To utilize pepper (Piper nigrum) as an immunostimulatory agent, we isolated macrophage stimulating polysaccharides from pepper and investigated their macrophage activating activities. Hot-water extracts (HW) of black pepper (BP) and white pepper (WP) were prepared, and their macrophage stimulating activities were evaluated using RAW 264.7 cells. BP-HW significantly promoted the secretion of macrophage stimulating factors such as nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-12 compared to WP-HW. When BP and WP-HW were fractionated into crude polysaccharides (CP) and low molecules (LM) by ethanol precipitation, BP-CP demonstrated significantly more potent activity. Furthermore, BP-CP not only induced mRNA gene expression of macrophage activation factors, but also promoted nuclear localization of p65 and c-Jun. In addition, component sugar analysis revealed that glucan-type polysaccharides in BP-CP played a crucial role in macrophage activation. Taken together, these findings suggest that black pepper has industrial applicability not only as a spice, but also as an immunostimulatory functional material.

Maca roots (Lepidium meyenii) are an important medicinal herb that have long been used by the Andes-indigenous peoples and South Americans. In Korea, recently, it has attracted attention as a health food material because of nutritional values and physiological activities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the industrial applicability of maca (red and golden varieties; R&G) as immunostimulating materials. In the macrophage stimulating assay using RAW 264.7 cells at 125~500 μg/mL of non-cytotoxicity doses, G-HW showed the most potent production of TNF-α, IL-6 and nitric oxide compared to red maca or the other extracts. The general component analysis results showed that all extracts comprised more than 90% neutral sugars with small amounts of uronic acid and protein. Meanwhile, component sugar analysis showed the difference in the content of uronic acids of cold- and hot-water extract. Additionally, the further fractionation of G-HW into crude polysaccharide (G-CP) greatly enhanced the macrophage stimulating activity, and G-CP contained macromolecules over 144 kDa, comprised mainly of glucose and galacturonic acid (51.0 and 34.9%). In conclusion, crude polysaccharide from maca showed industrial applicability as immunostimulating material, and especially golden maca showed higher macrophage stimulating activity than red maca.

본 연구는 한국의 전통발효식초가 지닌 새로운 생물학적 기능을 규명하기 위해 국내 및 국외에서 제조된 전통발효식초로부터 다당류를 분리하여 면역자극활성을 검토하였다. 국내산 현미식초 조다당(KBV-0), 일본산 현미식초 조다당(JBV-0) 및 국내산 감식초 조다당(KPV-0)을 분리하여 구성당 분석한 결과, KBV-0와 JBV-0는 주로 mannan으로 구성되어 있으며, KPV-0는 펙틴 유래 물질로 인한 조성으로 사료되었다. 3종의 다당 시료는 RAW 264.7 세포에 독성을 나타내지 않은 반면, RAW 264.7 세포를 자극하여 IL-6, IL-12 및 TNF-α와 같은 사이토카인의 생성을 농도 의존적인 경향으로 증진시켰으나, 특히 KPV-0의 활성이 KBV-0와 JBV-0보다 더 우수하였다. 또한 KPV-0는 대식세포의 포식작용과 관련있는 FcR II의 발현량을 유일하게 증가시켰다. 이상의 결과로부터 국내산 전통발효 감식초인 KPV-0는 다른 발효식초에 비해 더 우수한 면역활성을 지니는 것으로 나타났으며, 이는 기능성 소재로의 산업적 응용이 가능할 것으로 사료되었다.