Shatavarin-IV saponin adjuvant elicits IgG and IgG2b responses against bacterin in a murine model.

Roxb. also known as "safed musli" or "shatavari" is a medicinal plant commonly found in South Asian countries. Shatavari is effective for the treatment of gastric ulcers, renal stones, bronchitis, diabetes, diabetic neuropathy, irritable bowel syndrome, alcohol withdrawal and has reported immunostimulatory effects. In this study, the adjuvant potential of Shatavarin-IV saponin against bacterin in mice was investigated. Shatavarin-IV was evaluated for its toxicity and immunomodulatory potential against bacterin in mice. Cellular and humoral immune responses were assessed. Shatavarin-IV was isolated from the fruit extract of The confirmation of the isolated molecule as Shatavarin-IV was done TLC-based comparison with the standard molecule. Further, the structure was confirmed by using extensive spectroscopic analyses and comparing the observed data with literature reports. It was found safe up to the dose of 0.1 mg in the mice model. Shatavarin-IV adjuvant elicited IgG and IgG2b responses at the dose of 40 μg against bacterin. However, the cell-mediated immune response was lesser as compared with the commercial Quil-A saponin . We demonstrated that Shatavarin-IV saponin adjuvant produced an optimum humoral immune response against bacterin. These results highlight the potential of Shatavarin-IV as an adjuvant in a combination adjuvant in vaccine formulations for induction of potent immune response.