Immunomodulatory activity of polysaccharides from Brassica rapa by activating Akt/NF-κB signaling

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the immunomodulatory activity of polysaccharides from the roots of Brassica rapa. METHODS: The crude polysaccharide from roots of B. rapa (BRP) was extracted and purified to further investigate the active fraction of BRT for inducing macrophage phagocytosis. RESULTS: Effects on RAW264.7 cells demonstrated that BRP behaved better phagocytic capacity and had potent immunomodulatory activity, including increasing production of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) and upregulating mRNA levels of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and TNFα. Furthermore, modulation of macrophage by BRP was indicated to be mediated via the activation of Akt and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB). CONCLUSION: The beneficial effects of BRP could be used as an immunotherapeutic adjuvant in treatment of inflammatory diseases.