title: Effect of N-acetylchito-oligosaccharides on activation of phagocytes.
abstract: Four N-acetylchito-oligosaccharides, from tetra-N-acetylchitotetraose (NACOS-4) to hepta-N-acetylchitoheptaose (NACOS-7), were found to increase the number of peritoneal exudate cells (PEC) in male BALB/c mice after 3 hr intraperitoneal administration of 50 mg/kg of each oligosaccharide. The number of attracted cells, consisting largely of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN), was proportional to the molecular weights of the administered oligosaccharides, except for NACOS-7 which displayed the same activity as NACOS-6. In an in vitro chemotaxis assay using normal mouse leukocytes, it was found that NACOS-6 displayed stronger effects than muramyl dipeptide. The PEC from NACOS-6 treated mice showed a higher active oxygen-generating activity. PMN from normal mouse peripheral blood were also shown to have enhanced active oxygen-generating activity in vitro. PEC from NACOS-6 treated mice were shown to possess strong candidacidal activity in vitro.
mesh_terms: D000119:Acetylmuramyl-Alanyl-Isoglutamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002634:Chemotaxis, Leukocyte / Q000187:drug effects; D002686:Chitin / Q000494:pharmacology; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000187:drug effects; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism; D010529:Peritoneal Cavity / Q000166:cytology; D010586:Phagocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D009844:Oligosaccharides; D002686:Chitin; D000119:Acetylmuramyl-Alanyl-Isoglutamine; D010100:Oxygen