Evaluation of the immunomodulatory effect of Bougainvillea xbuttiana (Var. Orange) on the cytokine production induced by Botrhops jararaca venom in macrophages

To study the effect of 50% ethanol extract of Bougainvillea xbuttiana on the enzymatic activity, cell viability and cytokine production provoked by the venom of Bothrops jararaca in macrophages. Three assays were used to study the effects of B. xbuttiana extract on the damage pro-duced by B. jararaca: Enzymatic activity was detected by measuring the proteolytic and phos-pholipase A2; macrophages cytotoxicity was determined by the MTT method; levels of cytokine were evaluated using ELISA and a biological assay. After treatment with 300 mu g/mL B. xbuttiana extract for 30 min, the proteolytic and phospholipase A2 activities of the venom were reduced to 95 and 61%, respectively. In macrophages cultures treated with B. xbuttiana extract combined with venom, the production of TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IFN-gamma was reduced, whereas IL-10 was potenti-ated. Our results support the potential effect of the B. xbuttiana extract as a complementary therapy against the toxicity caused by the venom of B. jararaca snakes.