In vitro and in vivo effects of Gelidium amansii on intestinal immune system

Abstract

Purified compound with intestinal immune system-modulating properties, GWE-2c, was isolated from methanol extract of Gelidium amansii by sequential procedures with silica gel column, LH-20 Sephadex gel column, and thin-layer chromatographies. In the presence of GWE-2c, strong immunoactivity in Peyers patch cell-mediated bone marrow cells was observed in vitro. In vivo intestinal immune-modulating activity was also enhanced by crude phenolic compound (GWE) of G. amansii in a dose-dependent manner. Investigation of production of several cytokines in Peyer’s patch cells upon stimulation with GWE in vivo revealed the levels of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin (IL)-6 increased. Results suggest that the phenolic compound from G. amansii represents immunopotentiator and biological response modifier at in vitro and in vivo levels.