Effects of dietary supplement of Centella asiatica on serum interleukin-10 and interferon gamma of growing pigs

The present study evaluates the effects of Centella asiatica L. Urban supplemented in conventional diets on serum levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10) and interferon-gamma (IFN-J) of growing pigs. Sixteen 8-week old crossbred pigs were divided into four groups of four pigs. Each group was fed ad libitum with conventional diets supplemented with either 0% (control), 0.5%, 1%, or 2% pulverized C. asiatica. Pigs were bled twice at 12 and 20 weeks of age which corresponded to one and three months of experimental feeding, respectively. The results showed that, after one month of C. asiatica feeding, pigs of all experimental groups demonstrated comparable levels of serum IL-10 to control pigs, but pigs fed with 1% and 2% C. asiatica demonstrated significantly reduced serum IFN-J levels. At three months of experimental feeding, pigs fed with 1% and 2% C. asiatica showed significantly reduced serum IL-10 and reduced, but not significantly, serum IFN-J levels. These results indicate that C. asiatica has the potential to suppress both anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Further study is needed to determine whether these effects of C. asiatica have clinical importance in anti-inflammatory treatment. Chiang Mai Veterinary Journal 2011;9(2): 93-104