T/B Lymphocyte Activation: Phenotyping
Natural products may directly act on different lymphocyte subsets, as well as support immuno-modulation in response to known stimuli. Some compounds are able to directly trigger activation of specific cell types, whereas other compounds may require cooperation between different cell populations.
NIS Labs performs different panels of tests for evaluating lymphocyte activation. Panels of T versus B lymphocyte specific activation markers are used for immunostaining after culturing the cells with test product in the presence versus absence of a known immune activator. The activation can be compared between cultures of total lymphocytes versus enriched lymphocyte subsets, which may indicate whether a direct mechanism of activation takes place, or whether cooperation between multiple cell subsets is involved in the immune reaction triggered by a natural product.