title: A fructan, from Radix ophiopogonis, stimulates the proliferation of cultured lymphocytes: structural and functional analyses.
abstract: A fructan, Opaw-2, with molecular mass of about 14 kDa, was isolated from the tuberous roots of Ophiopogon japonicus. Opaw-2 comprises fructose and glucose with a molar ratio of 30:1. Linkage and NMR analyses indicated that Opaw-2 has a backbone structure of beta-(1-->2)-Fruf and beta-(2-->6)-Fruf residues that branches at O-6 of beta-(1-->2)-Fruf residues with alpha-1-linkage to the Glcp residues and terminates with Fruf residues. In cultured lymphocytes, the application of Opaw-2 significantly stimulated the proliferation of lymphocytes in a dose-dependent manner. By using atomic force microscopy, Opaw-2 showed a morphological change from globular to helical fibrous shape at increasing concentrations.
authors.affiliation: Modern Research Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiangmei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Lixin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Xiaoming
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Karl W K
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Tsim
authors.forename: Pengfei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D005630:Fructans / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D015394:Molecular Structure; D019906:Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular; D031441:Ophiopogon / Q000737:chemistry*; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000737:chemistry; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D005630:Fructans; C514311:Opaw-2