title: Augmentation of lymphocytes activation and T cell modulation by the extracts from some Euphorbia species.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Euphorbia is an important Euphorbiaceae genus that is traditionally being used for various infections, inflammation, and cancer.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present study investigated the possible in vitro immunomodulatory effect of three species of Euphorbia genus including Euphorbia microciadia Boiss, Euphorbia osyridea Boiss, and Euphorbia heteradenia Jaub. & Sp. on lymphocyte activation and cytokine secretion.
  
  
  METHODS
  Human lymphocytes were cultured in the presence of various concentrations (0.1-200 µg/ml) of the butanol/hexane extracts of the plants in the presence or absence of phytohemmagglutinin (PHA). The activation of lymphocytes after 48 h was determined by a proliferation assay. The release of T cell cytokines was studied to determine the dominant T cell subsets involved in the immune response.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All three plant extracts increased the proliferation of PHA-treated lymphocytes (maximum; 132% of control). Extract treatment of lymphocytes in the absence of PHA resulted in an increased proliferation of the cells indicating their lymphocyte mitogenic activity (maximum at 10 µg/ml E. microciadia extract; 494.5 ± 42.2% of control, p < 0.01). The extracts of E. microciadia and E. osyridea could increase IL-4 and IL-10 secretion but not IFN-γ production showing their capacity to deviate immune response toward a Th2 pattern. Euphorbia heteradenia did not change the release of IL-4 and IFN-γ cytokines but increased IL-10 production. The three extracts stimulated lymphocytes to produce IL-17 which showed their possible effects on Th17 cells activation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The studied extracts had the ability to modulate T cell responses suggesting their possible beneficial effects on immune host defense.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences , Ahvaz , Iran .
authors.forename: Mehri
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ghafourian Boroujerdnia
authors.forename: Neda
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Khosravi
authors.forename: Saeed
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Malek-Hosseini
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Amirghofran
mesh_terms: D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D028481:Euphorbia; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts
keywords: Cytokine; immunomodulation; interferon-γ; interleukin-10; interleukin-17; interleukin-4; lymphocyte activation