Use of a protein-bound polysaccharide for making a drug for treating AIDS.

Abstract: A polysaccharide, useful as an antiviral and particularly an antiretroviral agent and obtainable from marine algae such as seaweeds, has the following properties: (a) (i) positive results when subjected to the α-naphthol-sulfuric acid, indole-sulfuric acid anthrone-­ sulfuric acid or phenol-sulfuric acid reaction, or (ii) positive results when subjected to the α-naphthol-sulfuric acid, indole-sulfuric acid, anthrone-sulfuric acid or phenol-sulfuric acid reaction and, after hydrochloric acid hydrolysis, the Lowry-Folin process or ninhydrin reaction; (b) elementary analysis: 20 - 55% carbon, 3 - 9% hydrogen and less than 16% nitrogen; (c) a pH of 6.0 - 7.5; (d) the sugar component comprises at least two kinds of saccharide selected from glucose, glucuronic acid, xylose and mannose and the protein component, when present, comprises at least three kinds of amino acid selected from aspartic acid, lysine, leucine, glutamic acid and glycine; (e) infrared absorption spectrum peaks at (i) 3600 - 3200 cm⁻¹ or (ii) 3600 - 3200 cm⁻¹ and 1700 - 1600 cm⁻¹; (f) a molecular weight of 10³ - 3 x 10⁶ as measured by gel filtration chromatography; and (g) soluble in water and aqueous solvents containing water-soluble alcohols, acids or bases but insoluble in chloroform, benzene and ether.

Description: The present invention relates to a protein-bound polysaccharide obtainable from marine algae belonging to the classes Phaeophyceae , Rhodophyceae and Chlorophyceae for use in the treatment of AIDS. In recent years a new type of apparently irremediable disease such as AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency sydrome) has arisen. The development of therapeutic agents for this disease has been strongly desired. Presently, a nucleic acid derivative called 3'-azido-3'-deoxy thymidine (AZT) is the only available therapeutic agent for AIDS. As for the cause of this disease, it has already been disclosed by many researchers that a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which is a retrovirus, is adsorbed on a human T 4 lymphocyte to infect this lymphocyte and other lymphocytes one after another until finally the immune system is destroyed. The present inventors had already found many protein-bound polysaccharides which can serve as a biological response modifier (BRM) for the immune system. For example, they had proposed the following polysaccharides having an anticancer activity in GB-A-1,331,513. Polysaccharides obtained from a liquid extract of a mycelium of a fungus species of Basidiomycetes or from a cultured broth of said species, said polysaccharides being free or substantially free of impurities originally present in said liquid extract or in said cultured broth, and being characterized by being a water-soluble amorphous solid which is non-hydroscopic and non-dialyzable; gives a positive result when tested for the presence of glucose after hydrolysis with 1N sulphuric acid; gives negative results when subjected to the ferric chloride reaction for determining the presence of phenols and to the Fehling reaction for determining the presence of reducing sugars; gives positive results when subjected to the anisaldehyde-sulphuric acid reaction, the Molisch reaction with α-naphthol, the anthrone-sulphuric acid reaction, the tryptophane-sulphuric acid reaction, the chromotropic acid-sulphuric acid reaction, the aniline-hydrochloric acid reaction, the resorcinol-hydrochloric acid reaction, the carbazole-cysteine-sulphuric acid reaction, the Tollens reaction and the thioglycol-sulphuric acid reaction; shows only one spot at the anode side when subjected to electrophoresis in a 0.05 mol. sodium borate solution for 90 minutes using a cellulose acetate membrane at 20-25 V/cm; and shows no antimicrobial action to bacteria, fungi and yeasts such as Staphylococus aureus , Escherichia coli , Bacillus subtilis , Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans . EP-A-209 078 discloses an anticancer agent extracted from the alga Chlorella . The anticancer agent is a glycoprotein having an average molecular weight of 4.5 x 10 4 Da, of which the protein moiety consists of α-helix and random coil and the sugar moiety consists of β-polysaccharide. The circular dichroism spectrum has a positive peak at 275 nm. J. Cancer Res. Clin. Oncol. (1987) 113, 413-416 discloses an aqueous extract of the marine red alga Schizymenia pacifica which inhibits reverse transcriptase. The active principle in the extract has an apparent molecular weight in excess of 100,000 daltons. The inhibitory activity of the extract was lost after boiling at 100°C in 0.67 N HCl, and after treatment with 100 mM NaI04. However, the inhibitory activity was not lost after pronase digestion. JP-A-57-011116 describes a carcinostatic agent that contains a glycoprotein separated from microoalgae as an active ingredient. The glycoprotein has a molecular weight of 121,000 Da, an isoelectric point of 8.6 pH, a glycoside/protein ratio of about 1:1, and a protein helix content of about 19%. EP-A-295 961 describes a polysaccharide obtainable from a prokaryotic or eukaryotic organism. The polysaccharide may be obtained by a process which comprises (i) extracting a prokaryotic or eukaryotic organism with an