Norway spruce galactoglucomannans exhibiting immunomodulating and radical-scavenging activities

Int J Biol Macromol. 2008 Jan 1;42(1):1-5. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2007.08.001. Epub 2007 Aug 7.

Abstract

Wood-derived naturally acetylated galactoglucomannans (AcGGM) can be recovered even in ton-scale at mechanical pulp mills using spruce as raw material. These cell wall polysaccharides have a great potential as hydrocolloids and bioactive polymers in food and pharmaceutical applications, or as starting material for production of functional polymers. The immunostimulatory activity of both AcGGM and its deacetylated form (GGM) was now in vitro tested. The biological response of both AcGGM and GGM in the lymphocyte transformation test was dose-dependent. The direct mitogenic as well as comitogenic activities of the AcGGM were comparable to those of the immunogenic corn cob xylan used as control, and GGM showed significantly higher biological responses also at lower doses. In contrast to GGM, AcGGM possessed also DPPH radical-scavenging activity. The results suggested that the spruce AcGGM and GGM are potentially important as additives with immuno-potentiating and antioxidant properties in food products and pharmaceutical formulations.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biphenyl Compounds / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Biphenyl Compounds / toxicity
  • Free Radical Scavengers / chemistry
  • Free Radical Scavengers / isolation & purification
  • Free Radical Scavengers / pharmacology*
  • Hydrazines / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Hydrazines / toxicity
  • Immunologic Factors / chemistry
  • Immunologic Factors / isolation & purification
  • Immunologic Factors / pharmacology*
  • Lymphocyte Activation
  • Lymphocytes / drug effects
  • Male
  • Mannans / chemistry
  • Mannans / isolation & purification
  • Mannans / pharmacology*
  • Picea*
  • Picrates
  • Rats
  • Rats, Wistar

Substances

  • Biphenyl Compounds
  • Free Radical Scavengers
  • Hydrazines
  • Immunologic Factors
  • Mannans
  • Picrates
  • galactoglucomannan
  • 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl