Premium
Polysaccharide of Danggui Buxue Tang, an Ancient Chinese Herbal Decoction, Induces Expression of Pro‐inflammatory Cytokines Possibly Via Activation of NFκB Signaling in Cultured RAW 264.7 Cells
Author(s) -
Gong Amy GW,
Zhang Laura ML,
Lam Candy TW,
Xu Miranda L,
Wang Huai Y,
Lin HQ,
Dong Tina TX,
Tsim Karl WK
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
phytotherapy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.019
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1573
pISSN - 0951-418X
DOI - 10.1002/ptr.5745
Subject(s) - decoction , polysaccharide , immune system , angelica sinensis , tumor necrosis factor alpha , traditional medicine , cytokine , cytosol , chemistry , signal transduction , pharmacology , pharmacognosy , macrophage , in vitro , traditional chinese medicine , biochemistry , biology , biological activity , medicine , immunology , enzyme , alternative medicine , pathology
Danggui Buxue Tang (DBT) is an ancient Chinese herbal decoction containing two herbs, Astragali Radix (AR) and Angelicae Sinensis Radix (ASR): this herbal decoction serves as dietary supplement for women during menopause. DBT has been known to modulate immune responses, and its polysaccharide is proposed to be one of the active components. However, the polysaccharide‐induced signaling in immune activation is not revealed. Here, we are identifying that the immune activation, triggered by DBT, could be mediated by polysaccharide. In cultured macrophages (RAW 264.7 cells), the application of polysaccharide‐enriched extract of DBT significantly increased the expressions of mRNA and protein levels of interleukin‐1β, interleukin‐6 and tumor necrosis factor. The induction was much stronger than the polysaccharide extract generated singly from AR, or from ASR, or from their simple mixture. The induced cytokine release in cultured macrophage was revealed to be triggered by activation of nuclear factor‐kappa B (NF‐κB) signaling, including (i) degradation of IkBα; (ii) translocation of NF‐κB p65 from cytosol to nuclei; and (iii) activation of NF‐κB transcriptional elements. These results verified the possible role of DBT polysaccharide in modulating immune responses. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.