aqueous solvent and subjecting the extract to refining treatment, or (ii) subjecting the supernatant of a broth in which the microorganism has been cultured to refining treatment. The present inventors have noted that the protein-bound polysaccharide having the function of BRM could exert a great influence to the immune system and, as a result of many studies, it has been found that a substance extracted from marine algae belonging to the classes Phaeophyceae , Rhodophyceae and Chlorophyceae has an inhibiting activity against adsorption of HIV on human-derived lymphocytes and functions to inhibit the activity of reverse transcriptase (RTase) which is an enzyme essential for the proliferation of HIV. In the present invention, there is provided use of a protein-bound polysaccharide in the preparation of a mediament for the treatment of AIDS, the protein-bound polysaccharide being obtainable by extracting a marine alga selected from Nemacystus decipines , Kjellmaniella gyrate , Laminaria japonica , Undaria pinnatifida , Hizikia fusiforme , Porphyra tenera , Gelidium amansii , Gloiopeltis complanate , Gracilaria rerrucosa , Hemineura schmitziana , Ulva pertusa , Spirogyra arcta , Codium fragile and Acetabularia ryukyuensis with an aqueous solvent which is water or an aqueous solution of a water-soluble organic solvent, acid, base or salt at from 4 to 120°C for 20 minutes to 20 hours by using 5 to 200 times as much extracting solution as the alga on a dry weight basis, and subjecting the extract to at least one refining treatment selected from salting-out, dialysis, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, gel filtration and precipitation by use of an organic solvent; and the protein-bound polysaccharide having the following properties: (a) positive results when subjected to the α-naphthol-sulfuric acid, indole-sulfuric acid, anthrone-sulfuric acid or phenol-sulfuric acid reaction and, after hydrochloric acid hydrolysis, the Lowry-Folin process or ninhydrin reaction; (b) elementary analysis: 20 -55% carbon, 3 - 9% hydrogen and more than 0% to less than 16% nitrogen; (c) a pH of 6.0 - 7.5; (d) the sugar component comprises at least two kinds of saccharide selected from glucose, glucuronic acid, xylose and mannose and the protein component comprises at least three kinds of amino acid selected from aspartic acid, lysine, leucine, glutamic acid and glycine; (e) infrared absorption spectrum peaks at 3600 - 3200 cm -1 and 1700 - 1600 cm -1 ; (f) a molecular weight of 10 3 - 2 x 10 5 as measured by gel filtration chromatography; and (g) soluble in water and aqueous solvents containing water-soluble alcohols, acids or bases but insoluble in chloroform, benzene and ether. The protein-bound polysaccharide of the invention is hereinafter referred to as the present substance. Marine algae are roughly classified into three classes: Phaeophyceae , Rhodophyceae and Chlorophyceae . The classification of the algae under consideration in the present invention conforms to Y. Yamada and S. Segawa: "An Illustrated Book of the Japanese Marine Algae" (published June 1, 1971, by Hoikusha) and its "Supplement" (published July 1, 1977) and T. Yamade et al: "Iwanami Encyclopedia Biologica" 3rd Ed. (published March 10, 1983, by Iwanami Shoten). The algae from which the present substance is extractable belong to the genera Nemacystus , Kjellmaniella, Laminaria , Undaria , Hizikia , Porphyra , Gelidium , Gloiopeltis , Gracilaria , Hemineura , Ulva , Spirogyra , Codium and Acetabularia . The aqueous solvent used for the extraction is water or an aqueous solution of a water-soluble organic solvent, acid, base or salt. Such a solution typically contains a small quantity, for example not more than about 10% by weight of the organic solvent, acid, base or salt soluble in water. The extraction according to the present invention is carried out by a method selected from water extraction, organic-solvent extraction, acid-solution extraction, base-solution extraction, salt-solution extraction and a combination thereof. The organic solvents usable in the above extraction include methanol, ethanol and isopropyl alcohol. The acids usable in the above extraction include hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid and acetic acid. As the base, an aqueous ammonia, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide or sodium carbonate may be used. As the salt, sodium chloride or potassium chloride can be used. The refining treatment is intended to remove low-molecular weight substances by applying at least one treatment selected from salting-out, dialysis, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, gel filtration and precipitation by use of an organic solvent. Technologically, it is preferred to conduct either ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, or a combination thereof, which are membrane separation methods under pressure. In some cases, such treatment may be conducted after salting-out. The agents usable for such salting-out include ammonium sulfate, common salt (sodium chloride),potassium chloride and barium carbonate, among which ammonium sulfate is preferred. After this salting-out treatment, it is necessary to carry out dialysis, ultrafiltration, gel filtration, reverse osmosis or a combination thereof. Dialysis is usually carried out by using a semipermeable membrane such as cellophane or collodion membrane. Gel filtration is practiced by using a column packed with an adsorbent such as dextran or polyacrylamide gel. A filler commercially available under the trade name of for example Cephadex or Biogel is usually used. Ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis are both methods fractionation fractionation by using a membrane under pressure. Ultrafiltration is usually carried out under a pressure of 0.5 to 5 kg/cm 2 and reverse osmosis is usually carried out under a pressure of 20 to 35 kg/cm 2 . Precipitation by use of an organic solvent is usually effected by using for example methanol, ethanol, isopropanol or acetone. If necessary, an ion exchange treatment may be combined with said operations. After the refining treatment(s), the product is dehydrated by spray-drying, freeze-drying or other means and worked into a commercial product. The present substance is preferably further treated with an aqueous alkaline solution and as a result., the antiviral effect of this substance is surprisingly increased. Such aqueous alkaline solution treatment is accomplished, for example, by treating the present substance in a 0.01 to 5 N, preferably 0.1 to 2 N alkaline solution of an amount 5 to 200 times the starting material (on dry basis) at a temperature from 40° to 250°C, preferably from 60° to 200°C, more preferably from 100° to 150°C, for from 5 minutes to 2 hours, preferably from 10 minutes to one hour. Then, the treated solution is neutralized and subjected to refining treatment. Refining treatment is accomplished by applying the salting-out, dialysis, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, gel filtration, precipitation by use of an organic solvent or a combination thereof. The conditions to be used for such refining treatments are the same as described above. After this refining operation, the product is dehydrated by spray-drying, freeze-drying or other means. The present substance obtainable in the manner described above gives positive results when subjected to the α-naphthol-sulfuric acid reaction, indole-sulfuric acid reaction, anthrone-sulfuric acid reaction or phenol-sulfuric acid reaction; and when subjected to the Lowry-Folin process or ninhydrin reaction after hydrochloric acid hydrolysis (protein-bound polysaccharide). The elementary analysis of the present substance showed 20 - 55% carbon, 3 - 9% hydrogen and more than 0% to less than 16% nitrogen. The pH was 6.0 to 7.5. The present substance contains as its sugar component at least two kinds of saccharide selected from glucose, glucuronic acid, xylose and mannose, and contains as its protein component at least three kinds of amino acid selected from aspartic acid, lysine, leucine, glutamic acid and glycine. The infrared absorption spectrum of the present substance shows absorption of hydroxyl group in the region of 3600 - 3200 cm -1 and absorption attributable to amide group in the region of 1700 - 1600 cm -1 (protein-bound polysaccharide). The present substance is soluble in aqueous solvents and insoluble in organic solvents. The "aqueous solvents" mentioned above include water, and aqueous water-soluble alcohols, acids and bases, and the "organic solvents" include chloroform, benzene and ether. The present substance has a white, green or brown color and its molecular weight as determined by gel filtration chromatography is 10 3 to 2 x 10 5 . In an acute toxicity test of the present substance, in which the present substance was administered at a dose of 1,000 mg/kg to the Donryu-strain rats which were 4 to 5 weeks old and weighed 100 to 150 grams, all of the rats were alive in the seven-day observation period after the administration. The present substance is a safe material which is extremely low in its toxicity and causes almost no harmful side-effect. It is known that generally a virus is adsorbed on a target cell and the nucleic acid of the virus is injected into the cell and integrated into the genome of the cell, and the virus is replicated after this process. In the case of retrovirus, before integration into the cell genome, there is required a process of transcription of RNA, which is the nucleic acid derived from the virus, into DNA by the action of a reverse transcriptase. The present substance inhibits adsorption of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) on human lymphocytes and succeeding infection thereof. It also inhibits the activity of reverse transcriptase. These effects of the present substance have been experimentally determined. For example, when the effect of the present substance was examined by a method in which HIV was treated with an algae extract of a concentration of 50 - 1,000 µg/ml at 0°C for 2 hours, then washed and applied to a MT-4 cell to have it infected with HIV and after 3-day culture the HIV antigen positive cells were counted, it was found that the pre-treatment with the present substance had caused disappearance of substantially all of the HIV antigen positive cells, indicating the strong inhibiting activity of the present substance against adsorption of HIV on human lymphocytes. Also, when the influence of the present substance on the reverse transcriptase activity was examined by using whole messenger RNA from rat