Haemolytic activities and immunologic adjuvant effect of Panax notoginseng saponins

AIM: To evaluate haemolytic activities and adjuvant effect of Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS). METHODS: The haemolytic potential of PNS and its effects on the humoral and cellular immune responses to mice subcutaneously immunized with ovalbumin (OVA) were examined. ICR mice were immunized with OVA 100 mug alone, the mixture of OVA 100 mug and aluminoid 2 mg, or mixture of OVA 100 mug and PNS 50, 100, or 200 mug on the first and fifteenth day. Two weeks later (d 28), antigen-specific antibody in serum and concanavalin A (Con A)-, pokeweed (PWM)-, and phytohaemagglutinin (PHA)- stimulated splenocyte proliferation were investigated. RESULTS: Haemolytic percents of PNS-treated red blood cell were 11.6% and 3.6% at concentrations of 500 and 250 mg/L, respectively. Con A-, PWM- and PHA-stimulated splenocyte proliferation in the mice immunized with OVA/PNS (100 mug) was higher than that in the OVA control group (P<0.01). Mice immunized with OVA and PNS (50, 100, 200 mug) showed significantly higher serum OVA-specific IgG antibody titers (P<0.01) in comparison with the control group that received OVA alone. CONCLUSION: PNS possesses immunologic adjuvant activities and low-haemolytic effect.