Lymphocyte Proliferation Assay (LPA)
Many complex natural products contain immunomodulatory compounds. These include well-described compounds such as hyaluronan, glucans, mannans, and peptidoglycans.
Moving towards a full appreciation of immunomodulatory mechanisms of action is a complex process. A simple place to start is to evaluate a natural product’s ability to alter the programming in T lymphocytes, rendering them more or less responsive towards a known stimulus. This assay evaluates the ability of a product to modulate the effect of a known inducer of proliferation.
This assay doubles as a safety evaluation as well. It is often desirable to verify that a potent immunomodulatory product or compound does not by itself induce lymphocyte proliferation. If a product is capable of inducing lymphocyte proliferation directly, it raises safety concerns.