**8. MBG Action on Cells of the Immune System**

Interestingly, MBG also has an action on some cells of the immune system. For example, in one study [18], the role of MBG in acute inflammation was evaluated in a model of zymosan-induced peritonitis in vivo and in peritoneal macrophages in in vitro culture. Mouse models were treated for three days with either MBG at 0.56 mg/kg, saline or dimethyl sulfoxide, and at one hour after the last treatment, they were treated with 2 mg/mL zymosan. Next, peritoneal exudate was collected, and total and differential leukocyte numbers were evaluated. Among these cells, Zymosan-stimulated peritoneal macrophages showed cytokine changes in IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α plasma concentrations compared with the control group. Those treated with MBG at the lowest concentration had reduced plasma levels of IL-1β (45%), IL-6 (17%), and TNF-α (20%) compared to the zymosan group. In the other two groups, cytokine plasma levels remained similar to those of the control group. This demonstrated that MBG pre-treatment reduced neutrophil migration, probably due to alterations in vascular permeability. In addition, MBG showed no cytotoxicity to cultured peritoneal macrophages. As already mentioned, plasma concentrations of MBG that are not able to inhibit the enzyme Na+/K+-ATPase, however, can trigger the production of messengers and the activation of intracellular signaling pathways.
