Polysaccharide isolated from Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch induces intracellular enzyme activity of macrophages

A purified fraction of water-soluble polysaccharides was isolated from Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch using ion exchange and size exclusion chromatography. The present study was undertaken to discuss the preliminary immunoregulation mechanism of glycyrrhiza polysaccharide (GP) by cytochemistry and quantitative analyses, and intracellular enzyme measurement of macrophages. Acid phosphatase (ACPase), adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase), acid α-naphthyl acetate esterase (ANAE) and succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) in macrophages were stained with different methods. The results indicate that GP increased the production of ACPase, ATPase, ANAE and SDH; the activities of lysozyme (LSZ) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) of macrophages were also induced by GP. Our data suggest that the beneficial therapeutic effects of GP may be attributed partly to its ability to modulate macrophage immune functions.