To study the inhibitory effects of laminarin (acidic polysaccharide) J201A on the proliferation of human lung fibroblasts (HLF) and its related mechanism of action. Methods: Effect of J201A on the proliferation of HLF was evaluated by MTT assay, and the effects on cell cycle and synthesis of proteins of HLF were assessed by flow cytometry. The existence of J201A receptors on HLF was confirmed by fluorescent staining assay. Results:J201 A inhibited the synthesis of proteins and the proliferation of HLF at G0/G1 stage of cell cycle and J201A receptors existed on HLF. Conclusion:J201A exerted its antifibrotic activity by inhibiting HLF at G0/G1 stage of cell cycle and the synthesis of proteins.

Lymphocytes from thymus, spleen, macrophages and endothelial cells w.ere incubated with the fluorescent probe of 911-FITC and the colouring method with flow cytometry and fluorescent microscope was reviewed in this paper. The results indicated that 911-FITC could specifically bind to lymphocytes, macrophages and endothelial cells. These findings suggested that 911 could play a immunomodulatory effect by direct combination with immu-nocytes.

More and more interest has been put on the investigations of saccharides recent years. Saccharides have a vast number of bioactivities and the immunomodulating effect of saccharides is one of the important mechanisms via which saccharides exert their bioactivities. Saccharides exert their bioactivities mainly by interacting with all kinds of saccharide receptors on cells, followed by a series of signal transduction process. In the present paper, numerous saccharide receptors and the characters of the mutual interaction between saccharides and their receptors are summarized.