title: Kaempferol from Semen cuscutae attenuates the immune function of dendritic cells.
abstract: Dendritic cells (DCs) are the critical leukocytes in regulating immune responses. Accordingly, DCs are the major target in the development of immunomodulators. In this study, we examined the effect of Semen cuscutae (SC), an important traditional Chinese medicine, on mouse bone marrow-derived DCs. We found that the n-butanol and methanol extracts of SC significantly suppressed LPS-stimulated DC activation. Several flavonoids were verified in the extracts using HPLC, and then kaempferol was identified as the major flavonoid in the methanol fraction of SC. Kaempferol was able to reduce cytokines and chemokines produced by LPS-stimulated DCs, and this reduction was not due to its cytotoxicity on DCs. In addition, DC maturation was impaired by kaempferol. Furthermore, kaempferol abrogated the ability of LPS-stimulated DCs to promote Ag-specific T cell activation, both in vitro and in vivo. Thus, we show for the first time that SC exhibits an immunosuppressive effect on DCs and that the active ingredient kaempferol attenuates DC function, which suggests that kaempferol has potential in the treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
authors.affiliation: School of Chinese Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chinese Medicine Resources, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ming-Kuem
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Yen-Ling
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Kai-Chieh
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Wen-Te
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Meng-Shiou
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Meng-Ja
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Hsin-Chung
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Chien-Heng
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Dz-Chi
authors.initials: DzC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ching-Liang
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Chu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002449:Cell Aggregation / Q000187:drug effects; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D034182:Cuscuta / Q000737:chemistry*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D044949:Kaempferols / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D044949:Kaempferols; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides