title: Glycyrrhizin as a promoter of the late signal transduction for interleukin-2 production by splenic lymphocytes.
abstract: Cellular and molecular mechanisms of the immunomodulatory action of glycyrrhizin (GL) were studied. We demonstrated that GL displays a unique action to prolong the duration of the T-cell receptor-mediated in vitro splenic T-lymphocyte growth response to anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody (mAb) or concanavalin A (Con A) through enhancement of interleukin-2 (IL-2) secretion and IL-2 receptor (IL-2R) expression. The augmentation by GL of IL-2 production was also found in spleen cells stimulated with A23187 plus phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), suggesting that GL primarily affects some post-receptor stage of the signal transduction. We also found that the time of GL action for promoting IL-2 production and growth response was 2 hr or more after receptor activation. Correspondingly, GL did not augment the anti-CD3 mAb or Con A-mediated protein tyrosine phosphorylation and c-fos transcription. We concluded from these results that GL acts as a promoter of the late signal transduction of T lymphocytes for IL-2 production.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Y H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Isobe
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nagase
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lwin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hamaguchi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yokochi
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nakashima
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017252:CD3 Complex / Q000276:immunology; D002460:Cell Line; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000276:immunology; D015870:Gene Expression; D006034:Glycyrrhetinic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000276:immunology; D019695:Glycyrrhizic Acid; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D010766:Phosphorylation; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000276:immunology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014443:Tyrosine / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D017252:CD3 Complex; D007376:Interleukin-2; D003208:Concanavalin A; D014443:Tyrosine; D019695:Glycyrrhizic Acid; D006034:Glycyrrhetinic Acid