, additional studies are needed to confirm the results of this first-stage study and further trials are required to decide on optimal dosage and duration of administration. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02414412.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Participants flowchart (N = 58) showing the entire 4-week study period. UME, Ulmus macrocarpa Hance extract.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Changes (%) in tumor necrosis factor-α (a) and interleukin-2 (b) levels of the two study groups. Data are expressed as means with 95% CI. Percentage change was calculated by subtracting the baseline value from each posttreatment value, dividing the difference by the baseline value, and multiplying by 100. P values were calculated based on the two-sample t-test.
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