불등풀가사리 다당류의 분자량에 따른 면역증강 효과

Abstract

This study investigated the immune-enhancing effects of polysaccharides extracted from Gloiopeltis furcata (red seaweed) with different molecular weights. A crude polysaccharide mixture was hydrolyzed using acid treatment (0.1 N HCl) and three molecular weight fractions were generated and filtered using centrifugation: (≤10 kDa, 10 to 100 kDa, and 100 kDa. Nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW264.7 cells treated with 0.01-0.5 μg/mL polysaccharides ≥100 kDa was 12.28-19.05 μM. Treatment with polysaccharides ≥100 kDa increased cytokine levels, including TNF-α and IL-6 levels, in a dose-dependent manner. Polymerase chain reaction analysis also revealed marked increases in iNOS and COX-2 mRNA expression levels. These findings lead us to conclude that macrophage activation induced by polysaccharides ≥100 kDa was greater than that induced by polysaccharides ≤10 kDa or between 10 and 100 kDa. The polysaccharides ≥100 kDa extracted from Gloiopeltis furcata investigated herein are potentially useful as natural immune-enhancing agents. These findings provided further insights into the potential use of ≥100 kDa as immunopotentiator or new function food.