The immune‐enhancing effect of anthocyanin‐fucoidan nanocomplex in RAW264.7 macrophages and cyclophosphamide‐induced immunosuppressed mice

• Published in: Journal of food biochemistry 2021-04, Vol.45 (4), p.e13631-n/a
• Main Authors: Han, Na‐Ra, Kim, Hyeong‐Jin, Lee, Jin Soo, Kim, Hee‐Yun, Moon, Phil‐Dong, Kim, Hyung‐Min, Jeong, Hyun‐Ja
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: AFNC; cytokines; immunosuppressed mice; macrophages; nitric oxide; nuclear factor‐κB
• ISSN: 0145-8884; 1745-4514
• DOI: 10.1111/jfbc.13631

Aronia, a healthy fruit well known as black chokeberry, has health‐promoting effects on hypertension, oxidative stress, and diabetes. Despite many reports of bioactivities of aronia, there is little scientific research on the potential for immune‐enhancement. So, anthocyanin‐fucoidan nanocomplex (AFNC, a nanocomplex of aronia extract and fucoidan) has been developed to improve immune‐enhancement. This study aimed to identify immunomodulatory effects and underlying mechanisms of AFNC using RAW264.7 macrophages and cyclophosphamide‐induced immunosuppressed mice. As a result, AFNC‐treated RAW264.7 macrophages elevated the production of IL‐2, IL‐6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, and nitric oxide (NO). AFNC‐enhanced inducible NO synthase expression via nuclear factor‐κB signaling pathways. AFNC dose‐dependently increased levels of IL‐2, IL‐6, TNF‐α, IL‐10, IL‐12, interferon‐γ, or IL‐4 in the serum and spleen of immunosuppressed mice. Taken together, AFNC encourages the immune‐enhancing activity through immunostimulatory cytokine production by activation of macrophage. Therefore, these results suggest that AFNC is useful for immunodeficiency‐related disorders. Practical applications In these days of prevalence of infectious diseases, individual immunity is very important. AFNC has the immune‐enhancing effects through immunostimulatory cytokine production by activation of macrophage. Therefore, AFNC could be widely applied to ameliorate a variety of diseases caused by immunosuppression such as infectious diseases. AFNC enhanced the levels of the immunostimulatory cytokines, NO, and iNOS through activating NF‐κB signaling pathways in macrophages. AFNC restored the impairment in immunostimulatory cytokines in immunosuppressed mice. These results suggest that AFNC is useful for immunodeficiency‐related disorders.