Immune enhancement effects of Korean ginseng berry polysaccharides on RAW264.7 macrophages through MAPK and NF-κB signalling pathways

Abstract

Ginseng, a commonly used medicinal herb, contains polysaccharide as one of the bioactive compounds. This study aimed at evaluating the immune enhancement effects of Korean ginseng berry polysaccharides (GBPs) on macrophage RAW264.7 cells and their chemical characteristics. The crude polysaccharide (GBP-C) was extracted and fractionated to different polysaccharides (GBP-F1, GBP-F2, and GBP-F3). GBPs were mainly composed of rhamnose, arabinose, mannose, glucose and galactose, with molecular weights (M w ) ranging from 16 × 10 3 to 328 × 10 3 g/mol. While all the GBPs significantly increased the NO production in a dosedependent manner, GBP-F2 showed the highest immuneenhancing effects. GBP-F2 up-regulated the mRNA expression of iNOS, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α through activating phosphorylation of NF-κB-p65, ERK1/2, JNK, and p38 to a greater extent than the other GBPs samples. These results indicate that GBPs, and especially GBP-F2, have strong immune enhancement effects desirable for application in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Antioxidant and Immune Stimulating Effects of Allium hookeri Extracts in the RAW 264.7 Cells and Immune-Depressed C57BL/6 Mice

“…Previous studies have reported that plant extracts including AH extracts stimulated the production of NO in RAW 264.7 or macrophages [ 13 , 38 , 39 , 40 ]. NO is a well-known inflammatory mediator and is released from activated macrophages during an infection or inflammation [ 41 ]. The extract of AH leaves and roots and fermented AH roots significantly stimulated NO production by HD11 macrophages in a dose dependent manner [ 13 ].…”

Immune-Enhancing Effects of Crude Polysaccharides from Korean Ginseng Berries on Spleens of Mice with Cyclophosphamide-Induced Immunosuppression

“…Korean ginseng berries were obtained from Boeun, Chungcheong Province, Korea. Korean GBPs with molecular weights of 328.4 and 54.2 × 10 3 (g/mol) comprising rhamnose (4.0%), arabinose (19.8%), mannose (2.2%), glucose (27.7%), and galactose (46.3%) were prepared as described in our previous report [ 31 ].…”

“…Polysaccharides from Korean ginseng after cellulase- and α-amylase-based extraction can enhance spleen and thymus indices, lymphocyte proliferation, leukocyte count, NK cell activity, and serum levels of IL-2 , IL-6 , and IFN-γ in CY-induced immunosuppressed mice [ 30 ]. Moreover, we recently reported that Korean ginseng berries show immune-enhancing effects in RAW 264.7 cells [ 31 ]. However, still little is known about the immunomodulatory effect of polysaccharides from Korean ginseng berry in CY-induced immunosuppressive mice model.…”

Inhibitory effects of polysaccharides from Korean ginseng berries on LPS-induced RAW264.7 macrophages

“…A previous study has identified crude and three fractionated polysaccharides isolated from Korean ginseng berries (GBPs: GBP-C, GBP-F1, GBP-F2, and GBP-F3) by an ion-exchange chromatography. In the analysis of these polysaccharides, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) has been used to evaluate monosaccharides such as rhamnose, arabinose, mannose, glucose, and galactose [ 32 ]. Four fractions of polysaccharides have been shown to possess immune-enhancing activities by increasing the expression of iNOS , COX-2 , TNF-α , IL-1β , and IL-6 via NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways [ 32 ].…”

“…In the analysis of these polysaccharides, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) has been used to evaluate monosaccharides such as rhamnose, arabinose, mannose, glucose, and galactose [ 32 ]. Four fractions of polysaccharides have been shown to possess immune-enhancing activities by increasing the expression of iNOS , COX-2 , TNF-α , IL-1β , and IL-6 via NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways [ 32 ]. GBP-C can also boost immune function in mice [ 33 ].…”