title: Curcumin inhibits Th1 cytokine profile in CD4+ T cells by suppressing interleukin-12 production in macrophages.
abstract: 1 Interleukin-12 (IL-12) plays a central role in the immune system by driving the immune response towards T helper 1 (Th1) type responses which are characterized by high IFN-gamma and low IL-4 production. In this study we investigated the effects of curcumin, a natural product of plants obtained from Curcuma longa (turmeric), on IL-12 production by mouse splenic macrophages and the subsequent ability of these cells to regulate cytokine production by CD4+ T cells. 2 Pretreatment with curcumin significantly inhibited IL-12 production by macrophages stimulated with either lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or head-killed Listeria monocytogenes (HKL). 3 Curcumin-pretreated macrophages reduced their ability to induce IFN-gamma and increased the ability to induce IL-4 in Ag-primed CD4+ T cells. Addition of recombinant IL-12 to cultures of curcumin-pretreated macrophages and CD4+ T cells restored IFN-gamma production in CD4+ T cells. 4 The in vivo administration of curcumin resulted in the inhibition of IL-12 production by macrophages stimulated in vitro with either LPS or HKL, leading to the inhibition of Th1 cytokine profile (decreased IFN-gamma and increased IL-4 production) in CD4+ T cells. 5 These findings suggest that curcumin may inhibit Th1 cytokine profile in CD4+ T cells by suppressing IL-12 production in macrophages, and points to a possible therapeutic use of curcumin in the Th1-mediated immune diseases.
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Chonnam National University, Kwangju 500-757, South Korea.
authors.forename: B Y
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Y J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Y K
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Choe
authors.forename: S Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: T S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D003474:Curcumin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000276:immunology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D018664:Interleukin-12; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D003474:Curcumin