Evaluation of Selected Immunomodulatory Glycoproteins as an Adjunct to Cancer Immunotherapy.

Polysaccharopeptide (PSP), from Coriolus versicolor, has been used widely as an adjuvant to chemotherapy with demonstrated anti-tumor and broad immunomodulating effects. While PSP's mechanism of action still remains unknown, its enhanced immunomodulatory potential with acacia gum is of great interest. Acacia gum, which also contains polysaccharides and glycoproteins, has been demonstrated to be immunopotentiating. To elucidate whether PSP directly activates T-cell-dependent B-cell responses in vivo, we used a well-established hapten carrier system (Nitrophenyl-chicken gamma globulin (NP-CGG)). 6-week C57BL/6 male mice were immunised with 50 µg of NP25-CGG alum precipitate intraperitoneally. Mice were gavaged daily with 50 mg/kg PSP in a vehicle containing acacia gum and sacrificed at days 0, 4, 7, 10, 14 and 21. ELISA was used to measure the total and relative hapten-specific anti-NP IgA, IgM and IgG titre levels compared to the controls. It was found that PSP, combined with acacia gum, significantly increased total IgG titre levels at day 4 (P< 0.05), decreased IgM titre levels at days 4 and 21 (P< 0.05) with no alterations observed in the IgA or IgE titre levels at any of the time points measured. Our results suggest that while PSP combined with acacia gum appears to exert weak immunological effects through specific T-cell dependent B-cell responses, they are likely to be broad and non-specific which supports the current literature on PSP. We report for the first time the application of a well-established hapten-carrier system that can be used to characterise and delineate specific T-cell dependent B-cell responses of potential immunomodulatory glycoprotein-based herbal medicines combinations in vivo.

[Autoimmune reaction component in chronic pancreatitis: clinical and experimental study].

UNLABELLED: The study was undertaken to identify the relationship between inflammatory and autoimmune processes in chronic pancreatitis and to determine the prognostic significance of autoantibodies to antigens of acinar cells and hepatocytes, immunoglobulin G1-4. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 85 patients with CP (43 men, 42 women) were studied autoantibodies to antigens of acinar and liver cells, IgG1-4. Of these, 43 patients HP was characterized by complications (cysts, calcification, pseudotumoral form), 40 patients--HP without complications, 2 patients were diagnosed chronic autoimmune pancreatitis (CAP), confirmed histologically. 20 people-- the control group. Experimental studies on animals, reproduction of acute and chronic pancreatitis. RESULTS: Maximize the level of autoantibodies--32.4 +/- 5.6 U / ml (control--10.5 +/- 2.5 U / ml) (p < or = 0.01), as well as IgG4--24 mg/ml in normal (0.8 +/- 0.08 mg/ml)--was recorded in patients with autoimmune pancreatitis. The average value of autoantibodies--in patients with CP complications: 24.2 +/- 3.8 U/ml (p < or = 0.01). The minimum value of autoantibodies--in patients with CP without complications: 18.6 +/- 2.6 U/ml (p < or = 0.05). CONCLUSION: The course of autoimmune pancreatitis accompanied by an increase of autoantibodies to antigens of acinar and liver cells, as well as serum IgG1-4, especially IgG4, which reflects the intensity of the autoimmune responses in this disease. In addition, the exacerbation of chronic pancreatitis with complications is clearly defined autoimmune component of disease. Experimental studies with preimmunization of animals allogeneic tissues have convincingly demonstrated that the formation of antibodies is not only to the antigens, reflecting the specific characteristics of these tissues, but also to general cell structures of other tissues.