title: Augmentation of resistance of mice to bacterial infection by a polysaccharide-peptidoglycan complex (PSPG) extracted from Lactobacillus casei.
abstract: A water-soluble polysaccharide-peptidoglycan complex (PSPG) was prepared from heat-killed Lactobacillus casei by digesting the bacteria with N-acetylmuramidase. The molecular weight of PSPG was over 30,000, and the polysaccharide portion of PSPG, its main component was composed of rhamnose, glucose, galactose, glucosamine and galactosamine. Mice pretreated intraperitoneally with PSPG survived after a lethal infection with Listeria monocytogenes or Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The growth of infecting bacteria (L. monocytogenes, P. aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli) in both the peritoneal cavity and the liver was inhibited markedly in the mice that had been treated with PSPG. It was suggested that macrophages may be the main effector for the anti-infectious effect of PSPG since treatment of mice with carrageenan, a selective macrophage blocker, markedly reduced the anti-infectious effect of PSPG.
authors.affiliation: Yakult Central Institute for Microbiological Research, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nomoto
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagaoka
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yokokura
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mutai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002351:Carrageenan; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D007780:Lacticaseibacillus casei / Q000378:metabolism*; D008088:Listeriosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010457:Peptidoglycan / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control; D012481:Salmonella Infections, Animal / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium
chemical_list: D010457:Peptidoglycan; D011134:Polysaccharides; D002351:Carrageenan