Abstract
Recently, it has been reported that galectin molecules which bind to β-galactoside have immunoregulatory functions such as T cell apoptosis and regulatory T cell induction. To clarify the involvement of galectin molecules in the immunoregulatory function of food products, this study investigated proinflammatory cytokine production and expression profile of galectin-1, 3, 9 in the presence of food ingredients such as fucoidan, lychee extract, and catechin by using U937 cells. As a result, it was shown that fucoidan demonstrates immunostimulatory functions effectively by enhancing production of proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, while also suppressing the production of inhibitory cytokines such as IL-10 and TGF-β. Results also suggest the possibility that the decreased expression of galectin-9 but not galectin-1, 3 might be involved in this process.
