Immunomodulatory Effects of <i>Lycium barbarum</i> Polysaccharide Extract and Its Uptake Behaviors at the Cellular Level
Le Feng,
Xiao Xiao,
Jing Liu,
Junyan Wang,
Nan Zhang,
Tao Bing,
Xiangjun Liu,
Ziping Zhang,
Dihua Shangguan
Affiliations
Le Feng
Key Lab of Ministry of Education for Protection and Utilization of Special Biological Resources in Western China, School of Life Sciences, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China
Xiao Xiao
Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
Jing Liu
Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
Junyan Wang
Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
Nan Zhang
Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
Tao Bing
Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
Xiangjun Liu
Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
Ziping Zhang
Key Lab of Ministry of Education for Protection and Utilization of Special Biological Resources in Western China, School of Life Sciences, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China
Dihua Shangguan
Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
Lycium barbarum L. is a widely used functional food and medicinal herb in Asian countries. L. barbarium polysaccharides (LBP) are considered as one of the major medicinal components of L. barbarium fruit and exhibits a wide range of biological activities. Here, we investigated the immunomodulatory effects of LBP and its uptake behaviors at the cellular level. LBP was prepared by water extraction and ethanol precipitation, and divided into two fractions based on the molecular weight distribution by ultrafiltration (LBP > 10 kDa and LBP < 10 kDa). The physicochemical properties of LBP and LBP fractions were well characterized. The LBP > 10 kDa fraction greatly enhanced the viability of macrophages RAW264.7 cells and induced cell polarization, but had weak effects to other tested tumor cell lines and normal cell line. This fraction could regulate the production of NO, TNF-α, IL-6 and ROS in RAW264.7 cells, suggesting both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory effects. The dye-labeled LBP could be internalized into all tested cell lines and accumulated in lysosomes. The internalization of LBP in RAW264.7 cells is mainly through the clathrin-mediated endocytosis pathway. The Caco-2 intestinal transport experiment demonstrated that the dye labeled LBP could be transported through the Caco-2 cell monolayer (mimic intestinal epithelium) through clathrin-mediated endocytosis. These results demonstrate the immunomodulatory effects of LBP and its effective uptake by macrophages and intestine.