liver as template, a strong inhibition against reverse transcriptase activity was seen by the addition 50 to 1,000 µg/ml of the present substance. These experimental results attest to the fact that the present substance has an inhibiting activity against HIV infection and is efficacious against AIDS. AZT, which is already in use as an anti-AIDS drug, produces a side effect detrimental to normal cell division, whereas the present substance is a safe material which is extremely low in acute toxicity and useful as an anti-AIDS agent since the present substance shows an inhibiting activity against HIV infection. In the use of the present substance as an anti-AIDS drug, it can be offered in any desired form of preparation. Therefore, there is provided a pharmaceutical composition for use in the treatment of AIDS comprising a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or diluent and, as active ingredient, the present substance. Also, the drug can be administered in various ways. Further, the present substance can be used in combination with known anti-AIDS drugs such as AZT without lowering its normal efficacy. Such combined use is indeed an effective means for the treatment of AIDS. When the present substance is applied orally, it is worked into the form of, for example, tablets, granules, powder or capsules which may contain in their composition an adjuvant or adjuvants which are normally used in the preparation of pharmceuticals, such a binder, inclusion, excipient, lubricant, disintegrator or wetting agent. When the present substance is applied as a liquid preparation for oral administration, the preparation may take the form of liquid for internal use, shake mixture, suspension, emulsion or syrup. It may take the form of a dry product which is turned into a liquid when used. These liquid preparations may contain the ordinarily used additives and preservatives. In the case of injection, the composition may contain additives such as stabilizer, buffering agent, preservative or isotonizing agent, and is offered in the form of unit-dose ampule or in multiple-dose containers. The composition may take the form of aqueous solution, suspension or emulsion in an oleaginous or aqueous vehicle. The active ingredient (the present substance) of such preparations may be a powder which, when used, is redissolved in a suitable vehicle such as pyrogen-free sterilized water. The present substance is administered to man and animals either orally or parenterally. Oral administration includes sublinqual application. Parenteral administration includes injection such as subcutaneous, intramuscular and intravenous injection and instillation. The dosage of the present substance is variable depending on whether the subject is man or animal and according to such factors as age, individual differences and condition of the disease, but usually in the case where the subject is man, the oral dose of the present substance is 0.1 to 1,000 mg, preferably 1 to 100 mg, per kg of body weight and day, and this amount of the substance is given in one to three portions. The present substance is a material which is extremely low in acute toxicity and high in safety, and has an inhibiting activity against adsorption of HIV on human lymphocytes as well as a function to inhibit the activity of reverse transcriptase. Further, the present substance is a material useful for the treatment of retroviral infectious diseases such as AIDS in particular. The present invention is explained in more detail in the following Examples; however, it should be recognized that the scope of the present invention is not restricted to these Examples. EXAMPLE 1 100 g of a dry Nemacystus decipines belonging to the genus Nemacystus of the family Spermatochnaceae of the order Chordariales in the Phaeophyceae was broken into fine chips, put into a 3-litre stainless steel tank, added with 2,000 ml of water and stirred while maintaining the temperature at 90 - 95°C. The extraction was carried out for about 3 hours and then the resultant solution was cooled to room temperature. The extract slurry was centrifuged to be separated into extract solution and residue. The residue was further extracted with 2,000 ml of 0.4N NaOH at 90 - 95°C for 3 hours, cooled to room temperature, adjusted to a pH of 7.0 with 2N HCl and centrifuged to be separated into extract solution and residue. The extract solutions were joined, concentrated to 400 ml by a vacuum concentrator, desalted by using an ultrafilter and then dried by freeze drying to obtain 21 g of a dry product (A). EXAMPLE 2 100 g of dry Kjellmaniella gyrate belonging to the genus Kjellmaniella of the family Laminariaceae of the order Laminariales in the Phaeophyceae were broken into chips, put into a 3-litre stainless steel tank, added with 2,000 ml of water and stirred with temperature kept at 90 - 95°C. After about 3 hours of extraction, the resultant solution was cooled to room temperature. The extract slurry was centrifuged to be separated into extract solution and residue. The residue was further extracted with 2,000 ml of 0.4N NaOH at 90 - 95°C for 3 hours, cooled to room temperature, adjusted to a pH of 7.0 with 2N HCl and centrifuged to be separated into extract solution and residue. The extract solutions were joined, concentrated to 400 ml by a vacuum