Chemical composition and biological activities of immunostimulants purified from alkali extract of poria cocos sclerotium = 복령 균핵의 알칼리추출물에서 정제한 면역활성 증강물질의 작용과 화학구성

Abstract

An one percent sodium carbonate extract prepared from sclerotia of Poria cocos activated the proliferation of the T lymphocytes as measured by mixed lymphocyte responses(MLR). The active fraction, PCSC22, was isolated from an one percent sodium carbonate extract by a combination of fractionation procedures, including ethanol precipitation and chromatographies on column of DEAE-cellulose and Sephadex G50. Carbohydrate and peptide contained in PCSC22 were 78 : 22% in ratio. On employing gel filtration high performance liquid chromatography, PCSC22 exhitited a homogeneous peak with an average molecular weight of 8 kDa. The sugar moiety of PCSC22 was composed with mannose (92%), galactose (6.2%) and arabinose (1.3%), which might be indicated as heteromannan. Fifteen amino acids were found in peptide moiety of the polysaccharide and aspartic acid, serine, and valine were major components. PCSC22 activated the primary proliferation of T lymphocytes measured by mixed lymphocyte responses, the antibody production of the B lymphocytes and the secretion of nitric oxide from macrophage cell line, RAW264.7.