Article date: September 1999
By: B Y Kang, Y J Song, K ‐M Kim, Y K Choe, S Y Hwang, T S Kim, in Volume 128, Issue 2, pages 380-384
Interleukin‐12 (IL‐12) plays a central role in the immune system by driving the immune response towards T helper 1 (Th1) type responses which are characterized by high IFN‐γ and low IL‐4 production. In this study we investigated the effects of curcumin, a natural product of plants obtained from Curcuma longa (turmeric), on IL‐12 production by mouse splenic macrophages and the subsequent ability of these cells to regulate cytokine production by CD4+ T cells.
Pretreatment with curcumin significantly inhibited IL‐12 production by macrophages stimulated with either lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or head‐killed Listeria monocytogenes (HKL).
Curcumin‐pretreated macrophages reduced their ability to induce IFN‐γ and increased the ability to induce IL‐4 in Ag‐primed CD4+ T cells. Addition of recombinant IL‐12 to cultures of curcumin‐pretreated macrophages and CD4+ T cells restored IFN‐γ production in CD4+ T cells.
The in vivo administration of curcumin resulted in the inhibition of IL‐12 production by macrophages stimulated in vitro with either LPS or HKL, leading to the inhibition of Th1 cytokine profile (decreased IFN‐γ and increased IL‐4 production) in CD4+ T cells.
These findings suggest that curcumin may inhibit Th1 cytokine profile in CD4+ T cells by suppressing IL‐12 production in macrophages, and points to a possible therapeutic use of curcumin in the Th1‐mediated immune diseases.
Interleukin‐12 (IL‐12) plays a central role in the immune system by driving the immune response towards T helper 1 (Th1) type responses which are characterized by high IFN‐γ and low IL‐4 production. In this study we investigated the effects of curcumin, a natural product of plants obtained from Curcuma longa (turmeric), on IL‐12 production by mouse splenic macrophages and the subsequent ability of these cells to regulate cytokine production by CD4+ T cells.
Pretreatment with curcumin significantly inhibited IL‐12 production by macrophages stimulated with either lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or head‐killed Listeria monocytogenes (HKL).
Curcumin‐pretreated macrophages reduced their ability to induce IFN‐γ and increased the ability to induce IL‐4 in Ag‐primed CD4+ T cells. Addition of recombinant IL‐12 to cultures of curcumin‐pretreated macrophages and CD4+ T cells restored IFN‐γ production in CD4+ T cells.
The in vivo administration of curcumin resulted in the inhibition of IL‐12 production by macrophages stimulated in vitro with either LPS or HKL, leading to the inhibition of Th1 cytokine profile (decreased IFN‐γ and increased IL‐4 production) in CD4+ T cells.
These findings suggest that curcumin may inhibit Th1 cytokine profile in CD4+ T cells by suppressing IL‐12 production in macrophages, and points to a possible therapeutic use of curcumin in the Th1‐mediated immune diseases.
British Journal of Pharmacology (1999) 128, 380–384; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0702803
DOI: 10.1038/sj.bjp.0702803
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