Effect of PSK and its subfractions on peripheral blood lymphocytes mediated cytotoxicity against urinary bladder tumor cells.

Our previous studies have indicated that the protein-bound polysaccharide Kreha (PSK) enhances the cytotoxic activity of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) against the T24 human urinary bladder tumor cell line in patients with bladder tumor. Since PSK consists of a mixture of various kinds of protein-bound polysaccharides, the present study was designed to examine which subfractions of PSK mediated the enhancement of cytotoxicity. When PSK was separated according to size, treatment of PBL with the 50 kilodalton (kd) or less fraction killed T24 cells more efficiently than unfractionated PSK-treated PBL. The higher molecular weight fractions did not enhance killing above the control level. PSK was fractionated on a diethylaminoethyl (DEAE)-cellulose column to obtain a protein rich fraction that absorbed onto the column and a polysaccharide rich fraction that did not. PBL treated with the polysaccharide rich fraction were able to kill T24 cells more effectively than unfractionated PSK-treated PBL. The protein rich fraction had no effect on the killing. Further fractionation of the polysaccharide rich fraction was performed by differential precipitation with ammonium sulfate. PBL treated with the precipitated fraction at 70-80% saturation (PSK Fraction D) enhanced cytotoxicity equal to that of the polysaccharide rich fraction. Treatment of PBL with the other fractions did not augment the cytotoxicity. These enhancement by PSK fractions were observed in healthy donors and also in patients with bladder tumor. An increase of the proliferative response of PBL to PSK Fraction D as well as unfractionated PSK was observed. Treatment of PBL with PSK Fraction D had no effect on the proportion of PBL binding to T24 cells, thus suggesting a post-binding effect. The structure of PSK Fraction D as inferred from the results of methylation analysis was mainly an alpha-glucan. These results demonstrate that PSK mediated enhancement of cytotoxicity and proliferation of PBL may be largely due to an alpha-glucan of less than 50 kd.