Abstract
Pharmacological control of interleukin-12 (IL-12) production may be a key therapeutic strategy for modulating immunological diseases dominated by type-1 cytokine responses. In this study, we investigated the effects of parthenolide, an anti-inflammatory sesquiterpene, on the production of IL-12 from mouse macrophages stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Parthenolide potently inhibited the LPS-induced IL-12 production in a dose-dependent manner. The effect of parthenolide on IL-12 p40 promoter activation was analyzed by transfecting RAW264.7 monocytic cells with p40 promoter/luciferase constructs. The repressive effect mapped to a region in the p40 promoter containing a binding site for nuclear factor-κB (p40-κB). Furthermore, activation of macrophages by LPS resulted in markedly enhanced binding activity to the κB site, which significantly decreased upon addition of parthenolide. These results suggest that parthenolide-induced inhibition of IL-12 production in macrophages may explain some of the biological effects of parthenolide including its anti-inflammatory activity.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 159-163 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Immunology Letters |
Volume | 77 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2001 Jul 2 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Interleukin-12
- Macrophage
- Nuclear factor-κB
- Parthenolide
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Immunology and Allergy
- Immunology