title: Treatment with Cordyceps sinensis enriches Treg population in peripheral lymph nodes and delays type I diabetes development in NOD mice.
abstract: Cordyceps sinensis is a widely used Chinese traditional herb with a long history. In China C. sinensis is usually applied in the treatment of respiratory diseases, however, the efficacy of C. sinensis still lacks experimental evidence. Type I diabetes is a multi-factor related autoimmune disease caused by cellular-mediated destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells in the islets in human. We tested C. sinensis for its ability to work as an immune modulator in NOD mice, an animal model which mimicks the progression of type I diabetes in humans and found that treatment with C. sinensis extract could slow down disease development in NOD mice. Further research also suggested that treatment with C. sinensis extract increased the frequency of Treg cells and IFN-gama producing Th1 cells in peripheral lymph nodes. However, C. sinensis has no effect on the natural Treg cell differentiation in thymus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Affiliated First Hospital, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
authors.forename: Mei-Fen
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Qing-Hua
authors.initials: QH
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Yu-Gong
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: He
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D032661:Cordyceps / Q000737:chemistry*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018450:Disease Progression; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D016688:Mice, Inbred NOD; D010179:Pancreas / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000187:drug effects*; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000187:drug effects; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; C498833:Foxp3 protein, mouse; D010936:Plant Extracts; D007371:Interferon-gamma