A novel polysaccharide from the seeds of Plantago asiatica L. induces dendritic cells maturation through toll-like receptor 4.

In this study, we investigated the effect of a polysaccharide purified from the seeds of Plantago asiatica L. (PLP-2) on the phenotypic and functional maturation of murine bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (DCs) and relevant mechanisms. The results showed that PLP-2 increased the expression of maturation markers major histocompatibility complex II, CD86, CD80, and CD40 on DCs. Consistent with the changes in the phenotypic markers, functional assay for DCs maturation showed that PLP-2 decreased DCs endocytosis and increased intracellular interleukin (IL)-12 levels and allostimulatory activity. Furthermore, using a syngeneic T cell activation model, we found that PLP-2 treated DCs presented ovalbumin antigen to T cells more efficiently as demonstrated by increased T cell proliferation. In addition, the effects of PLP-2 on DCs were significantly impaired by treating the cells with anti-TLR4 antibody prior to PLP-2 treatment, implying direct interaction between PLP-2 and TLR4 on cell surface. These results suggested that PLP-2 may induce DCs maturation through TLR4. Our results may have important implications for our understanding on the molecular mechanisms of immunopotentiating action of the polysaccharides from plants.