Effect of polysaccharides isolated from hawthorn (Crataegus sanguinea Pall.) on cytokine production in an experiment

The search for and practical application of immunotropic drugs capable of influencing various parts of the immune system are becoming increasingly important. Of particular interest are substances that affect the cytokine profile, which allows for correction of the immune response and ensures its adequacy in relation to the pathogen.

Aim: To study the effect of water-soluble polysaccharides extracted from blood-red hawthorn leaves on the production of cytokines by immunocompetent cells in an experiment.

Material and Methods. The study was based on cultural and enzyme immunoassay methods. The cultural methods included culturing peritoneal macrophages, splenocytes of experimental animals and mononuclear cells of the peripheral blood of healthy donors. The enzyme immunoassay methods were used to assess the content of cytokines in the conditioned media of macrophages, splenocytes from experimental animals and peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy donors.

Results. The polysaccharides studied change the cytokine profile, increasing the production of both pro-inflammatory and antiinflammatory cytokines by immune competent cells.

Conclusion. The data obtained allow us to consider the polysaccharides of the blood-red hawthorn as a potential basis for the creation of immunotropic drugs.

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