Protective effect of N-acetyl chitohexaose on Listeria monocytogenes infection in mice.

A water-soluble oligosaccharide, N-acetyl chitohexaose (NACOS-6) was able to enhance the protecting effect of BALB/c male mice against Listeria monocytogenes infection, when administered intraperitoneally 24 hr before the challenge with this microbe. Significant decrease in number of microbes within the peritoneal cavity, spleen, and liver from the mice of NACOS-6-administered group was not observed 1 day after the infection but 4 days after the infection. Administration of NACOS-6 enhanced the delayed-type hypersensitivity response against sheep red blood cells (SRBC) or heat-killed L. monocytogenes. Splenic T lymphocytes from mice administered NACOS-6 released macrophage activating factor (MAF). These results suggested that NACOS-6 was also able to elevate the function of cellular immunity. Macrophages treated with a combination of NACOS-6 and the culture supernatant of splenic T lymphocytes from mice administered NACOS-6, "NACOS-6 sup," were found to exert a fairly strong growth-inhibitory effect on L. monocytogenes. Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and interleukin 2 (IL-2) were able to enhance the growth-inhibitory effect on L. monocytogenes by the NACOS-6-treated macrophages.