Biol. Pharm. Bull. 29(5) 1056—1059 (2006)

shrub widely distributed throughout China. The anomalous fruits of G. sinensis (AFGS) have long been known in traditional Chinese medicine as a saponin-rich herbal medicine for treating various diseases, such as apoplexy, headache, productive cough, asthma and scabies. In previous studies, we demonstrated that the 70% ethanol extract of AFGS attenuated immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated immediate allergic reactions such as homologous passive cutaneous anaphylaxis in rats. The n-butanol fraction from AFGS alleviated the early nasal symptoms of allergic rhinitis in rats via inhibiting histamine release from mast cells and nasal vascular permeability. Zhang et al. isolated and identified fifteen oleanane-type triterpenoidal saponins, called gleditsiosides, from the n-butanol fraction of AFGS. These results suggest that saponins are the active constituents of AFGS responsible for the inhibitory properties on immune inflammation. The present study was designed to investigate effects of the saponin fraction from AFGS on delayed type hypersensitivity and functions of T lymphocytes and macrophages.