Chemical structure and immunity activity of Liquiritia glycyrrhiza heteropolysaccharide in animal

Liquiritia glycyrrhiza heteropolysaccharide was extracted and analyzed using high-performance gel permeation chromatography (HPGPC) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). HPGPC showed that the weight-average molecular weight (Mw) of L. glycyrrhiza heteropolysaccharide was 2.936 × 105 Da. A typical infrared spectrum of L. glycyrrhiza heteropolysaccharide showed strong absorbances at about 3282, 2921, 1608, 1410 and 990 cm−1 and small ones at about 2853, 1708, 1515, 1280, 1241, and 1103 cm−1. Ovarian cancer is a cancerous growth arising from different parts of the ovary. This study was designed to determine the effect of L. glycyrrhiza heteropolysaccharide on immunity function in animal suffering from ovarian cancer. In the in vivo assay, model control animals displayed a decrease in immunity activities. After 30 days of treatment, L. glycyrrhiza heteropolysaccharide-treated group showed a marked increase in immunity indexes (spleen and thymus index, IgA, IgG, IgM, IL-2, IFN-α and TNF-α levels) in comparison with the model control group. It can be concluded that L. glycyrrhiza heteropolysaccharide may improve immunity function in animal suffering from ovarian cancer.