Biological activity of Brassica rapa L. polysaccharides on RAW264.7 macrophages and on tumor cells.

Polysaccharides are a type of natural macromolecule widely existing in nature, and its pharmacological activity has attracted wide research attention. In this study, Brassica rapa L. polysaccharides were taken as the research object, and a preliminary study of the immune activity and mechanism of the antitumor activity of these polysaccharides in vitro was carried out. Five polysaccharides, namely, BRP, BRNP-1, BRNP-2, BRAP-1, and BRAP-2, were compared in terms of their ability to inhibit the growth of three types of cancer cells, namely, A549, AGS, and HepG2. The most effective polysaccharides were screened out, and their mechanism was studied. Immunoassay results showed that the five polysaccharides not only promoted the growth of RAW264.7 cells but also stimulated their endocytic/pinocytosis activity and released NO, TNF, IL-6 cytokines, especially BRP. In vitro antitumor experiments showed that BRP has a significant inhibitory effect (*P < 0.05) on the growth of A549 cells, especially at high concentrations (500-2000 μg/mL). BRP can also induce A549 cells to release reactive oxygen species, cause mitochondrial membrane potential, and effect the expression of Bax, caspase-9, caspase-3, p53, and B-cell lymphoma 2. Immunological experiments showed that the five groups of polysaccharides are not cytotoxic to normal cells and have immunostimulatory effects. Mitochondria represent one of the more important endogenous pathways in the apoptotic process. The results suggested that BRP participates in mitochondria mediated apoptosis and induces A549 cell apoptosis. This study lays a theoretical foundation for further research on the mechanisms of BRP immunoregulation and antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo.