Exopolysaccharide Produced by Lactobacillus Plantarum Induces Maturation of Dendritic Cells in BALB/c Mice

Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) exopolysaccharide (EPS) is an important bioactive component in fermented functional foods. However, there is a lack of data concerning the effects of L. plantarum EPS on maturation of mouse dendritic cells (DCs). In this study, we purified L. plantarum EPS and examined its effects on cytokines production by dendritic cells in serum and intestinal fluid of BALB/c mice, then investigated its effects on phenotypic and functional maturation of mouse bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs). Cytokines (nitric oxide, IL-12p70, IL-10 and RANTES) in serum and intestinal fluid were analyzed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) after the mice received EPS for 2, 5 and 7 days, respectively. DCs derived from bone marrow of BALB/c mouse were treated with EPS, then the phenotypic maturation of BMDCs was analyzed using flow cytometer and the functional maturation of BMDCs was analyzed by ELISA, and, lastly, mixed lymphocyte proliferation was performed. We found the molecular weight of purified EPS was approximately 2.4×10(6) Da and it was composed of ribose, rhamnose, arabinose, xylose, mannose, glucose and galactose in a molar ratio of 2:1:1:10:4:205:215. We observed that L. plantarum EPS enriched production of nitric oxide, IL-12p70 and RANTES, and decreased the secretion of IL-10 in the serum or intestinal fluid as well as in the supernatant of DCs treated with the EPS. The EPS also up-regulated the expression of MHC II and CD86 on DCs surface and promoted T cells to proliferate in vitro. Our data provide direct evidence to suggest that L. plantarum EPS can effectively induce maturation of DCs in mice.