Drug Discoveries & Therapeutics
Online ISSN : 1881-784X
Print ISSN : 1881-7831
ISSN-L : 1881-7831
Original Articles
Evaluation of innate immune stimulating activity of polysaccharides using a silkworm (Bombyx mori) muscle contraction assay
Tomoko FujiyukiHiroshi HamamotoKenichi IshiiMakoto UraiKeiko KataokaTadahiro TakedaShoji ShibataKazuhisa Sekimizu
Author information
JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
Supplementary material

2012 Volume 6 Issue 2 Pages 88-93

Details
Abstract

In silkworm larvae, the mature form of paralytic peptide (PP), an insect cytokine, is produced from pro-PP in association with activation of innate immune responses, resulting in slow muscle contraction. We utilized this reaction, muscle contraction in silkworms coupled with innate immunity stimulation, to quantitatively measure the innate immune stimulating activity of various natural polysaccharides. β-Glucan of Gyrophora esculenta (GE-3), fucoidan from sporophyll of Undaria pinnatifida, and curldan induced silkworm muscle contraction. We further demonstrated that GE-3 had therapeutic effects on silkworms infected by baculovirus. Based on these findings, we propose that the silkworm muscle contraction assay is useful for screening substances that stimulate innate immunity before evaluating therapeutic effectiveness in mammals.

Content from these authors
© 2012 International Research and Cooperation Association for Bio & Socio-Sciences Advancement
Previous article Next article
feedback
Top