OBJECTIVE Ginsenoside metabolite compound K(CK)is a degradation product of ginsenoside in the intestine by bacteria.The anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities of CK have been reported.This study investigated whether CK exerted its immunoregulatory effect through modulation of dendritic cells(DCs)function.METHODS In vivo,severity of collegen-induced arthritis(CIA),T cells and DCs subsets,phenotype of DC were assayed by flow cytometry,CCL19 and CCL21 level in lymph nodes assayed by ELISA.In vitro,bone marrow-derived DCs from normal mice were matured with lipopolysaccharide and treated with CK for 48 h.In vivo,bone marrow-derived DCs were generated from CIA mice before and 2 weeks into CK treatment.DCs were analyzed for migration,phenotype and T-cell stimulatory capacity.RESULTS CK alleviated the severity of CIA,decreased pD Cs and mo-DCs,increased na?ve T cells in CIA mice lymph nodes,and suppressed CCL21 expression in lymph nodes.CK suppressed DCs migration induced by CCL21 and T cells-stimulatory capability of DC,down-regulated LPS-induced expression of CD80,CD86,MHCII and CCR7 on DCs.CONCLUSION This study elucidated the novel immunomodulatory property of CK via impairing function of DCs in priming T cells activation.These results provide an interesting novel insight into the potential mechanism by which CK contribute to the restoration of immunoregulation in autoimmune conditions.
Rheumatoid arthritis(RA)is an autoimmune disease,which is characterized by synovial inflammation.Hyperplasia sublining macrophages found in synovium is an early hallmark of RA and effective treatment results in their diminution.However,the origin of these sublining macrophages in synovium(including infiltrated macrophages and tissue-resident macrophages)are still unknown both in animal models of arthritis and RA patients,let alone the differences and feature of these macrophages.In rheumatic synovium,macrophages are submitted to a large variety of micro-environmental signals which influence the phenotypic polarization and activation of macrophages.Understanding the mechanisms and functional consequences of the heterogeneous macrophages will contribute to confirm their potential role in synovial inflammation development.Furthermore,research on macrophage plasticity to soft-control their phenotypic polarization could lead to novel therapeutic approaches.
