The Kitasato Institute

Other

Sadao Tamamura

Yasuhiko Kojima

Takashi Hashimoto

Seishi Konno

Nobuyuki Shibukawa

Yoshimoto Sano

A biologically active substance comprising a kind of glycolipid having an elemental analysis (%) of H: 5.20-5.40, C: 42.55-44.17 and N: 3.94-4.08 and a molecular weight of about 30,000-10.sup.6 is obtained by extracting the tissue of a plant of maize (Zea mays Linne) or a variant thereof by extracting the tissue with water and recovering the desired active substance from the resultant extract. This substance is capable of inhibiting the formation of IgE antibodies and promoting the formation of IgG and IgM antibodies, and moreover exhibits various biological activities such as interferon-inducing activity, polyclonal B lymphocite activating activity, mitrogenic activity, adjuvant activity and anti-tumour activity. Thus, this substance is expected to be useful for preventing and treating, for example, aesthema, rhintitis, B-type hepatitis, AIDS and other allergic diseases and immunological insufficiency.

Process for producing a biologically active substance and compositions

A process for producing interferon inducers from the plants, comprising extracting a water-soluble interferon inducer with water from the tissue of a plant selected from the genera Atractylodes, Lonicera, Plantago, Lithospermum, Ligusticum, Cnidium, Bupleurum, Notopeterygium, Heracleum, Aralia, Panax, Polygala, Sophora, Euchresta, Astragalus, Sinomenium, Stephania, Cocculus, Cimicifuga, Rheum, Gastroida, Asparagus, Pinellia, Evoida and variants thereof capable of producing said interferon inducer at a temperature of from ambient to the boiling point of the extraction mixture for a period sufficient to extract the major portion of said interferon inducer present in the plant tissue, forming a supernatant, fractionating the supernatant to yield fractions containing the major portion of said interferon inducer in the supernatant and recovering said interferon inducer therefrom. Preferably, the fractionation may be effected by ultrafiltration. The interferon inducers thus obtained have a molecular weight of from about 30,000 to about 3,000,000 and are of potential interest for preventing and treating various diseases of humans and animals caused by viral infection.

Process for producing interferon inducers

An interferon inducer isolated from the plant tissue, having an elemental analysis of H:7.4.+-.0.4%, C: 45.6.+-.0.4%, N: 13.5.+-.0.4%, P: 2.8.+-.0.3% and a molecular weight of from about 100,000 to about 3,000,000 (mainly about 200,000 to about 1,000,000) and containing as main chemical constituents amino acids and phosporic acid. This substance is believed to be a homogeneous polymer of protein and phosphoric acid. This substance has an excellent interferon inducing activity and low toxicity and is significantly active upon various viruses. This interferon inducer may be produced by extracting a substance having interferon inducing activity from the tissue of a plant of the genus Artemisia of the family Compositae or a variant thereof containing the said active substance with water and recovering the active substance from the extracted solution. The recovery may preferably be effected by ultrafiltration. Pharmaceutical composition of this invention comprises as active ingredient the said active substance in association with a pharmaceutical carrier or excipient.

Interferon inducer, a process for producing the same and pharmaceutical

An interferon inducer is produced by extracting a tissue of a plant belonging to the Gound family selected from the group consisting of Benincasa, Cucurbita, Citrullus, Cucumia, Lagenaria, Luffa, Mormordica, Tricsanthes and their variants by water extraction at a temperature of from ambient to the boiling point of the extraction mixture, forming a supernatant from the extracted solution, fractionating the supernatant to yield fractions containing the interferon inducer and recovering same.

An interferon inducer isolated from the plant tissue, having an elemental analysis of H: 8.5-8.7 %, C: 48.8-49 %, N: 6.3-6.5 % and P: 1.0-1.1 % and a molecular weight of from about 100,000 to about 3,000,000 (mainly about 200,000 to about 1,000,000) and containing as main constituents amino acids, sugars and phosphoric acid. This substance is believed to be a homogeneous polymer of protein and sugars, containing phosphoric acid. This substance has an excellent interferon inducing activity and low toxicity and is significantly active against various viruses. The interferon inducer may be produced by extracting a substance having interferon inducing activity from the tissue of a plant of the genus Perilla of the family Labiatae or a variant thereof containing said active substance and recovering the active substance from the extract thereby obtained. Preferably, the extraction may be effected with water and the recovery may be effected by ultrafiltration. Pharmaceutical composition of this invention comprises as active ingredient the interferon inducer of this invention in association with a pharmaceutical carrier or excipient.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Sadao Tamamura