Effect of Areca catechu extracts on immunity functions and antioxidant activities in mice

To study the effect of Areca catechu on growth,antioxidant enzymes and immune function in mice,the water extract and dilute phosphoric acid extract of three kinds of Areca catechu were used as the raw material,immune indexes including spleen index,thymus index and immunoglobulin Ig A,Ig G and Ig M contents,antioxidant enzymes indexes including SOD and CAT activities were determined.The results showed that three kinds of Areca catechu extracts increased the body weight of mice significantly( p < 0.01),but had no significant effect on thymus index and immune globulin,only the dilute phosphoric extract of one brand Areca catechu significantly reduced the spleen index( p < 0.05) and CAT activity( p < 0.05) at 90 d. Thus Areca catechu extracts could promote appetite,growth,and do not have obvious influence on immune function and antioxidant enzyme level in mice.