Pine Cone Extracts and Uses Thereof

Abstract

A method of producing a pine cone extract and the pine cone extract produced there from, wherein the pine cone extract is useful in increasing the effects of nucleic acid vaccines and medicaments; and useful in the production of phenotypically immature and/or mature dendritic and/or fibrocyte cells.

1 . A method for producing immature and/or mature dendritic cells, comprising exposing cells selected from the group consisting of blood mononuclear cells, thymocytes, splenocytes, umbilical cord blood cells, bone marrow cells, CD34 + -cells, CD14 + -cells and mixtures thereof to a composition obtained by heat extracting pine cones with potassium hydroxide. 
   
   
       2 . A method for producing immature and/or mature dendritic cells, comprising exposing cells selected from the group consisting of blood mononuclear cells, thymocytes, splenocytes, umbilical cord blood cells, bone marrow cells, CD34 + -cells, CD14 + -cells and mixtures thereof to a composition obtained by heat extracting pine cones with potassium hydroxide, wherein said cells are further exposed to CD3 + -cells. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1  or  2 , wherein the pine cone extract comprises an extract produced by a method of comprising the steps of:
 a) heat extracting of defatted ground pine cone material with an aqueous solvent comprising potassium hydroxide;   b) removing particulate matter with an average particle size greater than 0.2 μm and leaving an aqueous solution; and   c) adjusting the pH of the resulting aqueous solution to between 6.0 and 8.0.   
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1  or  2 , wherein the pine cone extract comprises a pine cone extract produced by a method comprising the steps of:
 a) heat extracting of defatted ground pine cone material with an aqueous solvent comprising potassium hydroxide;   b) removing particulate matter with an average particle size greater than 0.2 μm leaving a supernatant;   c) adjusting the pH of the resulting supernatant to between 6.0 and 8.0,   d) filtrating the supernatant to obtain a retenate fraction;   e) drawing off the retenate fraction and removing particles with an average molecular mass of less than 30 kDa; and   f) suspending the retenate fraction in an aqueous solvent comprising potassium hydroxide at a pH between 6.0 and 8.0.   
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1  or  2 , wherein the concentration of pine cone extract is between 5 ug/ml and 100 ug/ml.