Xiaoping Song

Effect of epimedium polysaccharide-propolis flavone immunopotentiator on immunosuppression induced by cyclophosphamide in chickens.

Two hundred and fifty 11-day-old chickens were randomly assigned into 5 groups and except normal control group injected with cyclophosphamide once a day for 3 successive days. At day-14-old, all chickens were vaccinated with Newcastle disease vaccine. At the same time of the first vaccination, the chickens in three experimental groups were injected respectively with epimedium polysaccharide-propolis flavone immunopotentiator (EPI) at three dosages, once a day for 3 successive days. On days 7, 14, 21 and 28 after the first vaccination, the serum antibody titer and IgG, IgM, IFN-γ and IL-6 concentrations, peripheral lymphocyte proliferation, including immune organ index on day 28, were measured. The results demonstrated that EPI at high and medium doses could significantly enhance antibody titer and IgG, IgM, IFN-γ and IL-6 concentrations, promote lymphocyte proliferation and enlarge immune organ index as compared with model control group. This indicated that EPI could effectively resist the immunosuppression.

Ophiopogon polysaccharide liposome can enhance the non-specific and specific immune response in chickens

The purpose of this study is to investigate the immune-enhancing activity of ophiopogon polysaccharide liposome (OPL). In non-specific immune response experiment, the phagocytosis and cytokines secretion of peritoneal macrophages in vitro and in vivo were performed. In specific immune response experiment, the activity of OPL was measured on chickens which were vaccinated with Newcastle disease (ND) vaccine and then challenged with ND virus at 49-old-day. The results showed that OPL could significantly promote the phagocytosis of macrophages and induce the secretion of IL-2 and IL-6 in vitro; OPL at high and medium doses could significantly improve the phagocytosic index, promote lymphocyte proliferation, increase the proportion of T lymphocyte subpopulations (CD4(+) and CD8(+)), enhance antibody titer and improve the protective rate in vivo. Moreover, its efficacy was significantly better than ophiopogon polysaccharide (OP). These results indicated that the immune-enhancing activity of OP was significantly improved after encapsulated with liposome.

Antioxidative and immunological activities of ophiopogon polysaccharide liposome from the root of Ophiopogon japonicus.

The antioxidative and immunoregulatory activities of ophiopogon polysaccharide liposome (OPL) were investigated. The results demonstrated that the radical-scavenging activity increased along with the increasing of OPL concentrations, and the scavenging capability of OPL was slightly stronger than ophiopogon polysaccharide (OP) in vitro. In vivo, OPL at high and medium doses could significantly improve the levels of SOD and GSH-Px, and decrease the levels of MPO, XOD and MDA compared with OP. In addition, OPL could not only significantly enhance the splenocyte proliferation and the proportion of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells, but also improve the levels of cytokines, antigen-specific antibody titers and immune organ index in the mice immunized with OVA compared with OP. These results indicated that the antioxidative and immunoregulatory activities of OP were significantly enhanced after encapsulated with liposome. Therefore, OPL would be expected to exploit into a new-type of functional food as both medicine and food.

The design of propolis flavone microemulsion and its effect on enhancing the immunity and antioxidant activity in mice

The objective of the present study was to formulate a microemulsion system for improving the activity of propolis flavone (PF). Pseudo-ternary phase diagrams were constructed to evaluate the existence area of PF microemulsion (PFM). The formulation was characterized by particle size, zeta potential, morphology and stability. The results showed that the optimal PFM formulation consists of 5.3% ethyl acetate, 14% RH-40, 7% ethanol and 73.7% water (w/w), with a solubility of PF up to 3.0 mg mL(-1). The immune-enhancing and antioxidant activity of PFM in vitro and in vivo were performed. The results showed that PFM could significantly promote the splenocyte proliferation and the secretion of IL-2 and IFN-γ in vitro. In vivo, PFM at high and medium doses was able to significantly increase the thymus and spleen indices, enhance splenocyte activity and improve the contents of IgG and IgM in serum, it could also improve the antioxidant activity, significantly increase the levels of superoxidase dismutase and glutathione peroxidase, and decrease the malondialdehyde levels compared with PF. These results indicated that microemulsion could be used as an effective formulation for enhancing the activity of PF. Therefore, microemulsion would be expected to exploit into a new-type preparation of PF.

The preparation optimization and immune effect of epimedium polysaccharide-propolis flavone liposome

The preparation conditions of epimedium polysaccharide-propolis flavone liposome (EPL) were optimized by response surface methodology taking entrapment rates of epimedium polysaccharide and propolis flavone as indexes. The immunoenhancement of EPL prepared with optimized condition was determined taking epimedium polysaccharide-propolis flavone suspension (EPS) and epimedium polysaccharide-propolis flavone watery solution (EPW) as control. The results showed that the optimized preparation condition was as follows: the ratio of drug to lipid was 14:1, the ratio of soybean phospholipid to cholesterol was 6:1, and the ultrasonic time was 19 min. EPL could significantly promote the proliferation of T and B lymphocytes singly or synergistically with PHA or LPS, mRNA expression of IL-2 and IL-6 and secretion of IgG and IgM as compared with EPS and EPW. These results indicated that liposome could significantly improve the immunoenhancement of epimedium polysaccharide-propolis flavone immunopotentiator (EPI) and would be as the suitable dosage form of EPI.

