Planta Med 2019; 85(18): 1398
DOI: 10.1055/s-0039-3399658
Pre-Congress Symposia
Young Researchers’ Workshop
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Immunosuppressive activity of Artemisia argyi

AM Zimmermann-Klemd
1   Institute for Environmental Health Sciences and Hospital Infection Control, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
,
JK Reinhardt
2   Pharmacenter, University Basel, Basel, Switzerland
,
A Morath
3   Signalling Research Centres BIOSS and CIBSS, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
4   Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
5   Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
6   Center for Chronic Immunodeficiency, Medical Center Freiburg and Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
,
W Schamel
3   Signalling Research Centres BIOSS and CIBSS, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
4   Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
6   Center for Chronic Immunodeficiency, Medical Center Freiburg and Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
,
R Huber
1   Institute for Environmental Health Sciences and Hospital Infection Control, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
,
M Hamburger
2   Pharmacenter, University Basel, Basel, Switzerland
,
C Gründemann
1   Institute for Environmental Health Sciences and Hospital Infection Control, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
20 December 2019 (online)

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Abstract see SL YRW-09Planta Med 2019; 85(18): P-328
DOI: 10.1055/s-0039-3400156

There is a need for novel immunosuppressive drugs, given that currently used small molecule drugs and biologics exhibit side effects including increased susceptibility to infections, paradoxical inflammation or autoimmune diseases [1]. Aiming at the discovery of natural products with potentially new mechanisms of action we screened a library of 435 extracts prepared from plants used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Immunosuppressive activity of extracts was assessed in a proliferation-based assay utilizing physiologically relevant anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 stimulated primary human T lymphocytes [2]. An ethyl acetate extract of Artemisia argyi H. Lév. & Vaniot (Asteraceae) was found to be highly active with an IC50 of 16.2 µg/mL. Apoptosis and necrosis induction analysis of T lymphocytes showed that the inhibitory effect on T cell proliferation was not due to toxic effects of the extract.

Treatment with 3 – 30 µg/mL A. argyi extract significantly lowered the expression of activation markers and suppressed the cytokine secretion of activated T lymphocytes in a dose-dependent manner. The effect of A. argyi extract on transcription factors AP-1 (activator protein 1), NF-κB (nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells) and NFAT (nuclear factor of activated T-cells) was investigated. Results point to a specific suppression of transcription factors leading to a diminished expression of IL-2 and, as a consequence, to inhibition of T cell proliferation. Compounds responsible for the effects are currently being tracked by HPLC-based activity profiling [3], mode-of-action studies are ongoing.