Dexamethasone impairs the differentiation and maturation of murine dendritic cells by Toll-like receptor 4-nuclear factor-kappaB pathway.

Background: Recent studies have demonstrated that dexamethasone (DEX) interferes with immune responses by targeting key functions of dendritic cells (DCs) at the earliest stage. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms are still incompletely understood. This study aimed to explore the possible mechanisms by investigating the roles of DEX on differentiation, maturation & function of murine DCs and the effects of DEX on DCs via Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB mediated signal pathway.