With the rise of artificial additives in the food and beverage industry, mustard oil has taken on a life of its own.
The chemical compound in mustard oil is known as 3,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, or 3, 4-DPA.
This chemical has been found to inhibit bacterial growth in the intestines of animals, while other studies have found it to enhance digestion and the immune system.
Now, there is new research that suggests 3, and 4-CPA could also boost the immune response in the body.
The research was published in Nature Communications.
Researchers from the University of Maryland, College Park and the University at Buffalo analyzed the immune responses of mice fed with either 3, or 4-CDPA-treated diet, and found the two compounds could have an impact on their immune system and improve their health.
The study is one of the first to find the immune systems responses to 3, 3,5-trichloro-4,4,5,6-trimethoxyquinone (TCP-6T) and 4, 4,6,6 and the two components of mustard oil.
“In addition, we show that 3,3,4 and4-CDP, when combined with 3,6TBP, are potent inhibitors of the T cell response,” said study co-author Dr. William J. Smith, a researcher in the Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology at the University College, College of London.
“Our findings provide a new mechanism of action for 3,2-diazol-2,4DBA (3,2,2DBA) and may provide an alternative strategy to use to treat severe asthma,” said lead study author Dr. David D. Gershman, a professor of pathology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and director of the Institute for the Study of Biomolecules.
The researchers said they were able to detect the effects of 3, 2-DBA and 4DBA by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests, which measure the levels of various antibodies that the immune cells produce when they respond to various proteins.
The ELISA test is a standard laboratory test that can detect the presence of antibodies that are specific to a particular protein in the blood.
For example, antibodies that help to recognize proteins in a protein-based immune response such as T-cells are usually found in red blood cells.
These antibodies are found in the urine of people with asthma who also have other diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic kidney disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The scientists found that the level of T-cell production in the nasal and lung tissue of mice was reduced when they received either 3 or 4 diazol 2,4 DBA and their liver cells were also reduced.
“We also showed that these mice did not respond to the T- and B-cell responses to T- or B-cells,” said Gershatman.
The levels of T cells also increased in the lungs of mice given either 3DPA or 4DPA-laced diet.
“It is encouraging that we found that T- cell responses were reduced in these mice after they were exposed to the combination of 3DBA with 4-TPA, and that the mice also did not develop systemic asthma,” Gershidman said.
“We have a lot of work to do to figure out the mechanisms of action, but this work is a step forward toward an immunotherapy approach for the treatment of asthma,” he said.