DOMON-L, AN IMMUNOPOTENTIATING AGENT, ACTS AS AN NF-KAPPA-B ACTIVATOR

Demon L, a heat-treated component of gram-negative bacterium Achromoba cter stenohalis, is used for the treatment of infectious diseases of a nimals. Here, we investigated the immunopotentiating potential of Demo n L. In vitro studies showed that Demon L enhanced nitric oxide (NO) f ormation from murine macrophage RAW264.7 cells in concert with interfe ron (IFN)-gamma. The effect of Demon L on NF-kappa B activation was in vestigated, in order to understand the molecular mechanisms of enhance d NO formation by Demon L. Demon L induced translocation of NF-kappa B to the nucleus in RAW264.7 cells. Induction of NF-kappa B dependent g ene expression by Demon L was further confirmed using a transfectant c ontaining an NF-kappa B-luciferase reporter gene. In vivo injection of Demon L elevated both serum IL-6 and mucoprotein, whose gene expressi on is partly under the control of NF-kappa B. The spleen cells of rats treated with Demon L produced much more NO when stimulated with LPS IFN gamma than spleen cells of untreated rats. These results suggest that Demon L acts as an anti-infectious agent via NF-kappa B activatio n.