关键词: 甜菜红素, 抗氧化, 免疫调节

Abstract: Objective: To explore the regulatory effect of betalain on antioxidant status and immune function in mice. Methods: Betalain was extracted and separated from red beet (Beta vulgaris var. rubra). Three groups of male KM mice were used: blank group and high, medium and low-dose betalain groups. After 15 days of oral administration, the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) in serum were determined in each group. The changes in immune organ index, splenic lymphocyte proliferation, serum hemolysin, natural killer (NK) cell activity and the phagocytic function of peritoneal macrophages were measured. The results showed that the activities of SOD and GSH-Px in the serum of mice were significantly increased in the high and middle-dose groups and MDA concentration was significantly decreased compared with the blank group (P < 0.05). The thymus index of mice in each dose group was higher than that in the blank group (P < 0.05), and the spleen index and corrected clearance index of mice in the high and medium-dose groups were both significantly higher than those in the blank group (P < 0.05). Also, the splenic lymphocyte proliferation ability, serum hemolysin and NK cell activity in the two dose groups were significantly different from those in the blank group (P < 0.05). It was concluded that betalain could significantly improve antioxidant status and specific and nonspecific immunity of mice.

Key words: betalain, antioxidant, immunomodulatory