Plant-derived natural products (NPs) with immunomodulatory effect

Major sourceNPMode of actionReferences
Aloe veraAcemannan
  • Stimulates the production of interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1α), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), IL-6, nitric oxide (NO), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) by macrophages

  • Enhances macrophage phagocytosis

  • Exhibits antiviral activity

  • Induces tumor cell apoptosis or necrosis

[59]
Withania somniferaWithanolides
  • Comprehensive approach to modulating cellular processes

  • Potential for therapeutic interventions across various diseases

  • Targeting nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) pathway

  • Targeting signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) pathway

  • Targeting ubiquitin proteasome pathway

[1012]
Astragalus membranaceusAstragalosides
  • Upregulates mRNA and Bcl-2 protein expression

  • Downregulates monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP) and NF-κB protein expression

  • Suppresses Bax, cleaved caspase-3, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α expression

[1315]
Berberis vulgarisBerberine
  • Restricts DNA replication

  • Inhibits the cell cycle progression

  • Promotes apoptosis

  • Inhibits inflammatory pathways mediated by NF-κB and activator protein-1 (AP-1)

  • Suppresses the expression of chemokines, preventing leukocyte migration

[1618]
Betula pubescens and Bacopa monnieriBetulinic acid
  • Modulates key inflammatory modulators including cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), IL-1β, IL-6, IL-12, MCP-1, PGE2, and TNF

  • Inhibits NF-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways

  • Stimulates the production of IL-10

[1922]
Boswellia serrataBoswellic acids
  • Induces pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, and interferon gamma (IFN-γ)

  • Enhances phagocytosis of macrophages

  • Modifies antibody production

  • Inhibits the classical complement pathway

[2325]
Boswellia sacraFrankincense
  • Regulation of metabolic profiling

  • Modulation of the MAPK signaling pathway

[2628]
Curcuma longaCurcumin
  • Inhibits COX-2

  • Suppresses inducible NO synthase (iNOS)

  • Blocks lipoxygenase (LOX)

[2931]
Camellia sinensisEpigallocatechin gallate
  • Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), Janus kinase (JAK)/STAT, MAPK, NF-κB, and PI3K-Akt-mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), influencing gene, protein, and enzyme activity in disease regulation

  • Interacts with molecules like Toll-like receptors (TLRs), NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes, and gut microbiota, impacting the immune system and gut-brain axis

[32, 33]
Tanacetum partheniumParthenolide
  • Inhibits activation of inhibitory kappa B (IκB), consequently blocking the activation and release of NF-κB from the cytoplasmic IκB complex

  • Directly binds to NF-κB, preventing its interaction with DNA

[34, 35]
Allium sativumAllicin, S-allylcysteine
  • Modulates TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), and alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA)

  • Prevents inflammation and fibrosis in lung tissue

  • Inhibits increases in TNF-α, IL-6, and TGF-β

[36, 37]
Zingiber officinaleGingerol, shogaol
  • Inhibiting COX-2 and LOX pathways

[38, 39]
Vitis viniferaProanthocyanidins
  • Modulating the MAPK, Akt, and NF-κB signaling pathways

[40, 41]
Camellia sinensisCatechins
  • Modulating inflammation-related oxidative stress-related cell signaling pathways

  • Activation or deactivation of key pathways such as NF-κB, MAPKs, and transcription factor

[42, 43]
Ocimum sanctumEugenol, ursolic acid
  • Inhibits the expression of COX-2 and iNOS, reducing levels of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, TNF-α, and PGE2, and modulating NF-κB expression

  • Downregulates oncogenes cellular myelocytomatosis (c-Myc) and Harvey rat sarcoma viral oncogene (H-ras), modifies p53 expression, and induces apoptosis by decreasing the transcription activity of E2 promoter binding factor 1 (E2F1)

[4446]
Glycyrrhiza glabraGlycyrrhizin
  • Inhibits inflammatory cell activation and function, modulating NF-κB, MAPK, and JAK/STAT pathways

  • Blocks TLR4 signaling, halting NF-κB activation and cytokine production, while suppressing COX-2 and iNOS expression

  • Suppresses NLRP3 inflammasome activation, reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS), inhibiting NLRP3 expression, and preventing caspase-1 and IL-1β cleavage

[47, 48]
Olea europaeaOleuropein
  • Attenuates inflammation caused by TNF-α, NO, and PGE2, nitrotyrosine, iNOS, COX-2, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP)

  • Inhibits p65 translocation by blocking IκB phosphorylation in signaling pathway studies

[4951]
Citrus fruits, apples, onions, parsley, sage, tea, red wine, olive oil, grapes, dark cherries, and dark berries such as blueberries, blackberries, and bilberriesQuercetin
  • Increases peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) activity

  • Antagonizes NF-κB or AP-1 transcriptional activation of inflammatory genes

  • Blocks TNF-α-mediated induction of inflammatory cascades

[52, 53]
Polygonum cuspidatum and Vitis viniferaResveratrol
  • Activation of sirtuin-1 (Sirt-1) is implicated in mediating these effects

  • Sirt-1, acting as a deacetylase, plays a crucial role in immune tolerance by inhibiting the TLR4/NF-κB/STAT pathway and reducing the production of inflammatory factors

[54, 55]
Rhodiola roseaSalidroside, rosavin
  • Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity

  • Modulation of the MAPK/NF-κB pathway, etc.

[5658]
Silybum marianumSilybin
  • Inhibition of the IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway

[59, 60]
Zanthoxylum alatum and Ruta graveolensSkimmianine
  • Inhibits neuroinflammation by targeting the NF-κB activation pathway

  • Reduces the production of pro-inflammatory mediators in lipopolysaccharide activated BV-2 microglia, including TNF-α, IL-6, iNOS, and COX-2

  • Neuroprotective effects by preventing neurotoxicity caused by microglia-conditioned media, as evidenced by increased expression of neuronal microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP-2) protein

[6163]
Petroselinum crispum, Melissa officinalis, Origanum vulgare, and Justicia gendarussaApigenin
  • Downregulates inflammatory cytokine expression

  • Suppresses AP-1, MAPK, and NF-κB pathways in keratinocytes

  • Induces autophagy by decreasing mTOR activity

  • Inactivates Akt and protein kinase C (PKC) activities

  • Protects cells from oxidative stress-induced cell death

[6466]
Panax ginsengGinsenosides
  • Modulates the immune system

  • Influences expression and activity of cytokines, chemokines, transcription factors, and signaling molecules

  • Targets NF-κB, STAT3, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), and PPAR pathways

[6770]