Activation of NF-kB/rel in angelan-stimulated macrophages

Abstract

In our previous studies we showed that the primary target cell of angelan, a polysaccharide purified from Angelica gigas Nakai, is a macrophage (Han et al., 1998). In the present study we examined the effect of angelan on iNOS, IL-1β, and TNF-α transcription in mouse macrophage line RAW 264.7. We show that angelan produces a marked induction of iNOS, IL-1β, and TNF-α transcription by RAW 264.7 cells. Since these gene transcriptions have been recently shown to be under the control of NF-κB/Rel family of transcription factors, we assessed the effect of angelan on NF-κB/Rel using a electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Treatment of RAW 264.7 cells with angelan produced strong induction of NF-κB/Rel binding. Treatment of RAW 264.7 cells with angelan slightly induced AP-1 binding activity, whereas Oct binding was not affected by angelan. Angelan stimulated macrophages to activate NF-κB/Rel, whereas neither B-cells nor T-cells were affected by the angelan. In conclusion, we demonstrate that the stimulation effect of angelan on macrophage is mediated by specific activation of NF-κB/Rel.