The in vitro immunomodulatory activity of a polysaccharide isolated from Kadsura marmorata.

Kadsura marmorata has been used in traditional Chinese medicine as one of the major ingredients for the treatment of bronchial asthma, eczema, and acute and chronic infection due to either viruses or bacteria. The purpose of this study was to determine the immunomodulatory activities of the Kadsura polysaccharide (KPS) that was isolated and purified from the fruit of K. marmorata, designated as KPSIII and has a molecular weight of 130,406. The immunomodulatory effects of KPSIII were evaluated in vitro on chicken lymphocytes and macrophages. The results indicated that KPSIII could stimulate the cell proliferation of chicken T-lymphocytes, B-lymphocytes, and peritoneal macrophages and could significantly enhance cytokine secretion. Moreover, KPSIII regulated cytokine expression in T-lymphocytes and peritoneal macrophages. This study suggests that KPSIII has potential effects on regulating the immune system and might be an immunotherapeutic agent in treating various immunity-related diseases in chickens.