concentrator, desalted by using an ultrafilter and dried by freeze-drying to obtain 23 g of a dry product (B). EXAMPLE 3 100 g of dry Laminaria japonica selected from the genus Laminaria of the family Laminariaceae of the order Laminariales in the Phaeophyceae were broken into fine chips, put into a 3-litre stainless steel tank, added with 2,000 ml of water and stirred with temperature kept at 90 - 95°C. Extraction was carried out for about 3 hours, followed by cooling to room temperature. The extract slurry was centrifuged to be separated into extract solution and residue. The residue was further extracted with 2,000 ml of 0.4N NaOH at 90 - 95°C for 3 hours and the resultant solution was cooled to room temperature, adjusted to a pH of 7.0 with 2N HCl and then centrifuged to be separated into extract solution and residue. The extract solutions were joined, concentrated to 400 ml by a vacuum concentrator, desalted by using an ultrafilter and dried by freeze drying to obtain 20 g of a dry product (C). EXAMPLE 4 100 g of dry Undaria pinnatifida belonging to the genus Undaria of the family Laminariaceae of the order Laminariales in the Phaeophyceae was broken into fine chips, put into a 3-litre stainless steel tank, added with 2,000 ml of water and stirred while maintaining the temperature at 90 - 95°C. The extraction was carried out for about 3 hours and then the resultant solution was cooled to room temperature. The extract slurry was centrifuged to be separated into extract solution and residue, and the residue was further extracted with 2,000 ml of 0.4N NaOH at 90 - 95°C for 3 hours and the resultant solution was cooled to room temperature, adjusted to a pH of 7.0 with 2N HCl and centrifuged to be separated into extract solution and residue. The extract solutions were joined, concentrated to 400 ml by a vacuum concentrator, desalted by using an ultrafilter and dried by freeze drying to obtain 18 g of a dry product (D). EXAMPLE 5 100 g of dry Hizikia fusiforme belonging to the genus Hizikia of the family Sargassaceae of the order Fucales in the Phaeophyceae were broken into fine chips, put into a 3-litre stainless steel tank, added with 2,000 ml of water and stirred with temperature kept at 90 - 95°C. The extraction was carried out for about 3 hours and then the resultant solution was cooled to room temperature. The extract slurry was centrifuged to be separated into extract solution and residue. The extract solution was concentrated to 400 ml by a vacuum concentrator and dried by freeze-drying to obtain 20 g of a dry product (E-1). EXAMPLE 6 100 g of the same dry Hizikia fusiforme as used in Example 5 were broken into fine chips, put into a 3-litre stainless steel tank, added with 2,000 ml of water and stirred with temperature kept at 90 - 95°C. The extraction was carried out for about 3 hours and then the resultant solution was cooled to room temperature. The extract slurry was centrifuged to be separated into extract solution and residue. The residue was further extracted with 2,000 ml of 0.4N NaOH at 90 - 95°C for 3 hours, cooled to room temperature, adjusted to a pH of 7.0 with 2N HCl and centrifuged to be separated into extract solution and residue. The extract solutions were joined, concentrated to 400 ml by a vacuum concentrator, desalted by an ultrafilter and then dried by freeze drying to obtain 25 g of a dry product (E-2). EXAMPLE 7 20 g of the extract of Hizikia fusiforme obtained in Example 5 was dissolved in a 1N NaOH solution and subjected to a heat treatment at 120°C for 20 minutes. After cooled to room temperature, the heated solution was adjusted to a pH of 7.0 with 2N HCl, desalted by using an ultrafilter and dried by freeze drying to obtain 19 g of an alkali treated product (E-3). EXAMPLE 8 100 g of dry Porphyra tenera of the family Bangiaceae of the order Bangiales in the Rhodophyceae was broken into fine chips, put into a 3-litre stainless steel tank, added with 2,000 ml of distilled water and stirred while maintaining the temperature at 90 - 95°C. After about 3 hours of extraction, the resultant solution was cooled to room temperature. The extract slurry was centrifuged to be separated into extract solution and residue, and the residue was further extracted with 2,000 ml of 0.4N NaOH at 90 - 95°C for 3 hours and the resultant solution was cooled to room temperature, adjusted to a pH of 7.0 with 2N HCl and then centrifuged to be separated into extract solution and residue. The extract solutions were joined, concentrated under reduced pressure, desalted by ultrafiltration and dried by freeze drying to obtain 30 g of a dry product (F). EXAMPLE 9 100 g of dry Gelidium amansii belonging to the family Gelidiaceae of the order Gelidiales in the Rhodophyceae was broken into fine chips, put into a 3-litre stainless steel tank, added with 2,000 ml of distilled water and stirred while maintaining the temperature at 90 - 95°C. The extraction was carried out for about 3 hours and then the resultant solution was cooled to room temperature. The extract slurry was centrifuged to be separated into extract solution and residue. The residue was further extracted with 2,000 ml of 0.4N NaOH at 90 - 95°C for 3 hours and the extract was cooled to room temperature, adjusted to a pH of 7.0 with 2N HCl and centrifuged into extract solution