Curdlan oligosaccharides having higher immunostimulatory activity than curdlan in mice treated with cyclophosphamide.

This study evaluated the immunostimulatory activity of curdlan oligosaccharides (GOS) in cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced immunosuppressed mice and in RAW264.7 cells. GOS was able to stimulate the release of nitric oxide (NO), cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α) and improve the phagocytic rate of peritoneal macrophages and RAW264.7 cells. It further enhanced immunoglobulins (Ig) release (IgG by 50.6%-74.7%, IgA by 31.3%-34.9%, IgM by 28.3%-66.7%), splenic lymphocyte proliferation (by 74.8%-91.3%), nature killer cells cytotoxicity (by 32.0%-49.6%), immunophenotypes of splenic lymphocytes (from 1.7 to 2.4, 2.2 and 2.7) in immunosuppressed mice. Compared with curdlan, higher immunostimulatory activity of GOS was found in CTX-treated mice. Moreover, GOS could activate nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways through toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and complement receptor 3 (CR3). These results indicated that GOS may be a favorable candidate of functional food in regulating immune responses.