Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology

The Korean Society for Microbiology and Biotechnology (한국미생물·생명공학회)
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Unveiling Immunomodulatory Effects of Euglena gracilis in Immunosuppressed Mice: Transcriptome and Pathway Analysis

  • Seon Ha Jo (Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Seoul National University of Science and Technology) ;
  • Kyeong Ah Jo (Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Seoul National University of Science and Technology) ;
  • Soo-yeon Park (Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Seoul National University of Science and Technology) ;
  • Ji Yeon Kim (Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Seoul National University of Science and Technology)
  • Received : 2024.01.08
  • Accepted : 2024.02.03
  • Published : 2024.04.28
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Abstract

The immunomodulatory effects of Euglena gracilis (Euglena) and its bioactive component, β-1,3-glucan (paramylon), have been clarified through various studies. However, the detailed mechanisms of the immune regulation remain to be elucidated. This study was designed not only to investigate the immunomodulatory effects but also to determine the genetic mechanisms of Euglena and β-glucan in cyclophosphamide (CCP)-induced immunosuppressed mice. The animals were orally administered saline, Euglena (800 mg/kg B.W.) or β-glucan (400 mg/kg B.W.) for 19 days, and CCP (80 mg/kg B.W.) was subsequently administered to induce immunosuppression in the mice. The mice exhibited significant decreases in body weight, organ weight, and the spleen index. However, there were significant improvements in the spleen weight and the spleen index in CCP-induced mice after the oral administration of Euglena and β-glucan. Transcriptome analysis of the splenocytes revealed immune-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) regulated in the Euglena- and β-glucantreated groups. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses indicated that pathways related with interleukin (IL)-17 and cAMP play significant roles in regulating T cells, B cells, and inflammatory cytokines. Additionally, Ptgs2, a major inflammatory factor, was exclusively expressed in the Euglena-treated group, suggesting that Euglena's beneficial components, such as carotenoids, could regulate these genes by influencing immune lymphocytes and inflammatory cytokines in CCP-induced mice. This study validated the immunomodulatory effects of Euglena and highlighted its underlying mechanisms, suggesting a positive contribution to the determination of phenotypes associated with immune-related diseases and the research and development of immunotherapies.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This research was part of a project titled 'Development of functional food material derived from marine resources, microalgae Euglena gracilis', which was funded by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Korea.

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