title: Sea cucumber (Codonopsis pilosula) oligopeptides: immunomodulatory effects based on stimulating Th cells, cytokine secretion and antibody production.
abstract: This study aimed to investigate the immunomodulating activity of small molecule oligopeptides from sea cucumber (Codonopsis pilosula) (SOP) in mice. Seven assays were performed to determine the immunomodulatory effects, including splenic lymphocyte proliferation and delayed-type hypersensitivity assays (cell-mediated immunity), IgM antibody response of spleen to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) and serum hemolysin level assays (humoral immunity), the carbon clearance assay and the phagocytic capacity of peritoneal cavity phagocytes assay (macrophage phagocytosis), and the NK cell activity assay. Spleen T lymphocyte subpopulations, multiplex sandwich immunoassays of serum cytokine and immunoglobulin levels and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for small intestinal secretory immunoglobulin were performed to study the mechanism by which SOP affects the immune system. We found that SOP could improve immune functions in mice, which may be due to the enhancement of the functions of cell-mediated immunity, humoral immunity, macrophage phagocytosis and NK cell activity. From the cellular and molecular assays, we postulated that the immunomodulatory effects are most likely attributed to the stimulation of Th cells, cytokine secretion and antibody production.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China. helixiapku@163.com zhangzhaofeng@126.com berseraphim@sina.com qiheyuntian@163.com lrui0101@163.com ren_jinwei@126.com bmuwjbxy@bjmu.edu.cn liyongbmu@163.com and Beijing Key Laboratory of Toxicological Research and Risk Assessment for Food Safety, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China.
authors.forename: Li-Xia
authors.initials: LX
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China. helixiapku@163.com zhangzhaofeng@126.com berseraphim@sina.com qiheyuntian@163.com lrui0101@163.com ren_jinwei@126.com bmuwjbxy@bjmu.edu.cn liyongbmu@163.com and Beijing Key Laboratory of Toxicological Research and Risk Assessment for Food Safety, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China.
authors.forename: Zhao-Feng
authors.initials: ZF
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China. helixiapku@163.com zhangzhaofeng@126.com berseraphim@sina.com qiheyuntian@163.com lrui0101@163.com ren_jinwei@126.com bmuwjbxy@bjmu.edu.cn liyongbmu@163.com and Beijing Key Laboratory of Toxicological Research and Risk Assessment for Food Safety, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China. helixiapku@163.com zhangzhaofeng@126.com berseraphim@sina.com qiheyuntian@163.com lrui0101@163.com ren_jinwei@126.com bmuwjbxy@bjmu.edu.cn liyongbmu@163.com and Beijing Key Laboratory of Toxicological Research and Risk Assessment for Food Safety, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China.
authors.forename: Qi-He
authors.initials: QH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China. helixiapku@163.com zhangzhaofeng@126.com berseraphim@sina.com qiheyuntian@163.com lrui0101@163.com ren_jinwei@126.com bmuwjbxy@bjmu.edu.cn liyongbmu@163.com and Beijing Key Laboratory of Toxicological Research and Risk Assessment for Food Safety, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China. helixiapku@163.com zhangzhaofeng@126.com berseraphim@sina.com qiheyuntian@163.com lrui0101@163.com ren_jinwei@126.com bmuwjbxy@bjmu.edu.cn liyongbmu@163.com and Beijing Key Laboratory of Toxicological Research and Risk Assessment for Food Safety, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China.
authors.forename: Jin-Wei
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China. helixiapku@163.com zhangzhaofeng@126.com berseraphim@sina.com qiheyuntian@163.com lrui0101@163.com ren_jinwei@126.com bmuwjbxy@bjmu.edu.cn liyongbmu@163.com and Beijing Key Laboratory of Toxicological Research and Risk Assessment for Food Safety, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China.
authors.forename: Jun-Bo
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China. helixiapku@163.com zhangzhaofeng@126.com berseraphim@sina.com qiheyuntian@163.com lrui0101@163.com ren_jinwei@126.com bmuwjbxy@bjmu.edu.cn liyongbmu@163.com and Beijing Key Laboratory of Toxicological Research and Risk Assessment for Food Safety, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000187:drug effects*; D001835:Body Weight; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins / Q000097:blood; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000187:drug effects; D007071:Immunoglobulin A, Secretory / Q000378:metabolism; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000097:blood; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000187:drug effects; D012616:Sea Cucumbers / Q000737:chemistry*; D012756:Sheep / Q000276:immunology; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; D007071:Immunoglobulin A, Secretory; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D015848:Interleukin-5; D015850:Interleukin-6; D009842:Oligopeptides; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D007371:Interferon-gamma