Asian Pac J Allergy
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Asian Pac J Allergy · Sep 2018
Korean mistletoe lectin enhances natural killer cell cytotoxicity via upregulation of perforin expression.
Natural killer (NK) cells are crucial components of the innate immune system, providing the first line of defense against pathogens. In a previous study, we demonstrated prophylactic activity of water extract of Korean mistletoe (Viscum album coloratum) on tumor metastasis. However, the leading compound from water extract of Korean mistletoe was not clearly addressed. ⋯ KMLC at 200 ng/mL increased the cytotoxicity of NK92 cells by 35% compared with untreated cells. KMLC-treated (at 100 ng/mL) mice splenocytes showed a 20% increase in cytotoxic activity. Also, the B chain, one of the subchains of KMLC, increases perforin expression. We demonstrated that the signal transduction controlling NK cell cytotoxicity was mediated by upregulation of the NKG2D receptor and expression of a cytotoxic effector molecule. These results suggested that KMLC possessed immunological activity, mediated by NK cell activation.