Cnidium officinale polysaccharide enhanced RAW 264.7 cells activation and NK-92 cells cytotoxicity against colon cancer via NF-κB and MAPKs signaling pathways

• Published in: International journal of biological macromolecules 2023-12, Vol.253, p.127605-127605, Article 127605
• Main Authors: Yang, Kwan Mo, Ge, Yunfei, Palanisamy, Subramanian, Zhang, Yutong, Kou, Fang, Yelithao, Khamphone, Jeong, Duyun, You, SangGuan, Lim, Seok-Byung
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: cell lines; Cnidium officinale; colorectal neoplasms; cytokines; cytotoxicity; gene expression; immunostimulants; immunotherapy; macrophages; molecular weight; neoplasm cells; polysaccharides; Western blotting
• ISSN: 0141-8130; 1879-0003
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.127605

In this study, Cnidium officinale-derived polysaccharides were isolated and investigated for their immune enhancing and anticancer activities. The isolated crude and its fractions, such as F1 and F2, contain carbohydrates (51.3-63.1%), sulfates (5.4-5.8%), proteins (1.5-7.1%), and uronic acids (2.1-26.9%). The molecular weight (Mw) of the polysaccharides ranged from 59.9 to 429.0 × 103 g/mol. The immunostimulatory activity of the polysaccharides was tested on RAW 264.7 cells, and the results showed that the F2 treatment notably enhanced pro-inflammatory activity in RAW 264.7 cells by increasing NO production and the expression of various cytokines. Furthermore, the influence of polysaccharide treatment on natural killer cells (NK-92) anticancer activities was investigated using a colon cancer cell line (HCT-116). Crude polysaccharide and its fractions showed no direct cytotoxicity to NK-92 and HCT-116 cells. However, the treatment of F2 showed an enhancement of NK-92 cells cytotoxicity against HCT-116 cells by upregulating the mRNA expression of IFN-γ, TNF-α, NKGp44, and granzyme-B. The western blot results showed that the induced RAW 264.7 cells activation and NK-92 cells cytotoxicity occur via NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways. Overall, C. officinale-derived polysaccharides show potential as immunotherapeutic agents capable of enhancing pro-inflammatory macrophage signaling and activating NK-92 cells; thus, they could be useful for biomedical applications.