Effects of antitumor polysaccharides fromForsythia Corea on the immune function (I)

Polysaccharide fractions were prepared fromForsythia Corea by several different extraction schedules. The fractions obtained were designated as ForCo A, ForCo B and ForCo C respectively. ForCo C was further purified through Sephadex G 200 column chromatography and obtained two subfractions (Coreana A, Coreana B). ForCo C showed marked antitumor activity against sarcoma 180 and its activity was dose-dependent. Coreana A, purified from ForCo C, showed somewhat higher antitumor activity. ForCo C increased the number of circulating leucocytes and peritoneal exudate cells, but didn't show any significant effects on the phagocytic activity and total serum protein level. Chemical analysis showed that ForCo C was composed of glucose, galactose, xylose and arabinose. A close relationship between antitumor activities and polysaccharide contents was observed. These results indicate strongly that antitumor active principle ofForsythia Corea is polysaccharide.