Abstract
In this study, the immunomodulatory activities of Apostichopus japonicus glycosaminoglycan (AHG) on the nature killer (NK) cells, cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and cyclophosphamide (CY)-treated mice were investigated. After stimulation with multiple concentrations of AHG (0–100 μg/mL), NK cells and CTLs displayed outperformance against YAC-1 and B16 cells, respectively. Furthermore, the mitogen-induced splenic lymphocyte proliferation in CY-induced immunosuppressed mice was significantly promoted by AHG. In addition, the administration of AHG dramatically increased the splenocytes Ca2+ concentration and the delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction in a dose-dependent manner. Besides, AHG could strongly increase the total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), the activities of superoxidase dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) as well as glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), and could decrease the malondialdehyde (MDA) level in the heart, kidney and liver. These findings indicated that AHG played an important role in the immune enhancement and protection against CY-induced immunosuppression and oxidative damage. Our findings provide experimental evidence for further research and possible immunostimulatory applications of AHG in clinical practice.
Funding Information
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China-Shandong Joint Fund for Marine Science Research Centers (U1606403)
  • the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (201562016)
  • China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2015M582145)

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