• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.1189-1197
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• 2017

Lichen-forming fungi are known to have various biological activities, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, antitumor, antiviral, anti-inflammation, and anti proliferative effects. However, the immunosuppressive effects of Bryoria sp. extract (BSE) have not previously been investigated. In this study, the inhibitory activity of BSE on the proliferation of $CD8^+$ T cells and the mixed lymphocytes reaction (MLR) was evaluated in vitro. BSE was non-toxic in spleen cells and suppressed the growth of splenocytes induced by anti-CD3. The suppressed cell population in spleen cells consisted of $CD8^+$ T cells and their proliferation was inhibited by the treatment with BSE. This extract significantly suppressed the IL-2 associated with T cell growth and $IFN-{\gamma}$ as the $CD8^+$ T cell marker. Furthermore, BSE reduced the expression of the IL-2 receptor alpha chain ($IL-2R{\alpha}$) on $CD8^+$ T cells and CD86 on dendritic cells by acting as antigen-presenting cells. Finally, the MLR produced by the co-culture of C57BL/6 and MMC-treated BALB/c was suppressed by BSE. IL-2, $IFN-{\gamma}$, and CD69 on $CD8^+$ T cells in MLR condition were inhibited by BSE. These results indicate that BSE inhibits the MLR via the suppression of $IL-2R{\alpha}$ expression in $CD8^+$ T cells. BSE has the potential to be developed as an anti-immunosuppression agent for organ transplants.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2004

Transplantation would be the only way to cure the end-stage organ failure involving heart, lung, liver, kidney and pancreas. The replacement of the parts of the body damaged to lose its function or lost to trauma must be a dream of human-being. Human history is replete with chimeras, from sphinxes to mermaids, making one wonder if the ancients might actually have dreamed of what now is called 'xenotransplantation'. In the 20th century, the transplantation of organs and tissues to cure disease has become a clinical reality. The development in the fields of surgical techniques, physiology and immunology attributed to the successful transplantation in human. In the center of the successful transplantation lies the progress in understanding the cellular and molecular biology of immune system which led to the development of immunosuppressive drugs and the invention of the concept of immunological tolerance. The mandatory side effects of immunosuppressive drugs including infection and cancer forced us to search alternative approaches along with the development of new immunosuppressive agents. Among the alternative approaches, the induction of a state of immunologic tolerance would be the most promising and the most generic applicability as a future therapy. Recent reports documenting long-term graft survival without immunosuppression suggest that tolerance-based therapies may become a clinical reality. Last year, we saw the epoch making success of overcoming hyperacute rejection in porcine to primate xenotransplantation which will lead porcine to human xenotransplantation to clinical reality. In this review, I dare to summarize the development of transplantation immunology from the perspective of history.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.147-159
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• 1991

Effects of twenty-one different flavonoids and their related compounds on the phagocytosis of colloidal carbon by macrophages in liver and spleen humoral immune responses against bacterial $\alpha$-amylase and cellular immune responses against oxazolone and dinitrofluorobenzene were studied in vivo and in vitro. It was shown that most of the flavonoids accelerated significantly the phagocytosis, and they suppressed significantly not only humoral and cellular immune responses but also the development of immunological memory after the antigenic stimulation. Especially, malvin was the most active in phagocysis, and disodium cromoglycate and morin were the most active in humoral and cellular immunosuppression, respectively. Daidzuin had the most potent inhibitory activity in the development of memory cells. The structure-activity relationships of the flavonoids in immunosuppression became apparant from these results: 1. The presence of $C_{2-3}$ double bond and $C_4$ Ketone group in C-ring was important for their immunosuppressive activity. 2. Flavonoids with benzene ring at 2 or 3 position in C-ring showed the almost same activities. 3. The opening of C-ring did not affect their immunosuppressive activity. 4. The glycosylated flavonoids at 3 position in C-ring were less less potent than their aglycones. 5. Di-or tri-hydroxylated flavonoids in B-ring were more potent than mono-hydroxylated. 6. Chromanochromanone also had the immunosuppressive activity.

