title: Purification of immune complexes clearance enhancing polysaccharide from the leaves of panax ginseng, and its biological activities.
abstract: Water and alkaline-soluble crude polysaccharides, which were prepared from the roots or leaves of Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer, were tested for the enhancing activity of immune complexes binding to macrophages. Binding of glucose oxidase-anti-glucose oxidase complexes (GAG), a model immune complexes, to macrophages was enhanced by the treatment with acidic polysaccharides (GL-2 and GR-3) from the leaves and the roots, respectively. The most active polysaccharide fraction, GL-2, was purified and the active polysaccharide, GL-4IIb2, was obtained. GL-4IIb2 was an acidic polysaccharide containing 33 % uronic acid. GAG binding to macrophages by GL-4IIb2 increased in a dose dependent fashion. When mice were given GL-4IIb2 intraperitoneally, the immune complexes clearance from circulation was also significantly enhanced compared with those of the control in a dose dependent fashion. Scatchard analysis indicated enhanced expression of Fc receptor (FcR) on the surface by the action of GL-4IIb2. The enhancement of GAG binding by GL-4IIb2 was inhibited by the presence of actinomycin D or cycloheximide. The GAG binding enhancing activity of GL-4IIb2 was reduced by periodate oxidation but not by Pronase® digestion of GL-4IIb2. These results suggest that the carbohydrate moiety of GL-4IIb2 activated the mononuclear phagocytic system in vivo through an increase of FcRs expression mediated by de novo synthesis of the receptor protein, and resulted in enhanced immune complexes clearance.
authors.affiliation: Oriental Medicine Research Center, The Kitasato Institute, 5-9-1 Shirokane, Minato-Ku, Tokyo 108, Japan.
authors.forename: X B
authors.initials: XB
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamada