Antitumor activity of polysaccharide from a Chinese medicinal herb, Acanthopanax giraldii Harms

Analysis of Acanthopanax giraldii Harms Polysaccharide II Composition and Its Immune-Protective Role in a Cyclophosphamide-Induced Immunosuppressive Mice Model

Acanthopanax giraldii Harms is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat rheumatism, improve joints, and strengthen muscles and bones. The polysaccharides present in A. giraldii Harms contain major bioactive substances, which have antioxidant, anticancer, and antiviral activities. In this study, the structural characterization of the homogeneous polysaccharide isolated from A. giraldii Harms, known as AHP-II, and its immunomodulatory effects in vivo will be studied. High-performance ion chromatography (HPIC) and high-performance gel permeation chromatography (HPGPC) based analyses revealed that AHP-II was composed of various monosaccharides, which included rhamnose, arabinose, galactose, glucose, mannose, galacturonic acid, and glucuronic acid in molar ratios of 29.5 : 24.6 : 23.8 : 4.4 : 5.7 : 8.8 : 3.1, respectively, and had a collective molecular weight of 80.21 × 10³ Da. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy indicated the presence of a pyranose ring and β-type glycosidic linkages in AHP-II. In addition, immunomodulatory effect analyses of AHP-II that used a cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppressive mouse model demonstrated that its treatment could significantly restore spleen and thymus indices, promote the proliferation of splenic lymphocytes, elevate CD4⁺ T lymphocyte percentage and CD4⁺ : CD8⁺ ratio in the spleen, promote macrophage phagocytosis, and restore cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α, IgM, and IgG) levels. These results suggested that AHP-II could potentially be used as natural immunomodulator and as an alternative treatment to reduce chemotherapy-induced immunosuppression.

Eleutheroside E Enhances the Long-Term Memory of Radiation-Damaged C. elegans through G-Protein-Coupled Receptor and Neuropeptide Signaling Pathways

Eleutheroside E (EE), a principal active compound of Acanthopanax senticosus, has been shown to have a certain neuromodulation effect. Our previous study indicates that EE protects nerve damage caused by radiation. However, its specific function and underlying mechanism remain unknown. Therefore, the objective of this study is to apply the C. elegans model to illuminate the property and mechanism of EE protecting against nerve damage caused by radiation. Here, we found that EE significantly improved the long-term memory of radiation-damaged C. elegans. Through transcriptome sequencing, the results showed that EE protected radiation-damaged C. elegans mainly through G-protein-coupled receptor and neuropeptide signaling pathways. Further research indicated that EE affected the activity of CREB by cAMP-PKA, G_qα-PLC, and neuropeptide signaling pathways to ultimately improve the long-term memory of radiation-damaged C. elegans. In addition, the activity of G_qα and neuropeptides in AWC neurons and the activity of CREB in AIM neurons might be crucial for EE to function.

Glycoproteins and Polysaccharides are the Main Class of Active Constituents Required for Lymphocyte Stimulation and Antigen-Specific Immune Response Induction by Traditional Medicinal Herbal Plants

Traditional herbal remedies stimulate and modulate the immune system, and it is thought that their glycoproteins and polysaccharides are responsible for this activity. We prepared crude water, protein, and polysaccharide extracts from Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz, Helianthus annuus L., Scutellaria barbata D. Don, and Hedyotis diffusa Willd, respectively, and compared their immune-stimulating activities in vitro and in vivo. All protein and polysaccharide samples of the plants led to greater lymphocyte proliferation and TNF-α and IL-6 production in cultured splenocytes than did the crude water extracts at the same concentrations tested. In addition, the protein and polysaccharide samples did not contain lectin- or lipopolysaccharide-like molecules, so glycoproteins were deduced to be responsible for the lymphocyte stimulation. Oral administration with each of the samples enhanced the hen egg-white lysozyme (HEL)-specific humoral immune and lymphocyte proliferative responses in HEL low-responder C57BL/6 mice. Splenocytes from the mice fed the samples showed significantly greater increases in the level of IFN-γ, but not IL-4, after stimulation with HEL compared with that from the untreated control. However, higher increases in HEL-specific IgG1, IgG2b, and IgG3 rather than IgG2a were found in the mice fed the samples. These results indicate that the sample-mediated enhancement of anti-HEL-specific humoral immune responses was due to the stimulation of B lymphocytes rather than a selective priming of helper T cell populations. Collectively, we suggest that glycoproteins and/or polysaccharides of traditional herbal remedies enhance cellular and humoral immune response induction and thus could be useful for patients who need enhanced immune function.

HPTLC-profiling of eleutherosides, mechanism of antioxidative action of eleutheroside E1, the PAMPA test with LC/MS detection and the structure-activity relationship

Human body is constantly generating free radicals, which causes oxidative stress. Despite naturally occurring antioxidant systems in human body, free radicals cause lipid, proteins and DNA oxidation. New antioxidants are still urgent as well as their mechanisms of action should be explained. In this study, we investigated the mechanism by which eleutherosides B, E and E1 may act as antioxidants, identified eleutherosides in Eleutherococcus lasiogyne and Eleutherococcus giraldii, and explained in vitro the absorption of eleutheroside E1 based on passive transport. The DPPH^∗ and DB-HPTLC tests were used to assess the antioxidant activity. Of the three eleutherosides, only eleutheroside E1 exhibited a strong anti-DPPH^∗ activity (EC₅₀ 37.03 μg/mL; 63 mMol) compared to the raw extracts (EC₅₀ 170 and 180 μg/mL for E. lasiogyne and E. giraldii). This activity was also confirmed by the DB-HPTLC autography technique. According to Załuski's hypothesis, the antioxidant mechanism of eleutheroside E1 is based on the complexation of DPPH^∗ molecule with its aryl radical. During this reaction, the aryl radical of eleutheroside E1 (E1^∗) and DPPHH are created. Next, the aryl radical (E1^∗) is complexed with another DPPH^∗ molecule. Additionally, the aryl radical can be stabilized by the presence of the methoxy groups in the aromatic ring, which increases its antioxidative action. The HPTLC-identification of extracts showed the presence of eleutherosides B, E and E1 in both species. The PAMPA test coupled with LC/MS detection showed a low permeability of eleutheroside E1 across artificial membrane. Because eleutherosides belong to the polyphenols, the TPC and TFC were quantified. The TPC and TFC varied from 51.4 to 49.3 mg/g dry extract for TPC, and from 5.73 to 4.91 mg/g dry extract for TFC, for E. giraldii and E. lasiogyne, respectively. In conclusion, eleutheroside E1 in its pure form could be a chemopreventive ingredient of new pharmacological or dietary products, stimulating the GALT. These findings can explain partially the adaptogenic activity of eleutheroside E1 on the GALT, which has been still unknown.

Acanthus ebracteatus Vahl. ethanol extract enhancement of the efficacy of the collagen scaffold in wound closure: a study in a full-thickness-wound mouse model

Acanthus ebracteatus Vahl. is a Thai herb that is effective in wound healing. We sought to quantitatively determine whether or not the combined application of Acanthus ebracteatus Vahl. and a collagen scaffold will increase wound closure and angiogenesis. Balb/c mice (body weight: 22-25 g) were anesthetized with sodium thiopental. The dorsal skin incision measuring 1.5 × 1.5 cm was made and then deepened using scissors to produce a full-thickness incision down to the level of the panniculus carnosus. The size of the wound was approximately 10% of the total body surface area. The collagen sheet was implanted onto the wound. Animals were divided into 4 major groups as follows: wound with normal saline (W-NSS), wound treated with 0.3 g/kg BW of Acanthus ebracteatus Vahl. extract (W-AE (0.3 g/kg.bw)), wound implanted with collagen scaffold (W-Coll), and wound implanted with collagen scaffold and treated with 0.3 g/kg BW of Acanthus ebracteatus Vahl. (W-Coll-AE combination). On day 14, the W-Coll-AE group showed decreased wound areas and increased capillary vascularity (CV) when compared to the other 3 groups, W-NSS, W-AE0.3, and W-Coll. In the present study, the combination of AE0.3 with collagen showed the best effect on skin angiogenesis and promoted wound closure with less neutrophil infiltration.

Developing Phytocompounds from Medicinal Plants as Immunomodulators

Imbalance or malfunction of the immune systems is associated with a range of chronic diseases including autoimmune diseases, allergies, cancers and others. Various innate and adaptive immune cells that are integrated in this complex networking system may represent promising targets for developing immunotherapeutics for treating specific immune diseases. A spectrum of phytochemicals have been isolated, characterized and modified for development and use as prevention or treatment of human diseases. Many cytotoxic drugs and antibiotics have been developed from phytocompounds, but the application of traditional or new medicinal plants for use as immunomodulators in treating immune diseases is still relatively limited. In this review, a selected group of medicinal herbs, their derived crude or fractionated phytoextracts and the specific phytochemicals/phytocompounds isolated from them, as well as categorized phytocompound groups with specific chemical structures are discussed in terms of their immunomodulatory bioactivities. We also assess their potential for future development as immunomodulatory or inflammation-regulatory therapeutics or agents. New experimental approaches for evaluating the immunomodulatory activities of candidate phytomedicines are also discussed.

Polysaccharide peptides from COV-1 strain of Coriolus versicolor induce hyperalgesia via inflammatory mediator release in the mouse

Polysaccharide peptide (PSP), isolated from Coriolus versicolor COV-1, has been widely used as an adjunct to cancer chemotherapy and as an immuno-stimulator in China. In this study, the anti-nociceptive effects of PSP were investigated in two different pain models in the mouse. In the acetic acid-induced writhing model, initial studies showed that PSP decreased the number of acetic acid-induced writhing by 92.9%, which, by definition, would constitute an analgesic effect. However, further studies showed that PSP itself induced a dose-dependent writhing response. Studies on inflammatory mediator release showed that PSP increased the release of prostaglandin E2, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1beta, and histamine in mouse peritoneal macrophages and mast cells both in vitro and in vivo. The role of inflammatory mediator release in PSP-induced writhing was confirmed when diclofenac and dexamethasone decreased the number of writhing responses by 54% and 58.5%, respectively. Diphenhydramine totally inhibited the PSP-induced writhing. In the hot-plate test, PSP dose-dependently shortened the hind paw withdrawal latency, indicative of a hyperalgesic effect. The hyperalgesic effect was reduced by pretreatment with the anti-inflammatory drugs. In conclusion, the PSP-induced hyperalgesia was related to activation of peritoneal resident cells and an increase in the release of inflammatory mediators.

Apoptosis of hepatoma cells SMMC-7721 induced by Ginkgo biloba seed polysaccharide

AIM: To study the apoptosis of hepatoma cells SMMC-7721 induced by polysaccharide isolated from Ginkgo biloba seed.

METHODS: Ginkgo biloba seed polysaccharide (GBSP) was isolated by ethanol fractionation of Ginkgo biloba seed and purified by Sephadex G-200 chromatography. The purity of GBSP was verified by reaction with iodine-potassium iodide and ninhydrin and confirmed by UV spectrophotometer, cellulose acetate membrane electrophoresis and Sepharose 4B gel filtration chromatography. The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Flow Cytometry (FCM) were used to examine the SMMC-7721 cells with and without GBSP treatment at 500 mg/mL for 36 h.

RESULTS: GBSP product obtained was of high purity with the average molecular weight of 1.86 × 10⁵. Quantitative analysis of SMMC-7721 cells in vitro with FCM showed that the percentages of G2-M cells without and with GBSP treatment were 17.01% ± 1.28% and 11.77% ± 1.50% (P < 0.05), the debris ratio of the cells were 0.46% ± 0.12% and 0.06% ± 0.06% (P < 0.01), and the apoptosis ratio of cells was 3.84% ± 0.55% and 9.13% ± 1.48% (P < 0.01) respectively. Following GBSP treatment, microvilli of SMMC-7721 cells appeared thinner and the number of spherical cells increased markedly. Most significantly, the apoptosis bodies were formed on and around the spherical cells treated with GBSP.

CONCLUSION: GBSP could potentially induce the apoptosis of SMMC-7721 cells.

Soamsan, a traditional Korean medicine, enhances antigen-specific immune responses in low-responder mice via the combined activity of glycoproteins and endotoxins

Soamsan is a traditional anti-cancer treatment in oriental medicine. It is thought that this material modulates immune responses. To determine whether Soamsan treatment has any effect on the induction of antigen-specific immune responses, C57BL/6 mice, which are low-responders to hen egg-white lysozyme (HEL), were injected with HEL, and their specific immune responses were measured while they were fed Soamsan. Oral administration of Soamsan enhanced the anti-HEL antibody response as well as the T-cell proliferative response to the antigen. Analyses of the HEL-specific antibody isotypes showed that Soamsan treatment resulted in increased levels of HEL-specific antibodies, irrespective of isotype. In particular, however, HEL-specific antibodies of the IgG2b, IgG3, and IgM isotypes, which are associated with direct stimulation of B cells, were significantly increased by the Soamsan treatment. Stimulation of C57BL/6 splenocytes in vitro showed that the presence of Soamsan significantly augmented the proliferative activity induced by both B and T cell mitogens. This augmentation was associated with glycoprotein(s) with a molecular weight mass of about 100 kDa, as well as with endotoxin-like compounds. These results suggest that Soamsan modulates and enhances antigen-specific immune responses.

Bioactive polysaccharides from traditional Chinese medicine herbs as anticancer adjuvants

PURPOSE OF STUDY

To review the nature, extent, bioactivities, and clinical application of polysaccharides in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) especially as adjuvants in cancer treatment.

METHODOLOGY

Literature review.

FINDINGS

Many fungal- and plant-derived bioactive polysaccharides with a broad range of immunomodulatory activities are found in TCM. Some such polysaccharides have been developed into drugs and show clinical efficacy in controlled trials while the majority of such compounds remain as nutraceuticals with only preliminary research. Such polysaccharides are generally nontoxic and possess other bioactivities such as inducing differentiation, stimulating hematopoiesis, antimetastasis, and antiangiogenesis, which make them ideal adjuvants in modern cancer therapy.

CONCLUSION

Bioactive polysaccharides occur extensively in TCM herbs and are the basis of potentially useful application of TCM as an adjuvant in cancer therapies.

Modulation of antigen-specific immune responses by the oral administration of a traditional medicine, bo-yang-hwan-o-tang

Bo-yang-hwan-o-tang (BHT) has long been used to treat cancer in traditional Korean medicine and is believed to have immune-modulating activity. This study investigated the effect of BHT on the induction of antigen-specific immune responses using hen egg-white lysozyme (HEL) as a model antigen system. Oral administration of BHT enhanced both HEL-specific humoral and lymphocyte proliferative responses in HEL low-responder mice. Feeding BHT to the mice increased INF-gamma levels, but did not change IL-4 levels. Interestingly, however, the oral BHT feeding significantly increased HEL-specific antibodies of the IgG1, IgG2b, and IgG3 subtypes, which are associated with the direct stimulation of B cells. This indicates that BHT treatment enhances anti-HEL-specific humoral immune responses via the direct stimulation of B lymphocytes rather than by selective priming of specific subtypes of the helper T-cell population. This conclusion was supported by in vitro experiments, in which the presence of BHT significantly augmented B-cell mitogen-mediated proliferation of mouse splenocytes. This augmentation was closely associated with a glycoprotein with a molecular weight of around 100 kDa. The results suggest that BHT modulates antigen-specific immune responses, and might be used as a therapeutic agent for patients who need enhanced immune function.

Quantitative determination of eleutheroside B and E from Acanthopanax species by high performance liquid chromatography

Reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatographic method was applied for the determination of eleutheroside B and E in the various Acanthopanax species collected in Korea. The stationary phase used was Zorbax 300 SB C18 and a mobile phase program was used, which started at 6% acetonitrile for 2 min, and then a linear gradient was operated for the next 18 min to 17% acetonitrile at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min. The column effluent was monitored at UV 210 nm. Identification was carried out by comparing the retention time and the LC/MS spectrum of each peak corresponding to eleutheroside B and E from sample with those of standards. In general, the contents of eleutheroside B and E in stems were higher than those in roots. Acanthopanax species could be classified into two groups based upon the contents of eleutheroside B and E: one group contains no or very little eleutheroside B and another contains both eleutheroside B and E.

Integration of Chinese medicine into supportive cancer care: a modern role for an ancient tradition

Recent evidence suggests that many traditional Chinese medical therapies are effective for the supportive care of cancer patients. This is a review of some of the published literature (indexed in Medline) and our own practical experience. It is not intended to be a systematic review, but does provide various levels of evidence which support further research into a developing model of integrative care. The holistic approach of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) may be integrated into conventional Western Medicine to supplement deficiencies in the current biomedical model. The philosophy of TCM proposes novel hypotheses which will support the development of a science-based holistic medicine.

Chinese medicinal herb, Acanthopanax gracilistylus, extract induces cell cycle arrest of human tumor cells in vitro

We investigated the effect of a Chinese medicinal herb, Acanthopanax gracilistylus (AG), extract (E) on the growth of human tumor cell lines in vitro. AGE markedly inhibited the proliferation of several tumor cell lines such as MT-2, Raji, HL-60, TMK-1 and HSC-2. The activity was associated with a protein of 60 kDa, which was purified by gel-filtration chromatography. Cell viability analyses indicated that the treatment with AGE inhibits cell proliferation, but does not induce cell death. The mechanism of AGE-induced inhibition of tumor cell growth involves arrest of the cell cycle at the G(0) / G(1) stage without a direct cytotoxic effect. The cell cycle arrest induced by AGE was accompanied by a decrease of phosphorylated retinoblastoma (Rb) protein. Furthermore, cyclin-dependent kinases 2 and 4 (Cdk2 and Cdk4), which are involved in the phosphorylation of Rb, were also decreased. These results suggest that AGE inhibits tumor cell growth by affecting phosphorylated Rb proteins and Cdks.

Stimulating activity of Chinese medicinal herbs on human lymphocytes in vitro

The effects of eight kinds of Chinese medicinal herbs (CMH) on human lymphocytes was studied in vitro. The extract of Cinnamomum cassia presl markedly stimulated human lymphocytes to proliferate. Codonopsis pilosula, Oldenlandia diffusa and Rhizoma typhonii weakly stimulated. These extracts enhanced cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) activity, but failed to enhance natural killer (NK)-cell activity. The extracts of these CMHs have stimulatory effect on immunoglobulin (Ig) production by B-cells and interleukin(IL)-1 production by monocytes. These activities of Cinnamomun cassia presl extract are associated with glycoproteins, whose molecular weight was about 100 KDa. These results suggest that CMH extracts have a stimulating activity on human lymphocytes and these abilities could be used clinically for the treatment of diseases such as cancer.

Immunomodulating activity of Chinese medicinal herbs and Oldenlandia diffusa in particular

The effect of eight different Chinese medicinal herbs (CMHs) on lymphocytes was studied in vitro using murine spleen cells. Among the studied eight CMHs, Astragalus membranaceus and Oldenlandia diffusa markedly stimulated murine spleen cells to proliferate. The responder cells for CMHs were B cells, because the response was depleted by the treatment of spleen cells with anti-immunoglobulin (i.g.) antibody and complement and after purification by nylon wool column. This response was not due to contamination by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), because CMHs could stimulate C3H/HeJ spleen cells which are low responders to LPS. CMHs enhanced the production of Ig. CMHs also enhanced the induction of allo-antigen specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes. However, CMHs had no effect on natural killer cells. Furthermore, CMHs stimulated macrophages to produce interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor. The electroelution of the proteins from SDS-PAGE gel showed that the active components of Oldenlandia diffusa had an apparent molecular weight of 90-200 kD and were sensitive to pronase E and NaIO4 treatment, suggesting glycoproteins in nature. These results suggest that CMHs have immunomodulating activity in vitro and this activity could be used clinically for the modulation of immune responses.

Natural products and their derivatives as cancer chemopreventive agents

This review summarizes currently available data on the chemopreventive efficacies, proposed mechanisms of action and relationships between activities and structures of natural products like vitamin D, calcium, dehydroepidandrosterone, coenzyme Q10, celery seed oil, parsley leaf oil, sulforaphane, isoflavonoids, lignans, protease inhibitors, tea polyphenols, curcumin, and polysaccharides from Acanthopanax genus.

Inhibitory action of a (1-->6)-beta-D-glucan-protein complex (F III-2-b) isolated from Agaricus blazei Murill ("himematsutake") on Meth A fibrosarcoma-bearing mice and its antitumor mechanism

The effects of F III-2-b (Agaricus blazei Murill polysaccharide) with or without 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) on immune responses were investigated in Meth A tumor-bearing and normal mice. The i.p. administration of F III-2-b (10 mg/kg/day x 30) moderately inhibited the growth of Meth A tumor cells implanted s.c. in mice. Development of implanted tumors was strongly inhibited by the combination of F III-2-b and 5-FU. The picryl chloride-induced delayed type hypersensitivity (PC-DTH) response in mice was depressed after the implantation of tumor and treatment with 5-FU. F III-2-b restored the suppression of PC-DTH by 5-FU, but did not increase the PC-DTH of normal mice. F III-2-b not only enhanced the degree of spleen cell-mediated sheep red blood cells (SRBC) hemolysis (quantitative hemolysis of SRBC), the indexes of the spleen and thymus, and the number of spleen cells but also restored the suppressive effect of 5-FU. In the group receiving F III-2-b, the percentages of splenic Thy1.2-, L3T4- and asialo GM1-positive cells were significantly increased as compared with the tumor-bearing mice treated with saline. Furthermore, the L3T4+/Lyt2+ ratio showed a tendency to increase, and the Lyt2+ ratio was markedly decreased. These results suggest that the antitumor effect of F III-2-b may be correlated with the changing pattern of the Thy1.2-, L3T4- and asialo GM1-positive cells.