Nutr Res Pract.  2007 Jun;1(2):94-99.

Effect of mucilage from yam on activation of lymphocytic immune cells

• Jang CM
• Kweon DH
• Lee JH

Abstract

The immunostimulating activities of mucilage fraction from yam were investigated. The proliferation of BSA-primed lymph node cells was enhanced between 4.1- to 10.9-fold compare to control, when cultured with 1 to 25 microgram/mL of yam-mucilage fraction. It showed strong immunopotentiating activity than ginseng extract and as remarkable as Bifidobacterium adolescentis M101-4 known as a positive immunostimulator. Mitogenicity to lymph node cells was fully induced by concanavalin A and lipopolysaccharide. The proliferation of splenocytes and Peyer's patch cells was enhanced between 5.0- to 14.1-fold and 2.4- to 6.4-fold, respectively, when cultured with 1 to 25 microgram/mL of yam-mucilage fraction. It enhanced the production of cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha and IL-6 in the culture of RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. In the culture of lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, production of cytokines was as similar as compared to controls. In unstimulated RAW 264.7 cells, both tumor necrosis factor-alpha and IL-6 production were enhanced between 15.6- to 60.1-fold and 2.3- to 9.1-fold, respectively. Mucilage fraction from yam is expected to be a safe immunopotentiator to maintain the host immunity and develop a physiologically functional food.

Keyword

Yam-mucilage; immunostimulation; lymphocyte proliferation; cytokine; functional food

MeSH Terms

Bifidobacterium
Concanavalin A
Cytokines
Dioscorea*
Functional Food
Immunization
Interleukin-6
Lymph Nodes
Macrophages
Panax
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
Concanavalin A
Cytokines
Interleukin-6
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Proliferation of BSA-primed murine lymph node cellsLymph node cells (4×105 cells/well) were cultured at 37℃ in 5% CO2 with mucilage fraction from yam (■, 1 µg/mL; ▒, 5 µg/mL; □, 25 µg/mL), ginseng extract (■, 1 µg/mL; ▒, 5 µg/mL; □, 25 µg/mL), B. adolescentias M101-4 (■, 106 cells/mL; ▒, 107 cells/mL; □, 108 cells/mL), ConA (■, 1 µg/mL; ▒, 2 µg/mL; □, 4 µg/mL) or LPS (■, 0.1 µg/mL; ▒, 1 µg/mL; □, 10 µg/mL) and proliferation was detected by MTT assay. Data are presented as means ± SEM for 5 trials.abcMeans with different superscripts in the same treatment are significantly different at p<0.05.xyzMeans with different superscripts in the same dose level are significantly different at p<0.05.

• 

  Fig. 2 Proliferation of murine splenocytesSplenocytes (4×105 cells/well) were cultured at 37℃ in 5% CO2 with mucilage fraction from yam (■, 1 µg/mL; ▒, 5 µg/mL; □, 25 µg/mL), ginseng extract (■, 1 µg/mL; ▒, 5 µg/mL; □, 25 µg/mL), B. adolescentias M101-4 (■, 106 cells/mL; ▒, 107 cells/mL; □, 108 cells/mL), ConA (■, 1 µg/mL; ▒, 2 µg/mL; □, 4 µg/mL) or LPS (■, 0.1 µg/mL; ▒, 1 µg/mL; □, 10 µg/mL) and proliferation was detected by MTT assay. Data are presented as means ± SEM for 5 trials.abcMeans with different superscripts in the same treatment are significantly different at p<0.05.xyzMeans with different superscripts in the same dose level are significantly different at p<0.05.

• 

  Fig. 3 Proliferation of murine Peyer's patch cellsPeyer's patch cells (4×105 cells/well) were cultured at 37℃ in 5% CO2 with mucilage fraction from yam (■, 1 µg/mL; ▒, 5 µg/mL; □, 25 µg/mL), ginseng extract (■, 1 µg/mL; ▒, 5 µg/mL; □, 25 µg/mL), B. adolescentias M101-4 (■, 106 cells/mL; ▒, 107 cells/mL; □, 108 cells/mL), ConA (■, 1 µg/mL; ▒, 2 µg/mL; □, 4 µg/mL) or LPS (■, 0.1 µg/mL; ▒, 1 µg/mL; □, 10 µg/mL) and proliferation was detected by MTT assay. Data are presented as means ± SEM for 5 trials.abcMeans with different superscripts in the same treatment are significantly different at p<0.05.xyzMeans with different superscripts in the same dose level are significantly different at p<0.05.

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