and residue. The extract solutions were joined, concentrated under reduced pressure, desalted by ultrafiltration and dried by freeze-drying to obtain 25 g of a dry product (G). EXAMPLE 10 100 g of dry Gloiopeltis complanate belonging to the family Endocladiaceae of the order Cryptonemiales in the Rhodophyceae was broken into fine chips, put into a 3-litre stainless steel tank, added with 2,000 ml of distilled water with temperature kept at 90 - 95°C. The extraction was carried out for about 3 hours and then the resultant solution was cooled to room temperature. The extract slurry was centrifuged to be separated into extract solution and residue. The residue was further extracted with 2,000 ml of 0.4N NaOH at 90 - 95°C for 3 hours, cooled to room temperature, adjusted to a pH of 7.0 with 2N HCl and centrifuged into extract solution and residue. The extract solutions were joined, concentrated under reduced pressure, desalted by ultrafiltration and dried by freeze-drying to obtain 27 g of a dry product (H). EXAMPLE 11 100 g of dry Gracilaria rerrucosa belonging to the genus Gracilaria of the family Gracilariceae of the order Gigartinales in the Rhodophyceae was broken into fine chips, put into a 3-litre stainless steel tank, added with 2,000 ml of distilled water with temperature kept at 90 - 95°C. The extraction was carried out for about 3 hours and then the resultant solution was cooled to room temperature. The extract slurry was centrifuged into extract solution and residue, and the residue was further extracted with 2,000 ml of 0.4N NaOH at 90 - 95°C for 3 hours, cooled to room temperature, adjusted to a pH of 7.0 with 2N HCl and centrifuged into extract solution and residue. The extract solutions were joined, concentrated under reduced pressure, desalted by ultrafiltration and dried by freeze-drying to obtain 23 g of a dry product (I). EXAMPLE 12 100 g of Hemineura schmitziana belonging to the genus Hemineura of the family Delesseriaceae of the order Ceramiales in the Rhodophyceae was crushed into fine chips, put into a 3-litre stainless steel tank, added with 2,000 ml of distilled water and stirred with temperature kept at 90 - 95°C. The extraction was carried out for about 3 hours and then the resultant solution was cooled to room temperature. The extract slurry was centrifuged into extract solution and residue, and the residue was further extracted with 2,000 ml of 0.4N NaOH at 90 - 95°C for 3 hours, then cooled to room temperature, adjusted to a pH of 7.0 with 2N HCl and centrifuged into extract solution and residue. The extract solutions were joined, concentrated under reduced pressure, desalted by ultrafiltration and dried by freeze drying to obtain 22 g of a dry product (J). EXAMPLE 13 100 g of pulverized ulva pertusa belonging to the family Ulvaceae of the order Ulvales in the Chlorophyceae was put into a 3-litre stainless steel tank, added with 1,000 ml of water and stirred while maintaining the temperature at 90 - 95°C. The extraction was carried out for about 3 hours and then the resultant solution was cooled to room temperature. The extract slurry was centrifuged into extract solution and residue. The residue was further extracted with 1,000 ml of 0.4N Na0H at 90 - 95°C for 3 hours and the extract was cooled to room temperature, adjusted to a pH of 7.0 with 2N HCl and centrifuged into extract solution and residue. The extract solutions were joined, concentrated to 400 ml by a vacuum concentrator, desalted by ultrafiltration and dried by freeze-drying to obtain 18 g of a dry product (L). EXAMPLE 14 100 g of pulverized Spirogyra arcta belonging to the order Zygnematales in the Chlorophyceae was put into a 3-litre stainless steel tank, added with 1,000 ml of water and stirred with the temperature kept at 90 - 95°C. After about 3-hour extraction, the resultant solution was cooled to room temperature. The extract slurry was centrifuged into extract solution and residue, and the residue was further concentrated with 1,000 ml of 0.4N Na0H at 90 - 95°C for 3 hours, cooled to room temperature, adjusted to a pH of 7.0 with 2N HCl and centrifuged into extract solution and residue. The extract solutions were joined, concentrated to 400 ml by a vacuum concentrator, desalted by ultrafiltration and dried by freeze-drying to obtain 15 g of a dry product (M). EXAMPLE 15 100 g of pulverized Codium fragile of the order Codiales in the Chlorophyceae was put into a 3-litre stainless steel tank, added with 2,000 ml of water and stirred while maintaining the temperature at 90 - 95°C. The extraction was carried out for about 3 hours and then the resultant solution was cooled to room temperature. The extract slurry was centrifuged into extract solution and residue. The residue was further extracted with 2,000 ml of 0.4N Na0H at 90 - 95°C for 3 hours cooled to room temperature, adjusted to a pH of 7.0 with 2N HCl and centrifuged into extract solution and residue. The extract solutions were joined, concentrated to 400 ml by a vacuum concentrator, desalted by ultrafiltration and dried by freeze-drying to obtain 17 g of a dry product (N). EXAMPLE 16 100 g of powder of Acetabularia ryukyuensis was put into a 3-litre stainless steel tank, added with 2,000 ml of water and stirred by maintaining the temperature of 90 - 95°C. The extraction was carried out for