The effect of turtle (Trachemys scripta elegans) shell extract in normal and cyclophosphamide-treated mice

In the present study, the immune effect of turtle shell extract on normal and cyclophosphamide (CP)-treated mice was determined. Mice treated with the turtle shell extract and CP had significantly (p<0.05) elevated levels of serum IgG, ATL, ATS and CREA compared with CP-treated mice. The turtle shell extract-treated mice had significantly elevated serum IgG (p<0.001), reduced serum CREA level (p<0.05), but the serum ATL, ATS and BUN did not change significantly compared with normal mice. Treatment with the turtle shell extract significantly improved the CD3+, CD4+CD8-, CD4-CD8+ and CD4+CD8+ cells percentages (p<0.05) in normal mice, and also significantly improved CD3+ and CD4+CD8- cells percentages in CP-treated mice (p<0.05). There was significant difference (p<0.001) in the proliferation rate of PHA-stimulated spleen lymphocyte in vitro between the turtle shell extract + CP-treated mice and CP-treated mice, and also between the turtle shell extract-treated mice and normal mice (p<0.05). These results demonstrate that the turtle shell extract can up-regulate the immune states of normal and CP-treated mice, and shows some protective effect on liver and kidney damage in CP-induced mice.