Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Pharmacol Res. 2010 May;61(5):405-9. doi: 10.1016/j.phrs.2009.12.017. Epub 2010 Jan 7.
Silymarin, a mixture of bioactive flavonolignans isolated from Silybum marianum, exhibits anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective effects. In this study, the in vitro immunomodulatory activity of silymarin was investigated using CD4+ splenocytes from C57/Bl6 mice. Proliferation assay revealed that silymarin, at 50 microM concentration, significantly inhibited CD4+ cells proliferation. ELISA analyses indicated that silymarin significantly inhibited IL-2 and IFN-gamma production. Immunofluorescence staining performed on the mouse hybridoma T cell line (3DO) revealed a block of nuclear translocation of transcription factor kappaB (NF-kappaB), which is known to be responsible for IL-2 transcriptional activation. Moreover, silymarin inhibited p65/NF-kappaB phosphorylation in CD4+ T cell. These results suggest that silymarin is able to inhibit T cell activation and proliferation, notably acting on pathways of NF-kappaB activation/translocation.
水飞蓟素是从水飞蓟中分离得到的生物活性类黄酮木脂素混合物，具有抗癌、抗炎和细胞保护作用。本研究采用 C57/Bl6 小鼠 CD4+ 脾细胞，研究了水飞蓟素的体外免疫调节活性。增殖试验表明，水飞蓟素在 50μM 浓度下可显著抑制 CD4+细胞增殖。ELISA 分析表明，水飞蓟素可显著抑制 IL-2 和 IFN-γ的产生。对小鼠杂交瘤 T 细胞系（3DO）进行免疫荧光染色显示，转录因子 NF-κB（NF-κB）的核易位被阻断，而 NF-κB 负责 IL-2 的转录激活。此外，水飞蓟素还抑制了 CD4+T 细胞中 p65/NF-κB 的磷酸化。这些结果表明，水飞蓟素能够抑制 T 细胞的激活和增殖，特别是作用于 NF-κB 激活/易位途径。
