Immune enhancement

Black pepper contains several polysaccharides of which one shows a strong effect as an immune enhancer based on the fact that the polymer is an anti-complementary polysaccharide. The polysaccharide has an Mw of approx. 40 kD. It is composed basically of rhamnose, arabinose, galactose and galac-turonic acid, and shows a high binding capacity for the Yariv reagent. This indicates that the side chain of the polymer is of the arabinogalactan type II, which is a common structure for several polysaccharides with an effect on the complement system [70]. 

SCHLEY p D, FIELD c J (2002) The immune-enhancing effects of dietary fiber and prebiotics. BrJNutr. 87 S221-30. 

KELLY G s (1999) Larch arabinogalactan Clinical relevance of a novel immune-enhancing polysaccharide. Med Rev, 4(2) 96-103. 

Is an immune-enhancing formula a good choice for this patient ... 

The effects of interferons on the human immune system are highly variable. IFN-p tends to suppress certain aspects of immune function, whereas IFN-a can inhibit immune cell proliferation IFN-y, on the other hand, displays immune-enhancing properties. All three types of interferon have been studied preclinically and even clinically. 

The immunostimulating activity of chitosan has also been reported. A 70% DD chitosan showed immunostimulating effects by activating macrophages and natural killer cells in rats when infected with . coli and Sendai virus (Nishimura et al., 1984). Chang et al. (2004) also reported the immune-enhancing effects of chitosan as a novel adjuvant to an inactivated influenza vaccine, and the antibody content in serum remarkably increased the antiviral defenses of mice. 

Moldoveanu, Z., Love-Homan, L., Huang, W.Q. and Krieg, A.M. (1998) CpG DNA, a novel immune enhancer for systemic and mucosal immunization with influenza virus. Vaccine, 16, 1216-1224. 

IFNs interact with cell receptors to produce a wide variety of effects that depend on the cell and IFN types. IFNs, particularly IFN-r, display immune enhancing properties, which include increased... 

Echinacea is promoted as an immune-enhancing herbal product and could be easily incorporated into cereal-based products (Wilson, 1998) to create a functional food. There are over 300 research articles dealing with the biological activity of Echinacea. In addition, over two million prescriptions... 

Foster, S. 1991. The species identification and distribution. In Echinacea, Nature s Immune Enhancer , pp. 107-115. Healing Arts Press, Rochester, VT. 

The heteroaromatic betaines, [l,3,4]thiadiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidine-5,7-diones (753), which are isoconjugate with methylated xanthines, are in the same way as the latter found to be inhibitors of cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase (78JPS1762). The N-/3-D-ribofuranosyl nucleoside (754) inhibits the synthesis of RNA and DNA but not of protein. The primary blockade is in the synthesis of purine nucleotides (79MI42902). RNA synthesis is also inhibited by [l,3,4]thiadiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidines of structure (755). The activity is attributed to the chemical reactivity at C-2 leading to reactions with an SH or OH group in RNA polymerase (80ABC1923). Compounds with the 7-oxo formula (756) are claimed to be useful as immune enhancers (78GEP2712932). 

Morinda citrifolia (noni) is one of the most important traditional Polynesian medicinal plants, which has a large range of therapeutic claims, including antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antihelminthic, antitumor, analgesic, hypotensive, anti-inflammatory, and immune enhancing effects (3,4). 

Alkamides (Figure 8.2) are of interest because this group of compounds has immune-enhancing activity as well as anti-inflammatory activity (Muller-Jakic et al., 1994). Wills and Stuart (1999) reported the alkamide levels of 0.62% (6.2 mg/g) and 0.10% (1 mg/g) for E. purpurea roots and aerial parts, respectively. Further investigation... 

The alkamide component of the lipophilic fraction is believed to be partially responsible for the immune-enhancing response, whereas components such as... 

The standardization of Echinacea products based on cichoric acid and alkamides has been proposed (Bauer 1999a,b Perry et al 2000, 2001). The CADs are also commonly used as marker compounds and labeled as phenolics on many dietary supplements. The main reason for standardization is that the level of the active components varies based on plant material, age of the Echinacea, and method of preparation. However, the specific compounds responsible for the immune-enhancing activity of Echinacea are not fully understood. Echinacoside has been used to standardize many preparations, but the lack of immune-enhancing activity of this component... 

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