EFFECTS OF SAPONINS ON THE FORMATION OF IMMUNOGLOBULIN

Abstract

The plaque technique of Cunningham and Szenberg was used to study the adjuvant effect of 25 kinds of purified saponins on IgM formation.
1) The administration of onjisaponin A (dose : 1-20 μg/mouse), onjisaponin B (0.2μg), platycodin C (0.1μg), platycodin D (0.1μg) and platycodin I (10μg) was proved to increase the number of plaque-forming cells of the spleen after immunization with sheep red blood cells.
2) The decrease of the number of plaque-forming cells was recognized by the administration of onjisaponin B (10μg), onjisaponin C (10μg), platycodin D (10 μg), chikuset-susaponin III (10μg), ophiopogonin D (10-100μg), glycoside K (1-100μg) and ginsenoside Rc (1-10μg) .
3) Neither increase nor decrease of the number of plaque-forming cells was seen by the injection of chikusetsusaponin IV, chikusetsusaponin V, phytolaccasaponin B, phytolaccasaponin E, ophiopogonin A, ophiopogonin B, glycoside H₁, glycoside H₂, ginsenoside Rb₁, ginsenoside Rb₂, ginsenoside Rd, ginsenoside Re, ginsenoside Rf, ginsenoside Rg₁and ginsenoside Rg₂.
4) No remarkable effect of the administration of saponins on the spleen index could be seen, as compared with animals immunized with sheep red blood cells alone.