pectins and Shock--Septic

Pectin, a water-soluble dietary fiber, has been found to improve survival in endotoxin shock. However, the underlying mechanism by which pectin exerts its protective effect against endotoxin shock remains unknown. Apart from its prebiotic effects, it has been suggested that pectin directly affects immune cells to regulate inflammatory responses. In this study, we investigated the direct effect of pectin in murine model of endotoxin shock. Citrus pectin solution was administered to male C57BL/6 mice for 10 days. Thereafter, hypothermia was induced in the mice with intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The pectin-treated mice showed attenuation of both the decrease in rectal temperature and increase in serum IL-6 level as compared to vehicle control mice. Simultaneously, the pectin-treated mice showed reduced levels of inflammatory cytokine mRNA in Peyer's patches and mesenteric lymph nodes, but not in the spleen. Peyer's patch cells from the pectin-treated mice were sorted and their levels of IL-6 production on LPS stimulation were measured. The results of ex vivo analysis indicated that IL-6 secretion from CD11c

Topics: Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; CD11c Antigen; Cell Survival; Citrus; Gene Expression Regulation; Interleukin-6; Lipopolysaccharides; Macrophages; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Myeloid Cells; Pectins; Peyer's Patches; Prebiotics; RAW 264.7 Cells; Shock, Septic; Signal Transduction; Toll-Like Receptors