Abstract

Children patient suffering from malnutrition and chronic diarrhea, who had been treated with tempe formula improved their health status, recovered from the diarrhea in a relatively shorter period, and gained weight. It is perceived that the quick recovery was due to improvement of the body’s immune system. The aim of the research was to observe the effect of black soybean tempe and it’s ethanol extract on T and B cells proliferation and level of secretory IgA (sIgA) in rat induced with Salmonella typhimurium. A total of 48 rats were divided into four groups, 12 rats each assigned to standard diet, diet plus black soybean tempe flour, diet plus tempe ethanol extract, and diet plus mixture from tempe ethanol extract and flour of black soybean tempe. Body weights were recorded during 35 days of diet treatment, and index stimulation on T and B cells as well as level of secretory IgA were measured after S. typhimurium induction. Result indicated that diet with tempe, diet with ethanol extract and combination of both increased body weight better than that of control. Treatments with tempe and mixture of tempe with its ethanol extract were significantly different from the control in the proliferation of T cell; however, the treatment with tempe ethanol extract did not. The three treatments did not improved proliferation of B cell. Diet with tempe alone significantly increased secretory IgA in the intestinal tract fluid of rats, but the other treatments did not show significant difference with the control (without Salmonellainduction).

Key words: Black soybean tempe, immune response, lymphocyte, secretory IgA.