title: Immunomodulatory activity of polysaccharide from Acanthopanax obovatus roots.
abstract: The effects of the Acanthopanax obovatus polysaccharide (AOPS) as well as its combination with cyclophosphamide (CY) or prednisolone on immune responses were investigated in mice. AOPS (250 mg/kg i.p. x 5) increased the spleen weight and the number of spleen cells, and augmented the phagocytosis of peritoneal macrophages both in normal mice and in immunosuppressed mice. In a haemagglutinin assay AOPS increased the production of specific antibodies and antagonized the suppressive effect of CY. AOPS not only enhanced the degree of in vitro spleen cell-mediated red blood cells (SRBC) hemolysis (quantitative hemolysis of SRBC) but also restored the suppressive effect of CY completely. From these results, AOPS was shown to have an enhancing and a modulating activity on immune responses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Mie University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: J Z
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: X J
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shimura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000187:drug effects; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007109:Immunity / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal