PLANT DERIVED IMMUNOMODULATORS

PLANT POLYSACCHARIDES FROM 5 SPECIES WILL BE PROCESSED INTO WATER SOLUBLE PRODUCTS FREE OF MONOMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS. THE PRODUCTS WILL BE CHARACTERIZED AND IDENTIFIED BY A BATTERY OF TEN PHYSICAL PARAMETERS. SEVERAL OF THESE PRODUCTS HAVE PREVIOUSLY BEEN FOUND TO HAVE IMMUNOMODULATORY, ANTICANCER AND ANTIVIRAL ACTIVITY. THE PRODUCTS PRODUCTS ARE EXPECTED TO SHOW BORAD SPECTRUM IMMUNOMODULATORY ACTIVITY. THE FIVE PURIFIED POLYSACCHARIDES WILL BE TESTED FOR INTERFERON INDUCTION. THEY WILL BE TESTED IN A MURINE CYTOMEGALOVIRUS SYSTEM INITIALLY, AND IF INACTIVE THEN IN A MURINE ENCEPHALOMYOCARDITIS SYSTEM. VARIOUS DOSE LEVELS, ROUTES OF ADMINISTRATION AND TIMING TREATMENT REGIMENS WILL BE EXPLORED TO MAXIMIZE EFFECTIVENESS. IN ADDITION THE PRODUCTS WILL BE SUBMITTED TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES WHERE ANVER HAS TESTING AGREEMENTS. THE AIM OF THIS PROJECT IS THE DISCOVERY OF HIGH ACTIVITY PLANT POLYSACCHARIDE IMMUNOMODULATORS, AND TO DETERMINE THEIR RANGE OF ANTIVIRAL ACTIVITIES IN AS MANY SYSTEMS AS POSSIBLE WITHIN THE LIMITS OF MATERIAL AVAILABLE, AND THE INTEREST OF THE TESTING GROUPS.