Echinacea purpurea preparations (EPs) have been traditionally used for the treatment of various infections and also for wound healing. Accumulating evidence suggests their immunostimulatory effects. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are known to play a key role in immune regulation in vivo. However, there have been no reports so far on the effects of EP on the frequency or function of Tregs in vivo. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated the quantitative and functional changes in Tregs by in vivo administration with EP. The frequencies of CD4+FoxP3+ and CD4+CD25+ Tregs in the spleens of BALB/c mice administered with EP for 3 weeks were investigated by flow cytometry. The suppressive function of CD4CD25+ Tregs in association with the proliferative activity of CD4+CD25 effector T cells (Teffs) and the feeder function of CD4 antigen-presenting cells (APCs) were analyzed by carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester-dilution assay. The results showed a lowered frequency of CD4+FoxP3+ and CD4+CD25+ Tregs and attenuated suppressive function of CD4+CD25+ Tregs, while the feeder function of APCs was enhanced in the EP-administered mice. On the other hand, the proliferative activity of Teffs was not significantly different in the EP-administered mice. The results suggest that decreased number and function of Tregs, in association with the enhanced feeder function of APCs, may contribute to the enhancement of immune function by EP.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Activated CD27PD-1 CD8 T Cells and CD4 T Regulatory Cells Dominate the Tumor Microenvironment in Refractory Celiac Disease Type II.
Gastro Hep Adv
September 2024
Department of Immunology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
Background And Aims: Refractory celiac disease type II (RCDII) is characterized by a clonally expanded aberrant cell population in the small intestine. The role of other tissue-resident immune subsets in RCDII is unknown. Here, we characterized CD8 and CD4 T cells in RCDII duodenum at the single-cell level and .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrobubble-Protected Oncolytic Virotherapy Targeted by Sonoporation Induces Tumor Necrosis and T-Lymphocyte Infiltration in Humanized Mice Bearing Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.
Int J Mol Sci
December 2024
Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Cancer Center & Research Institute, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS 39216, USA.
Oncolytic virotherapy has shown great promise in mediating targeted tumor destruction through tumor-selective replication and induction of anti-tumor immunity; however, obstacles remain for virus candidates to reach the clinic. These include avoiding neutralizing antibodies, preventing stimulation of the adaptive immune response during intravenous administration, and inducing sufficient apoptosis and immune activation so that the body's defense can work to eradicate systemic disease. We have developed a co-formulation of oncolytic viruses (OVs) with Imagent lipid-encapsulated, perfluorocarbon microbubbles (MBs) to protect the OVs from the innate and adaptive immune system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnti-CTLA4 treatment reduces lymphedema risk potentially through a systemic expansion of the FOXP3 T population.
Nat Commun
December 2024
Division of Plastic Surgery, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Secondary lymphedema is a common sequel of oncologic surgery and presents a global health burden still lacking pharmacological treatment. The infiltration of the lymphedematous extremities with CD4T cells influences lymphedema onset and emerges as a promising therapy target. Here, we show that the modulation of CD4FOXP3CD25regulatory T (T) cells upon anti-CTLA4 treatment protects against lymphedema development in patients with melanoma and in a mouse lymphedema model.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActivated/Cycling Treg Deficiency and Mitochondrial Alterations in Immunological Non-Responders to Antiretroviral Therapy.
Front Biosci (Landmark Ed)
December 2024
Pathology Advanced Translational Research Unit, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
Background: Regulatory T-cells (Tregs) play a crucial role in maintaining immune homeostasis, but their dynamics are altered in a subset of people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) known as immunological non-responders (INRs). INRs fail to reconstitute CD4 T-cell counts despite viral suppression. This study aimed to examine Treg dysregulation in INRs, comparing them to immunological responders (IRs) and healthy controls (HCs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRole of myeloid-derived suppressor and Th17/Treg cells in post-COVID-19 Rhino-Orbital mucormycosis cases.
Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol
February 2025
College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
Rhino-Orbital-Cerebral Mucormycosis (ROCM) cases increased sharply in India during the second COVID-19 wave. Due to uncontrolled hyperglycemia, prolonged steroid use, and high ferritin levels, the immune system was dysregulated throughout this surge. Our study examined post-COVID-19 ROCM patients' T regulatory cell (Treg), T helper 17 cell (Th17) and Myeloid derived suppressor cell (MDSC) levels before and after three months of treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!