Effect of two herbal medicinal products revital and artemune on immune stimulation and resistance to Salmonella Typhi infection in Wistar Albino Rats

Herbal medicines are increasingly utilized for immune support amid rising antimicrobial resistance.Revital and artemune are herbal products approved by the Uganda National Drug Authority (NDA) for immune support.This study evaluated their ability to stimulate immune system and enhance infection resistance against Salmonella Typhi in Wistar albino rats.Thirteen groups of six rats were each used.For immune assessment, rats were immunosuppressed with cyclophosphamide (50 mg/kg) for 3 days and treated with varying doses of Revital (12.4,24.8, and 49.6 ml/kg) or Artemune (155, 310, and 620 mg/kg) for 7 days.Levamisole served as positive control.Immune response was evaluated by analyzing white blood cell (WBC) parameters.For infection resistance, rats received optimal doses of both products for 14 days before being challenged with S. Typhi.Efficacy was determined via complete blood counts and bacterial cultures.Both herbal medicines significantly increased total WBC and differential counts compared to the negative control (p<0.05) and had immune stimulation comparable to levamisole.In infection resistance tests, Artemune demonstrated significant reduction in bacterial colonization (p<0.05) and Revital also showed protective effects.In conclusion, revital and artemune exhibited immune-stimulatory properties and reduced bacterial blood colonization in immunosuppressed rats, suggesting potential as supportive therapies in infection management.