Immune-Enhancing Effects of Polysaccharides Isolated from Ascidian (Halocynthia roretzi) Tunic

Abstract

In this study, the immune-enhancing effects of purified polysaccharides from ascidian (Halocynthia roretzi) tunic were investigated. Crude polysaccharides (AP) were isolated by enzyme extraction (neutrase, 60°C, 15 h), ethanol precipitation, and lyophilization. In addition, crude polysaccharides were further fractionated into unabsorbed fractions (APF-Ⅰ, fraction No. 11∼17) and absorbed fractions (APF-Ⅱ, fraction No. 22∼37) by DEAE-sepharose CL-6B column chromatography in order to isolate immune regulating polysaccharide. The major constituents in APF-Ⅰ and APF-Ⅱ were total sugar (66.62% and 27.03%), uronic acid (47.53% and 15.87%), hexosamine (16.62% and 46.79%), and protein (2.43% and 4.94%), respectively. APF-Ⅰ increased production of nitric oxide (NO) and cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin (IL)-6 in a dose-dependent manner. The mRNA expression levels of inducible NO synthetase, cyclooxygenase-2, TNF-α, and IL-6 were markedly increased as determined by polymerase chain reaction analysis. The above data led us to conclude that macrophage activation of purified polysaccharides was higher than that of crude polysaccharides. The polysaccharides isolated from ascidian tunic investigated herein are useful as natural immune enhancing agents.

In Vitro Immune-Enhancement and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Fatty Acids Extracted from the Halocynthia aurantium Gonad on RAW264.7 Macrophages

“…Several biological functions have been studied in this genus, including antibacterial, anti-proliferation, anti-diabetic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory activities [ 17 , 24 , 25 , 26 ]. In macrophages, the carotenoids derived from H. roretzi were isolated and they showed anti-inflammatory effects on LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells [ 27 ], whereas polysaccharides from the tunic of H. roretzi also had immunomodulatory effects in RAW264.7 cells [ 28 ].…”

Sea Squirt Shell Protein and Polylactic Acid Laminated Films Containing Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil

“…Sea squirt ( Halocynthia roretzi ) is a marine organism that is found worldwide. In East Asian countries, sea squirt is a popular food because of its characteristic taste and smell (Lee & Hong, ). However, because the shell is discarded after the consumption of sea squirt, there are some studies exploring the potential uses of sea squirt shell (Yook et al., ).…”

Anticoagulant properties of a high molecular weight polysaccharide fraction (1000RS) of the ascidian Microcosmus exasperatus

“…The tunic and organs of different ascidians have been studied as a source of new bioactive natural products [7][8][9][10] . Among those compounds, polysaccharides like L-galactans have shown to be the main constituent of this filter feeding marine invertebrate tunic [11,12] .…”