Effect of N-acetylchitohexaose against Candida albicans infection of tumor-bearing mice.

A water-soluble oligosaccharide, N-acetylchitohexaose (NACOS-6), was able to enhance the protective effect against Candida albicans infection in mice during the early phase of tumor-bearing. A significant decrease in the number of C. albicans cells in the kidneys of NACOS-6-treated tumor-bearing mice was observed 8 days after the fungal infection, or 15 days after the tumor transplantation. The candidacidal activity of polymorphonuclear leukocytes from NACOS-6-treated tumor-bearing mice did not differ from that of NACOS-6-untreated tumor-bearing mice. On the other hand, the candidacidal activities of both macrophages and T lymphocytes increased following administration of NACOS-6 in the early phase of tumor-bearing. The culture supernatant of T lymphocytes from NACOS-6-treated tumor-bearing mice also potentiated the candidacidal activity of casein-induced macrophages. An enhancement of natural killer cell activity of splenic lymphocytes obtained from NACOS-6-treated tumor-bearing mice was also observed.