about 3 hours and then the resultant solution was cooled to room temperature. The extract slurry was centrifuged into extract solution and residue. The residue was further extracted with 2,000 ml of 0.4N NaOH at 90 - 95°C for 3 hours, cooled to room temperature, adjusted to a pH of 7.0 with 2N HCl and centrifuged into extract solution and residue. The extract solutions were joined, concentrated to 400 ml by a vacuum concentrator, desalted by ultrafiltration and dried by freeze drying to obtain 19 g of a dry product (O). The physicochemical properties of the present substance extracted from the marine algae are shown in Table 1. In the table, the positive result of the phenol-sulfuric acid color reaction indicates the presence of saccharide, and thepositive result of the Lowry-Folin color reaction indicates the presence of peptide bond. As for the molecular weight, the molecular weight distribution in the fraction rich with the present substance was determined by a gel filtration method and shown in the table. EXAMPLE 17 The inhibiting effect of the present substances obtained in Examples 1- 16 against reverse transcriptase specifically retained by retroviruses was determined by the following method. 10 mg of each of the present substances in the form of freeze-dried products (A) to (J) and (L) to (O) was dissolved in 10 ml of sterilized distilled water (concentration: 1 mg/ml). 1 µl of 20 mM D.T.T. (dithiothreitol, produced by Sigma Co., Ltd.), 5 µl of a 5-fold concentrated enzyme reaction solution (comprising 250 mM tris-HCl (pH 8.3), 250 mM KCl and 40 mM MgCl 2 ), 1 µl of 3d NTP solution (comprising 1 mM dATP, 1 mM GTP and 1 mM dTTP, produced by Sigma Co., Ltd.), 2 µl of 100 µg/ml oligomer (dt) 12-18 (produced by PL Biochemicals Co., Ltd.), 1 µl of messenger RNA (derived from normal rat liver; 1 µg/µl), 0.5 µl of RNase inhibitor (16 unit/µl, produced by Takara Shuzo Kabushiki Kaisha and 1 µl of [α - 32 p] dCTP (up to 800 Ci/mmol, 10 µCi/µl, produced by Amersham Japan Co. Ltd.) were added into a 1.5 ml Eppendolf's tube and the Eppendolf's tube was placed in a 37°C water bath. 5 minutes thereafter, 12.5 µl of each of the previously prepared solutions of the present substances (concentration: 1 mg/ml) was added into the reaction tube, followed by further addition of 1 µl of reverse transcriptase (7 unit/µl, derived from Rous associated virus, produced by Takara Shuzo Kabushiki Kaisha) so that the amount of the final reaction solution would become 25 µl, and the mixture was reacted at 37°C. One hour thereafter, 5 µl of the reaction solution was infiltrated into the 2 cm x 2 cm sheets of DEAE paper (made by Toyo Roshi Kabushiki Kaisha), and after air-dried, each sheet was immersed in 10 ml of a 0.5 M aqueous solution of Na 2 HP0 4 and [α- 32 p] dCTP not used for DNA synthesis and remaining on filter paper was washed away under shaking. (This operation was conducted 5 times at a five minutes' interval). Thereafter, each of said DEAE paper sheets was placed in a glass vial containing 10 ml of a liquid scintillation cocktail (made by Amersham Japan Co., Ltd.) and the radioactivity of each sheet was counted for one minute (c.p.m.) by a scintillation counter(made by Aroka Co., Ltd.). The reverse transcriptase activity inhibition rate (%) was determined from the following formula: Reverse transcriptase activity inhibition rate (%) = Co - Cs Co x 100 Co: Radioactivity of the sheet when not added with the present substance Cs: Radioactivity of the sheet when added with the present substance The reverse transcriptase (RTase) activity inhibition rates of the substances tested are shown in Table 1. EXAMPLE 18 The inhibiting activity of the present substances against adsorption of HIV (AIDS virus) on human lymphocytes was determined by the following method. (All the operations were conducted under an aseptic condition). 1 ml of a suspension of HIV-1 (human immunodeficiency virus) and 1 ml of an aqueous solution of present substance (800 µg/ml) were put into a test tube and the test tube was placed still in ice. Two hours thereafter, 1 ml of virus suspension was sampled out from the test tube and the virus was adsorbed on a cell strain MT-4 derived from human lymphocyte (Jpn. J. Cancer Res. (Gann), 28 , 219-229 (1982)) at a multiplicity of infection (M.O.I.) ≒ 2. After centrifuging at 2,000 r.p.m. for 10 minutes, the supernatant was eliminated and the sedimentary MT-4 cells were set force in RPMI 1640 containing 20% of FCS (Gibco Laboratories, NY) so that the cell concentration would become 2 x 10 5 cell/ml. 100 µl portions of said MT-4 cell suspension were pipetted into the 96-hole plates and cultured under the conditions of 5% CO 2 and 37°C. On the third day of culture, the number of the HIV-1 adsorbed cells and the number of the non-adsorbed cells were calculated by using the indirect fluorescent antibody technique. The HIV-1 adsorption inhibition rate (%) was calculated from the following formula: HIV-1 adsorption inhibition rate (%) = HIV-1 adsorbed cells HIV-1 adsorbed cells + HIV-1 non-adsorbed cells x 100 The results are shown in Table 1. PREPARATION EXAMPLE 330 mg of the present substance of Example 1 was filled in each of the # 0 hard capsules by using a pressure type automatic filler to prepare the capsules containing the present substance.

