University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc.

Other

Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique

Alan G Darvill

Peter Albersheim

Felice Cervone

Giulia De Lorenzo

Stephane Vidal

Patrice J Pellerin

Giovanni Salvi

Stefan Eberhard

Carl Bergmann

Ronald Pelley

Dennis Warrenfeltz

Faith Strickland

Malcolm A O'Neill

Markus Pauly

Methods and compositions are disclosed for the prevention and/or treatment of immunological damage to skin exposed to ultraviolet irradiation. The compositions described herein include biologically active tamarind seed xyloglucan oligosaccharides obtained via treatment of tamarind xyloglucan with a fungal &bgr;-glucanase. Advantageously, the cytoprotective tamarind seed xyloglucan oligosaccharides are stable at ambient conditions. In one aspect, the composition includes an aqueous solution of tamarind seed xyloglucan oligosaccharides having a concentration of at least 10,&mgr;g per mL of the solution. In another aspect, the method includes preventing the suppression of delayed type hypersensitivity. In yet another aspect, the invention includes reducing the amount of interleukin-10 produced by keratinocytes in the skin.

Inhibition of UV-induced immune suppression and interleukin-10 production by cytoprotective tamarind oligosaccharides

The present invention provides rhamnogalacturonan-II (RG-II) and relates to its ability to complex specific multivalent heavy metal cations. In the presence of boric acid, RG-II monomers form dimers that are cross-linked by a borate ester. The yield of such borate ester cross-linked dimers of RG-II is enhanced in the presence of specific heavy metal cations. The present invention further relates to the utility of RG-II in assays for the detection of specific heavy metal contamination; as a reagent useful in the removal of specific heavy metal cations contaminating foods and liquids, for example, fish, wines, etc.; as a pharmaceutical composition useful as an antidote in specific heavy metal cation poisoning; as a treatment for the detoxification of specific heavy metal cations from blood and/or tissues; and in a method of remediation of waters and soils contaminated with specific heavy metal cations.

Plant rhamnogalacturonan II complexation of heavy metal cations

Nucleotide sequences coding an endopolygalacturonase inhibitor

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Athens, GA, United States of America

Alan G Darvill