Immunomodulating principles from shark cartilage: Part 1. Isolation and biological assessment in vitro

Extracts from shark cartilage exhibiting powerful immunostimulating activity in vitro are described. The study shows that a simple extraction with water is very effective in producing the immunostimulating principles and implies that it is ideal for scale-up and manufacturing on a large scale. The extracts are potent stimulators of B cells and macrophages isolated from BALB/c mice spleen while stimulation of T cells was insignificant in our in vitro models. The study demonstrates that the active principles are thermally stable proteoglycans with molecular masses exceeding 100 kDa. This in vitro study represents an important step needed for further assessment of the products in vivo and their value for nutraceutical use.