title: Ganoderma formosanum polysaccharides attenuate Th2 inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness in a murine model of allergic asthma.
abstract: Allergic asthma is an inflammatory disease of the airways mediated by Th2 immune responses and characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR). Fungi of the genus Ganoderma are basidiomycetes that have been used in traditional Asian medicine for centuries. We recently found that PS-F2, a polysaccharide fraction purified from the submerged culture broth of Ganoderma formosanum, stimulates the activation of dendritic cells and primes a T helper 1 (Th1)-polarized adaptive immune response. This study was designed to investigate whether the Th1 adjuvant properties of PS-F2 could suppress the development of allergic asthma in a mouse model. BALB/c mice were sensitized by repeated immunization with chicken ovalbumin (OVA) and alum, followed by intranasal challenge of OVA to induce acute asthma. PS-F2 administration during the course of OVA sensitization and challenge effectively prevented AHR development, OVA-specific IgE and IgG1 production, bronchial inflammation, and Th2 cytokine production. Our data indicate that PS-F2 has a potential to be used for the prevention of allergic asthma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemical Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617 Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chia-Chen
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Pi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemical Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617 Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hui-Yi
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemical Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617 Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chiu-Ying
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, 10041 Taiwan.
authors.forename: Frank Leigh
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemical Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617 Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chun-Jen
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Chen
keywords: Airway hyperresponsiveness; Allergic asthma; Ganoderma formosanum; Immunomodulation; Polysaccharides