Regulation on maturation and function of dendritic cells by Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides

Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides (Gl-PS) exhibits a variety of immunomodulatory activities, and dendritic cells (DC) are professional antigen presenting cells, which are pivotal for initiation of primary immune response. In this study, the regulatory effects of Gl-PS on maturation and function of cultured murine bone marrow derived DC were investigated in vitro. Gl-PS (0.8, 3.2, or 12.8 mug/ml) could increase the co-expression of CD11c and I-A/I-E molecules on DC surface, promote mRNA expression of cytokine IL-12 p40 in DC and augment protein production of IL-12 P40 in culture supernatants. The lymphocyte proliferation of mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC) induced by mature DC was enhanced by Gl-PS, either. Gl-PS was shown to promote not only the maturation of cultured murine bone marrow derived DC in vitro, but also the immune response initiation induced by DC. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.