The anti-TH17 polarization effect of Indigo naturalis and tryptanthrin by differentially inhibiting cytokine expression.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The Chinese herbal medicine Qing-Dai (also known as Indigo naturalis) extracted from indigo-bearing plants including Baphicacanthus cusia (Ness) Bremek was previously reported to exhibit anti-psoriatic effects in topical treatment. TH17 was later established as a key player in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. We investigated the anti-TH17 effect of Indigo naturalis and its active compounds.

Cancer-associated fibroblast-derived interleukin-1β activates protumor C-C motif chemokine ligand 22 signaling in head and neck cancer.

Oral cancer, a subtype of head and neck cancer, is characterized by increased infiltrating regulatory T cells (Treg); however, the pathological significance of the increase in Tregs in disease prognosis and progression and their underlying mechanism remain unestablished. C-C motif chemokine ligand 22 (CCL22) has been implicated in the recruitment of Tregs. We used RT-qPCR to determine CCL22 mRNA expression in clinical specimens and cultured cells.

Hinokitiol up-regulates miR-494-3p to suppress BMI1 expression and inhibits self-renewal of breast cancer stem/progenitor cells.

Hinokitiol (β-thujaplicin) is a tropolone-related compound that has anti-microbe, anti-inflammation, and anti-tumor effects. Cancer stem/progenitor cells (CSCs) are a subpopulation of cancer cells with tumor initiation, chemoresistant, and metastatic properties and have been considered the important therapeutic target in future cancer therapy. Previous studies reported that hinokitiol exhibits an anti-cancer activity against murine tumor cells through the induction of autophagy.