title: The role of NK cells in antitumor activity of dietary fucoidan from Undaria pinnatifida sporophylls (Mekabu).
abstract: Fucoidan from Mekabu (sporophyll of Undaria pinnatifida), a dietary alga, exerts antitumor activity possibly through enhancing the immune response. The present report describes the effects of dietary Mekabu fucoidan on the tumor growth of mouse A20 leukemia cells and on T cell-mediated immune responses in T cell receptor transgenic (DO-11 - 10 - Tg) mice. The animals were fed with a diet containing 1% Mekabu fucoidan (0.034 +/- 0.003 g/mouse/day) for 10 days and subcutaneously (s. c.) inoculated with A20 leukemia cells. Thereafter, the mice were fed with the diet containing fucoidan for 40 days. Mekabu fucoidan inhibited tumors by 65.4 %. We studied how the killer activities of T cell-mediated and natural killer (NK) cells are augmented in DO-11 - 10 mice fed with Mekabu fucoidan. The cytolytic activities of ovalbumin (OVA), which is specific against OVA-transfected A20 (OVA-A20) B lymphoma cells, and NK cells against YAC-1 were significantly enhanced in the mice fed with fucoidan compared with a basic diet. Thus, these findings suggested that Mekabu fucoidan mediates tumor destruction through Th1 cell and NK cell responses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, School of Allied Health Sciences, Kitasato University, Kitasato Kanagawa, Japan. maruyama@ahs.kitasato-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Maruyama
authors.forename: Hidekazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tamauchi
authors.forename: Mariko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iizuka
authors.forename: Takahisa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakano
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017209:Apoptosis; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000276:immunology; D008517:Phytotherapy; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D044648:Undaria
chemical_list: D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D011134:Polysaccharides; D010047:Ovalbumin; C007789:fucoidan