Abstract
AbstractA crude polysaccharide fraction (F‐5) from ‘Juzen‐Taiho‐To’ (TJ‐48), a Kampo (Japanese herbal) medicine prepared by decocting a prescription of 10 herbs, enhanced the production of interleukin‐2 (IL‐2) by mouse spleen cells stimulated with concanavalin‐A (Con‐A). When F‐5 was fractionated by cetavlon precipitation, the neutral polysaccharide fraction (F‐5‐5) enhanced IL‐2 production, and also showed anticomplementary activity. Anion‐exchange chromatography and gel filtration indicated that F‐5‐5 contained at least seven kinds of polysaccharides with anticomplementary activity or IL‐2 production enhancing activity. Among these polysaccharides relatively higher molecular weight polysaccharides (F‐5‐5IIa‐1‐1, IIa‐2‐1, IIb‐1 and IIc‐1) showed only anticomplementary activity, whereas relatively lower molecular weight polysaccharides (F‐5‐5IIb‐3A, IIb‐3C and IIc‐2A) enhanced only IL‐2 production of the spleen cells. These immunomodulating polysaccharides consisted of neutral sugars such as arabinose, galactose and galacturonic acid, and the IL‐2 production enhancing polysaccharides also contained a relatively large proportion of protein. Pronase digestion of F‐5‐5 failed to decrease the enhancement of IL‐2 production, whereas the activity significantly decreased by chemical degradation of the carbohydrate moiety or uronic acid with periodate or lithium. Methylation analysis before and after base‐catalysed β‐elimination suggested that the anticomplementary polysaccharides were grouped into pectic polysaccharides, and that the most potent IL‐2 production enhancing polysaccharide (F‐5‐5IIc‐2A) contained an arabinogalactan moiety in addition to (1→4)‐linked galacturonic acid.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call