Department of Primary/Public Health, Nursing College, Molecular Resource Center, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013;2013:972814. doi: 10.1155/2013/972814. Epub 2013 Nov 11.
Background. American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius, AG) has been used for more than 300 years. Some of its claimed benefits can be attributed to the immunomodulatory activities, whose molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. Methods. Murine splenic cells from adult male C57BL/6 (B6) mice were isolated and divided into 4 groups to mimic 4 basic pathophysiological states: (1) normal naïve; (2) normal activated; (3) deficient naïve; (4) deficient activated. Then, different AG extracts were added to all groups for 24 h incubation. MTT proliferation assays were performed to evaluate the phenotypic features of cells. Finally, microarray assays were carried out to identify differentially expressed genes associated with AG exposure. Real-time PCR was performed to validate the expression of selected genes. Results. Microarray data showed that most of gene expression changes were identified in the deficient naïve group, suggesting that the pathophysiological state has major impacts on transcriptomic changes associated with AG exposure. Specifically, this study revealed downregulation of interferon- γ signaling pathway in the deficient group of cells. Conclusion. Our study demonstrated that only specific groups of immune cells responded to AG intervention and immunocompromised cells were more likely regulated by AG treatment.
西洋参（Panax quinquefolius，AG）已经使用了 300 多年。其部分声称的功效可以归因于免疫调节活性，但其分子机制在很大程度上尚不清楚。
从成年雄性 C57BL/6（B6）小鼠的脾脏细胞中分离出来，并将其分为 4 组，以模拟 4 种基本的病理生理状态：（1）正常幼稚型；（2）正常激活型；（3）幼稚型缺陷；（4）激活型缺陷。然后，将不同的 AG 提取物添加到所有组中进行 24 小时孵育。通过 MTT 增殖试验评估细胞的表型特征。最后，进行微阵列分析以鉴定与 AG 暴露相关的差异表达基因。通过实时 PCR 验证选定基因的表达。
微阵列数据显示，大多数基因表达变化是在幼稚型缺陷组中发现的，这表明病理生理状态对与 AG 暴露相关的转录组变化有重大影响。具体而言，本研究揭示了 IFN-γ信号通路在细胞缺陷组中的下调。
我们的研究表明，只有特定的免疫细胞群对 AG 干预有反应，而免疫功能低下的细胞更有可能受到 AG 治疗的调节。
