Effects of polysaccharides from Silene vulgaris on phagocytes.

The effects of the polysaccharides isolated from the intact plant (pectic polysaccharides P1, P2 and P3) and from the callus (acidic arabinogalactan C1 and pectin C2) of Silene vulgaris on phagocytic activity were studied in relation to an uptaking capacity and a myeloperoxidase activity of the peripheral human neutrophils and monocytes and rat peritoneal macrophages in vitro. Both intact plant and callus polysaccharides were shown to increase uptaking capacity of peripheral phagocytes. The callus acidic arabinogalactan C1 was only found to stimulate lysosomal activity of the peripheral phagocytes. Some polysaccharides studied were established to effect on peritoneal resident macrophages. Pectins P1, P3 and C2 failed to enhance myeloperoxidase activity of the macrophages in calcium-free solution, whereas the effect of callus arabinogalactan C1 was established to be independent of extracellular calcium. Polysaccharides studied failed to influence neither complement receptor CR3- nor scavenger receptor SR-mediated adhesion of the macrophages. The data obtained demonstrate that the intact S. vulgaris and its callus may be used as sources of immunoactive polysaccharides and that pectins and weakly acidic arabinogalactan seemed to stimulate macrophages through different mechanisms. Complement receptor type 3 and scavenger receptor failed to mediate the cell activation induced by plant polysaccharides.