Effects of Non-Saponin Red Ginseng Components (NSRG) on Functions of Macrophages Isolated from Young and Aged Mice

초록

Macrophages play an important role in the first line of immunologic effects against tumor cells. The effects of nonsaponin red ginseng (NSRG) components on macrophage functions like tumoricidal activity, phagocytic activity,and NO production in young (8-weeks-old) and aged (82-weeks-old) male C57BL/6 mice were assessed in vitro, respectively. The treatment of tumor cells (melanoma B16 cells) with the supernatants of NSRG-treated macrophages resultedin an increase of cytotoxicity at 300 μg/ml in the aged mice, whereas the supernatants did not have a cytotoxic effect inthe young mice. It was observed that the supernatants induced the increase of tumor cell proliferation at 150 μg/ml in theyoung mice, suggesting that the supernatants contain growth factors rather than cytotoxic molecules. In addition, NSRGalone had a direct cytotoxic effect on the B16 tumor cells. NSRG had no effect on the NO production by the macrophagesin the young mice, while it significantly increased the level of NO release in the aged mice. There was no difference inthe phagocytic activities of the macrophages by NSRG in both groups of mice. These results suggest that NSRG has differentialeffects on the macrophage functions in young and aged mice.

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