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.197-200
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• 2002

UVR-induced immunosuppression contributes to skin cancer. The aim was to construct accurate dose response curves for primary and secondary contact sensitivity for solar-simulated UVR (ssUVR; 290-400nm), UVA and UVB as the role of UVA in immunosuppression is controversial. We used a xenon arc source. The mice were immobilised, enabling accurate dosing. C57BL/6 mice were immunosuppressed at half the dose of ssUVR required to cause sunburn but not by higher doses (up to the sunburn dose). Thus, ssUVR causes systemic immunosuppression only over a narrow, low dose range. UVA caused suppression at low but not high doses whereas UVB induced immunosuppression at all doses tested. 8 weeks later the mice were resensitised to assess tolerance. Mice exposed to the minimum immunosuppressive dose of ssUVR prior to primary sensitisation were tolerant to re-sensitisation. However, at higher doses of ssUVR, these mice were protected from tolerance. Interestingly, while low doses of UV A caused immunosuppression, even lower doses enhanced the response to the second sensitisation. Higher doses of UVA had no affect. UVB induced tolerance in a dose related manner. Thus, ssUVR only induces immunosuppression and tolerance over a narrow dose range. Both UVA and UVB are immunosuppressive at this dose, while higher doses of UVA protect from the suppressive effects of UVB. Surprisingly very low doses of UVA enhanced memory development. Thus UVR has complex effects on the immune system depending on dose and spectrum.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.29 no.12
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• pp.1147-1153
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• 2006

Mizoribine (MZR) has been shown to possess immunosuppressive activity that selectively inhibits the proliferation of lymphocytes by interfering with inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase. The efficacy of MZR is not only in patients who have had renal transplantation, but also in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), lupus nephritis, and primary nephritic syndrome. Because the exact mechanism of its immunosuppressive action is not clear, the object of this study was to examine the ability of MZR to regulate the antigen presenting cells (APCs), dendritic cells (DCs). In this work, we tested whether MZR ($1{\sim}10\;{\mu}g/mL$) could inhibit the cross-presentation of DCs. DC2.4 cells ($H-2K^{b}$) or bone marrow-derived DCs (BM-DCs) generated from BM cells of C57BL/6 mouse ($H-2K^{b}$) were cultured in the presence of MZR with OVA-microspheres, and the amount of OVA peptide-class I MHC complexes was measured by a T cell hybridoma, B3Z, that recognizes OVA (257-264 : SIINFEKL)-$H-2K^{b}$ complex and expresses-galactosidase. MZR profoundly inhibited the expression of SIINFEKL-$H-2K^{b}$ complexes. This inhibitory activity of MZR appeared to affect the phagocytic activity of DCs. MZR also decreased IL-2 production when we examined the effects of MZR on $CD4^{+}$ T cells. These results provide an understanding of the mechanism of immunosuppressive activity of MZR on the inhibition of MHC-restricted antigen presentation and phagocytic activity in relation to their actions on APCs.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2006

The NFAT family of transcription factors plays pivotal roles in the development and function of the immune system. Their activation process is tightly regulated by calcium-dependent phosphatase calcineurin and has been a target of the immunosuppressive drugs cyclosporin A and FK-506. Although the clinical use of these drugs has dramatically increased the success of organ transplantation, their therapeutic use is limited by severe side effects. Recent studies for the calcineurin/NFAT signaling pathway have identified a number of cellular proteins that inhibit calcineurin function. Specific peptide sequences that interfere with the interaction between calcineurin and NFAT have also been characterized. Moreover, diverse approaches to identify small organic molecules that modulate NFAT function have been performed. This review focuses on the recent advances in our understanding of the inhibitory modulation of NFAT function, which may open up the additional avenues for immunosuppressive therapy.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.184-191
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• 2008

Entomopathogenic bacteria (Xenorhabdus nematophila, X. sp. and Photorhabdus temperata subsp. temperata) isolated from entomopathogenic nematodes express potent insecticidal activity in insect hemocoel. They are also known to suppress insect immune mediation by inhibiting phospholipase $A_2$, leading to host immunosuppression. This study analyzed effects of their cultured broths on inhibiting insect immunosuppression. For this, we removed all bacterial cells using $0.2\;{\mu}m$ pore sized membrane from the bacteria-cultured broth. All three sterilized cultured media, in dose-dependent manners, significantly inhibited hemocyte-spreading behavior of 5th instar larvae of Spodoptera exigua. However, they showed differential inhibitory activities among different bacterial species, in which X. nematophila showed the most potent inhibitory activity. This immunosuppressive effect was applied to increase the pathogenicity of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). All three bacterial cultured broths including bacterial cells significantly potentiated Bt pathogenicity against young S. exigua larvae when each of them was orally administered in a mixture of low dose of Bt. Finally, we tested the effect of oral administration of the cultured media containing the immunosuppressive compound(s) secreted by the bacteria. The membrane-sterilized cultured broths were mixed with the low dose of Bt and then orally administered to the young S. exigua. Only the cultured medium of X. nematophila showed increase of Bt pathogenicity. These results indicated that the; cultured media of the three bacteria possessed immunosuppressive factor(s), which may act to potentiate Bt toxicity to young S. exigua larvae.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.317-323
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• 2000