Claims: Use of a protein-bound polysaccharide in the preparation of a medicament for the treatment of AIDS, said protein-bound polysaccharide having the following properties: (a) positive results when subjected to the α-naphthol-sulfuric acid, indole-sulfuric acid, anthrone-sulfuric acid or phenol-sulfuric acid reaction and, after hydrochloric acid hydrolysis, the Lowry-Folin process or ninhydrin reaction; (b) elementary analysis: 20-55% carbon, 3-9% hydrogen and more than 0% to less than 16% nitrogen; (c) a pH of 6.0-7.5; (d) the sugar component comprises at least two kinds of saccharide selected from glucose, glucuronic acid, xylose and mannose and the protein component comprises at least three kinds of amino acid selected from aspartic acid, lysine, leucine, glutamic acid and glycine; (e) infrared absorption spectrum peaks at 3600 - 3200 cm -1 and 1700 - 1600 cm -1 ; (f) a molecular weight of 10 3 - 2 x 10 5 as measured by gel filtration chromatography; and (g) soluble in water and aqueous solvents containing water-soluble alcohols, acids or bases but insoluble in chloroform, benzene and ether; and said protein-bound polysaccharide being obtainable by extracting a marine alga selected from Nemacystus decipines , Kjellmaniella gyrate , Laminaria japonica , Undaria pinnatifida , Hizikia fusiforme , Porphyra tenera , Gelidium amansii , Gloiopeltis complanate , Gracilaria rerrucosa , Hemineura schmitziana , Ulva pertusa , Spirogyra arcta , Codium fragile and Acetabularia ryukyuensis with an aqueous solvent which is water or an aqueous solution of a water-soluble organic solvent, acid, base or salt at from 4 to 120°C for 20 minutes to 20 hours by using 5 to 200 times as much extracting solution as the alga on a dry weight basis, and subjecting the extract to at least one refining treatment selected from salting-out, dialysis, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, gel filtration and precipitation by use of an organic solvent. Use according to claim 1, wherein the aqueous solvent is an aqueous ammonia, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide or sodium carbonate solution. Use according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the protein-bound polysaccharide is obtainable by further treating the refined material with 5 to 200 times as much of a 0.01 to 5N aqueous alkaline solution at 40 to 250°C for 5 minutes to 2 hours; and subjecting the resulting material to a second refining treatment.

Inventors: FURUSHO TAKAO, HIROSE KUNITAKA, KAKUCHI JUNJI, MATSUNAGA KENICHI, MUTO SHIGEAKI, NIIMURA KOICHI, OGUCHI YOSHIHARU, OOHARA MINORU, SUGITA NORIFUMI, TAKAHASHI MASAAKI, YOSHIKUMI CHIKAO, FURUSHO, TAKAO, HIROSE, KUNITAKA, KAKUCHI, JUNJI, MATSUNAGA, KENICHI, MUTO, SHIGEAKI, NIIMURA, KOICHI, OGUCHI, YOSHIHARU, OOHARA, MINORU, SUGITA, NORIFUMI, TAKAHASHI, MASAAKI, YOSHIKUMI, CHIKAO
Applicants: KUREHA CHEMICAL IND CO LTD, KUREHA KAGAKU KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 1988
Main classification: C08B37
IPC codes: C12P19, C08B37, A61K35, C07K4, A61K36, A61K38, C12P21