Immunopotentiating effect of traditional Chinese drugs--ginsenoside and glycyrrhiza polysaccharide.

Abstract

The immunopotentiating effects of the traditional Chinese drugs Ginsenoside (GS) and Glycyrrhiza polysaccharide (GPS) are reported. It was demonstrated that GS promotes the phagocytic activity of plaque-forming cells (PFC) and enhances the mitogenesis of T and B lymphocytes primed by mitogens. The mechanism of these effects is related to the ratio of cGMP to cAMP. GS also plays a role in the NKC-IFN-IL-2 regulatory system, inhibits the growth of tumor cells, and antagonizes the suppression of ADCC and NK cytotoxicities in mice with surgical stress. GS exhibits bidirectional effects on immunological functions. GPS increases the phagocytosis of macrophages, induces macrophages to secret IL-1, enhances both NK and ADCC activities, behaves as a mitogen of B lymphocytes, inhibits the multiplication of several viruses, and induces the release of IFN from spleen cells.