title: The antitumor and immunostimulating activities of water soluble polysaccharides from Radix Aconiti, Radix Aconiti Lateralis and Radix Aconiti Kusnezoffii.
abstract: In the present study, the water-soluble polysaccharides of Radix Aconiti, Radix Aconiti Lateralis and Radix Aconiti Kusnezoffii, were extracted and fractionated into four fractions of each material. The FT-IR and chemical analyses indicated the water-soluble polysaccharides of the three materials were all mainly composed of starch, non-starch type alpha-D-glucans and pectic polysaccharides with different molecular weight distributions and monosaccharide composition ratios. The antitumor assay showed that all the non-starch type polysaccharide fractions had good antitumor activities, and the tumor growth inhibition ratios were 37.24-70.42%. Specifically the inhibition ratios of pectic polysaccharides were over 60%. Moreover, the immunological tests using the Cyclophosphamide (Cy) induced immunosuppressive mice, including phagocytosis of macrophage, NK cell activity, concanavalin A (ConA)-induced T-cell proliferation, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced B-cell proliferation, quantitative haemolysis of sheep red blood cells (SRBC) and dinitro-fluorobenzene (DNFB)-induced delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response assays, exhibited that all the non-starch type polysaccharides, especially the pectic polysaccharide fractions, not only had remarkable immunostimulating activities including nonspecific immunity, cellular immunity and humoral immunity, but also could restore the antitumor drug-suppressed immune function. Therefore, the polysaccharides from Aconitum species might be conveniently exploited to be good immune stimulating modifiers and had the potential to apply in the tumor therapy.
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, PR China.
authors.forename: Tingting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Hongtao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bi
authors.forename: Shuai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Jingmei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D031841:Aconitum / Q000737:chemistry*; D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D018906:Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating / Q000494:pharmacology; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000494:pharmacology; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D005260:Female; D006461:Hemolysis / Q000187:drug effects; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed / Q000276:immunology; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009005:Monosaccharides / Q000737:chemistry; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000187:drug effects; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000737:chemistry; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D018906:Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D009005:Monosaccharides; D010936:Plant Extracts; D011134:Polysaccharides; D014867:Water; D003520:Cyclophosphamide