B-cell proliferation activity of pectic polysaccharide from a medicinal herb, the roots of Bupleurum falcatum L. and its structural requirement

Pectic polysaccharide fraction (BR-2) containing pharmacologically active pectic polysaccharide, bupleuran 2IIc, which was prepared from a medicinal herb, the roots of Bupleurum falcatum L., was administered orally to C3H/HeJ mice for 7 consecutive days. Proliferative responses of spleen cells were enhanced in the presence of the purified pectic polysaccharide, bupleuran 2IIc, but another B-cell mitogen, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) did not give a similar effect. In vitro studies using spleen cells showed that bupleuran 2IIc also stimulated lymphocytes, depleted of adherent cells or T cells. Bupleuran 2IIc treatment increased subpopulation of CD25+ and surface immunoglobulin M-positive (sIgM+) lymphocytes. Non-specific immunoglobulin secretion of spleen cells treated with bupleuran 2IIc was increased according to the culture time, and coexistence of interleukin-6 (IL-6) enhanced the secretion more than that of bupleuran 2IIc alone. These results suggest that bupleuran 2IIc proliferates B cells in the absence of macrophages, and the resulting activated B cells are then induced into antibody-forming cells in the presence of IL-6. Among the structural region of bupleuran 2IIc, ramified region (PG-1), which consists of rhamnogalacturonan core rich in neutral sugar chain, showed the potent mitogenic activity suggesting it to be an active site. Mitogenic activity of bupleuran 2IIc was reduced in the presence of antipolysaccharide antibody (antibupleuran 2IIc/PG-1-IgG), which recognizes the ramified region of bupleuran 2IIc as the antigenic epitope. Mitogenic activity of bupleuran 2IIc was also reduced by the addition of β-d-GlcpA-(1→6)-β-d-Galp-(1→6)-d-Galp or β-d-GlcpA-(1→6)-d-Galp, which are a part of the epitopes of antibupleuran 2IIc/PG-1-IgG. These results suggest that the epitopes in bupleuran 2IIc act as active sites of the polysaccharide during mitogenic activit

Subcutaneous immunoglobulin replacement therapy with Hizentra®, the first 20% SCIG preparation: a practical approach

To reduce the risk of infection in adults and children with primary immunodeficiencies, replacement therapy with IgG, which can be administered to patients intravenously or subcutaneously, is required. Although intravenous administration of IgG (IVIG) has been the therapy of choice in the US and widely used in Europe for many years, subcutaneous administration of IgG (SCIG) has recently gained considerable acceptance among patients and doctors. SCIG therapy achieves high and stable serum IgG levels, is well tolerated, and can be self-administered. Hizentra (IgPro20; CSL Behring, Berne, Switzerland) is the first, ready-to-use 20% liquid preparation of human IgG specifically formulated for subcutaneous infusions. The high concentration (20%) might allow shorter infusion times due to smaller infusion volumes, with potential improvement in the convenience of SCIG therapy. Hizentra is well tolerated and has been shown to protect adult and pediatric primary immunodeficiency patients against serious bacterial infections. In addition, it is easy to handle and can be stored at a temperature up to 25°C. In summary, Hizentra is an advance in the field of immunoglobulin replacement therapy, which might offer benefits for home therapy patients

Genetic diversity among Brazilian soybean cultivars based on SSR loci and pedigree data

In this study, simple sequence repeats (SSR) loci and pedigree data were used to investigate the genetic relationship in a group of 168 Brazilian soybean cultivars. Eighteen SSR loci produced an average of 5.06 alleles and a mean gene diversity of 0.58 for the cultivars studied. Genetic distance (GD) was determined using the modified Roger's Wright distance, and a final dendrogram was in agreement with the cultivar pedigree. A distance matrix based on the coefficient of parentage scores was also generated for the cultivars, which ranged from 0 to 1, with a mean of 0.18, whereas SSR-based genetic similarity (1- GD) ranged from 0.01 to 0.90, with a mean of 0.25. Mantel's Z test showed that the similarity matrices generated from both the data sets were low, but significantly correlated (r = 0.31, p<0.001). The results showed that SSR data and pedigree analyses could help to quantify more accurately the degree of relationship among the soybean cultivars.<br>Locos microssatélites e dados de genealogia foram utilizados para avaliar a diversidade genética de um grupo de 168 cultivares brasileiras de soja. Os dezoito locos utilizados apresentaram em média 5,06 alelos por loco e coeficiente de diversidade genética médio de 0,58. O dendrograma final resultante da matriz de distância genética de Roger modificado por Wright, apresentou boa concordância com a ancestralidade dos grupos formados. Também foi estimado os coeficientes de parentesco entre as cultivares, sendo observada variação de 0 a 1 com média de 0,18, enquanto que as similaridades para os locos microssatélites (1- GD) variou de 0,01 a 0,90 com média de 0,25. A correlação entre as duas matrizes obtidas determinada pelo teste Z de Mantel apresentou valor baixo, 0,31, mas significativo (p<0,001). Os resultados obtidos sugerem que os locos microssatélites aliados às informações de genealogia proporcionam melhor análise da diversidade genética de cultivares de soja