The effects of chitosan oligosaccharide on the activation of murine spleen CD11c + dendritic cells via Toll-like receptor 4

• Published in: Carbohydrate polymers 2011-01, Vol.83 (3), p.1075-1081
• Main Authors: Dang, Yibing, Li, Sheng, Wang, Wenxia, Wang, Shujing, Zou, Mingming, Guo, Yanjie, Fan, Jianhui, Du, Yuguang, Zhang, Jianing
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Biological and medical sciences; chitosan; Chitosan oligosaccharide; dendritic cells; Exact sciences and technology; Immune response; Immunomodulators; Medical sciences; mice; Natural polymers; oligosaccharides; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Physicochemistry of polymers; RNA interference; secretion; spleen; Spleen dendritic cell; Starch and polysaccharides; TLR4; Toll-like receptor 4; tumor necrosis factor-alpha
• ISSN: 0144-8617; 1879-1344
• DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2010.08.071

To investigate the effects of chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) on dendritic cells (DCs) and the role of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in this immune process, Murine spleen CD11c + dendritic cells (SDCs) were isolated and cultured with S-COS and B-COS with polymeration degree of 3–7 and 7–16, respectively. The results showed that B-COS up-regulated the expressions of MHCII and CD86 on SDCs, promoted the secretion of TNF-α from SDCs. SDCs treated with B-COS stimulated the proliferation of the CD4 +T cells. However, these effects were not observed on SDCs treated with S-COS. Importantly, silencing the TLR4 expressions on SDCs by RNA interference approach attenuated the expression of CD86, MHCII on SDCs, and the secretion of TNF-α from SDCs, and the stimulating CD4 +T cells proliferation capacity of SDCs induced by B-COS. These results suggest that B-COS, but not S-COS, promotes the activation of SDCs and TLR4 plays a bridge role in this process.