INDUCTION IN THE MOUSE OF GENE-EXPRESSION OF IMMUNOMODULATING CYTOKINES BY MUSHROOM POLYSACCHARIDE-PROTEIN COMPLEXES

Two antitumor polysaccharide-protein complexes, PSPC and PSK from mush rooms, were compared for their modulating effect on cytokine and cytok ine receptor gene expression. RNA samples were isolated from the splen ocytes and peritoneal exudate cells of the untreated or treated mice. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to a nalyze the cytokine gene expression. Nine out of 17 cytokine mRNAs and 5 out of 6 cytokine receptor mRNAs were detected in the splenocytes a nd peritoneal exudate cells from both untreated and treated mice. Howe ver, IL-4 was only detected in the splenocytes while IL-7 and IL-1R(ty peI) were only detected in the peritoneal exudate cells. Among the 9 c ytokine genes, the expression level of M-CSF was up-regulated in splen ocytes and peritoneal exudate cells of the mice by PSPC and PSK. The e xpression level of TNF-alpha was only up-regulated in the peritoneal e xudate cells by PSK, but not by PSPC.