BIOCHEMICAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL ALTERATIONS OF MACROPHAGES AND SPLEEN-CELLS PRODUCED BY ANTITUMOR POLYSACCHARIDE FORM ACANTHOPANAX-OBOVATUS ROOTS

Acanthopanax obovatus polysaccharide (AOPS) administrated intraperitoneally (i.p.) resulted in the augmentation of phagocytosis and the chemiluminescence in peritoneal macrophages of mice. Binding of the third component of complement (C3) cleavage products to the receptors on peritoneal macrophages was enhanced by AOPS. The C3 conversion in human serum was increased by AOPS in vitro treatment. When given i.p., AOPS led to the enhancement of spleen weight, spleen cell number, and plaque-forming cells. It was also found that after in vivo administration AOPS not only enhanced the synthesis of DNA and protein but also promoted the mitogenic responses of spleen cells. The morphological observation of spleens indicated that AOPS augmented the transformation from lymphocytes to plasma cells. AOPS inhibited the growth of mouse solid Sarcoma-180 and prolonged the survival time significantly. These results suggest that AOPS is an effective biological response modifier and its antitumor activity is related to its immunopotentiating effects.