Microemulsion can improve the immune-enhancing activity of propolis flavonoid on immunosuppression and immune response

The objective of the present study was to investigate whether the immune-enhancing activity of propolis flavone (PF) could be improved after PF was made into PF microemulsion (PFM). Two experiments were carried out. In immunosuppression experiment, the immune-enhancing effect of PFM in immunosuppressive chickens was performed. The results showed that PFM at high and medium doses was able to overcome the CTX-induced immunosuppression, significantly increases the immune organ indexes, enhances lymphocyte proliferation and improves the concentrations of IL-2 and IL-6 in serum when compared with PF. In immune response experiment, the adjuvant effect of PFM at three doses and PF were compared on chickens which were immunized intramuscularly with Avian Influenza Recombinant Newcastle Disease Virus bivalent Vaccine. The results showed that PFM at high and medium doses could significantly promote lymphocyte proliferation, enhances antibody titer and the concentrations of IgG and IgM, and its efficacy were significantly better than PF at most time points. These results indicated that PFM could significantly improve the immune-enhancing activity and adjuvanticity of PF, and its high and medium doses possessed the best efficacy. Therefore, the microemulsion could be used as an effective formulation for enhancing the bioavailability of PF.

Preparation and optimization of ophiopogon polysaccharide liposome and its activity on Kupffer cells

The purpose of this study was to prepare and optimize ophiopogon polysaccharide liposome (OPL), and to improve the immune-enhancing activity of ophiopogon polysaccharide (OP). OPL was prepared and optimized using the methods of reverse-phase evaporation and response surface methodology. The property was evaluated with particle size, zeta potential, and morphology. The results showed that the optimum preparation conditions were: soybean phosphatide to OP ratio of 9.5:1, soybean phospholipid to cholesterol ratio of 8:1, and chloroform to phosphate-buffered saline ratio of 3:1. Subsequently, the immune-enhancing activity of OPL on Kupffer cells (KCs) was performed. The results showed that OPL could significantly promote the phagocytosis of KCs, induce the secretion of nitric oxide, induced nitric oxide synthase, IL-6 and IL-12, and improve the expression of CD80 and CD86 compared with OP at 125-7.813 μg mL(-1). These results indicated that the immune-enhancing activity of OP was significantly improved after encapsulated with liposome. Therefore, liposome would be expected to exploit into a new-type preparation of OP.

Activation of macrophages by the ophiopogon polysaccharide liposome from the root tuber of Ophiopogon japonicus

This study evaluated the immunomodulatory effects of ophiopogon polysaccharide liposome (OPL) on macrophages in vitro. The phagocytic activity, the secretion of nitric oxide (NO) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), the level of cytokines, chemokines and the expression of CD14 and MHC-II costimulatory molecules were measured. Results showed that OPL could significantly improve the phagocytic activity and the level of IL-1β, TNF-α, MCP-1 and MIP-1β, promote the secretion of NO and iNOS, and enhance the expression of CD14 and MHC-II costimulatory molecules in the peritoneal macrophages of mice compared with ophiopogon polysaccharide (OP). Altogether, these results suggested that OPL could activate macrophages, and the efficacy was significantly superior to OP. Therefore, OPL would be exploited in a potent immunomodulators. Moreover, it also provided the theoretical basis for further studying the mechanism of OPL on improving the immune response.

The adjuvanticity of ophiopogon polysaccharide liposome against an inactivated porcine parvovirus vaccine in mice

In this study, the adjuvant activity of ophiopogon polysaccharide liposome (OPL) was investigated. The effects of OPL on the splenic lymphocyte proliferation of mice were measured in vitro. The results showed that OPL could significantly promote lymphocyte proliferation singly or synergistically with PHA and LPS and that the effect was better than ophiopogon polysaccharide (OP) at most of concentrations. The adjuvant activities of OPL, OP and mineral oil were compared in BALB/c mice inoculated with inactivated PPV in vivo. The results showed that OPL could significantly enhance lymphocyte proliferation, increase the proportion of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells, improve the HI antibody titre and specific IgG response, and promote the production of cytokines, and the efficacy of OPL was significantly better than that of OP. In addition, OPL significantly improved the cellular immune response compared with oil adjuvant. These results suggested that OPL possess superior adjuvanticity and that a medium dose had the best efficacy. Therefore, OPL can be used as an effective immune adjuvant for an inactivated PPV vaccine.

The Adjuvant Activity of Epimedium Polysaccharide-Propolis Flavone Liposome on Enhancing Immune Responses to Inactivated Porcine Circovirus Vaccine in Mice

Objectives. The adjuvant activity of Epimedium polysaccharide-propolis flavone liposome (EPL) was investigated in vitro and in vivo. Methods. In vitro, the effects of EPL at different concentrations on splenic lymphocytes proliferation and mRNA expression of IFN-γ and IL-6 were determined. In vivo, the adjuvant activities of EPL, EP, and mineral oil were compared in BALB/c mice through vaccination with inactivated porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) vaccine. Results. In vitro, EPL promoted lymphocytes proliferation and increased the mRNA expression of IFN-γ and IL-6, and the effect was significantly better than EP at all concentrations. In vivo, EPL significantly promoted the lymphocytes proliferation and the secretion of cytokines and improved the killing activity of NK cells, PCV2-specific antibody titers, and the proportion of T-cell subgroups. The effects of EPL were significantly better than EP and oil adjuvant at most time points. Conclusion. EPL could significantly improve both PCV2-specific cellular and humoral immune responses, and its medium dose had the best efficacy. Therefore, EPL would be exploited in an effective immune adjuvant for inactivated PCV2 vaccine.