Comparative immunomodulating activities of polysaccharides isolated from Phellinus spp. on cell-mediated immunity.

The comparison of potent immunomodulating activities of hot-aqueous polysaccharides isolated from Phellinus spp., P. linteus (PL), P. baumii (PB) and P. gilvus (PG), on cellular immunity were investigated. The results showed that all three kinds of Phellinus spp. could stimulate the proliferation of murine splenocytes, and PG has more powerful stimulating activity than other Phellinus spp. Furthermore, PL and PB significantly increased the proliferation of the mixed splenocytes in a concentration-response manner, and the stimulating effect of PL was significantly higher than that of PB at all concentrations used in the present study, but no stimulating effect was found with the addition of PG. The phagocytosis of both peritoneal macrophage and RAW264.7 cells was also increased in the presence of PG, PB or PL, and the stimulating activity of PG was higher than that of PB or PL at all concentrations tested.