The immunosuppressive effects of thirty nine chemicals chosen by their potential toxicity were evaluated using a three-step testing method. The immunotoxicity test method developed in this study consisted of three simple assays of lymphoproliferation, mixed leukocyte response, and interleukin (IL)-2 production. The first step was mitogen-induced proliferation assay. Ten chemicals showed the inhibitory effects on the mitogen (lipopolysaccharide or concanavalin A)-induced proliferation in dose-dependent manners. The second step was mixed lymphocyte response. This step crosschecked the growth-suppressive effects detected at the first step. All of 10 chemicals, which showed suppression of lymphoproliferation, also exhibited the suppressive effects on the mixed lymphocyte response in the similar range of chemical concentration. The third step was planned to determine whether or not this growth suppression was mediated through an early activation of T-cell, which could be represented with IL-2 production. Six out of 10 chemicals decreased the interleukin-2 production in the similar concentration range used in the step 1 and 2. These results suggest that those 6 chemicals might have their targets on the signal transduction path-way toward the IL-2 production. In the meantime the other 4 chemicals might have their targets after the IL-2 production signal. Taken all together, the three-step test would be simple, fast, and efficient to deter-mine whether or not the chemical has immunosuppressive effects.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.462-470
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• 2011

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) actively suppress immune cells and have been considered as an impediment to successful cancer immunotherapy. Many approaches have been made to overcome such immunosuppressive factors and to exert effective anti-tumor effects, but the possibility of using medicinal plants for this purpose has been overlooked. Korean red ginseng (KRG) is widely known to possess a variety of pharmacological properties, including immunoboosting and anti-tumor activities. However, little has been done to assess the anti-tumor activity of KRG on MDSCs. Therefore, we examined the effects of KRG on MDSCs in tumor-bearing mice and evaluated immunostimulatory and anti-tumor activities of KRG through MDSC modulation. The data show that intraperitoneal administration of KRG compromises MDSC function and induces T cell proliferation and the secretion of IL-2 and IFN-${\gamma}$, while it does not exhibit direct cytotoxicity on tumor cells and reduced MDSC accumulation. MDSCs isolated from KRG-treated mice also express significantly lower levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase and IL-10 accompanied by a decrease in nitric oxide production compared with control. Taken together, the present study demonstrates that KRG enhances T cell function by inhibiting the immunosuppressive activity of MDSCs and suggests that although KRG alone does not exhibit direct anti-tumor effects, the use of KRG together with conventional chemo- or immunotherapy may provide better outcomes to cancer patients through MDSC modulation.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.311-323
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• 2000

Immunosuppressive effects of reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) infection in chickens were investigated. Primary antibody responses to Newcastle disease virus (strain B1) and sheep red blood cells were significantly low in chickens inoculated with the local isolate 89-74 of REV compared to those of uninfected chickens. In chickens infected with REV strain T or 89-74, blastogenesis of spleen cells and peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) to concanavalin A (Con A) was severely suppressed. When specific pathogen free (SPF) chickens were inoculated with the isolate, the suppressive effect was observed up to 7 weeks of age while, in the contact infected chickens, the suppression was absent. Similar suppressive effects were observed in chickens inoculated with REV strain T at 2, 3 and 4 weeks of age. When spleen cells or PBL from uninfected chickens were co-cultured with spleen cells or PBL from chickens infected with REV at 1 day-old or 2 week-old, the blastogenesis of the normal cells was suppressed. The suppressive effect of PBL from REV-infected chickens on normal lymphocytes was abrogated by the treatment with trypsin. However the suppressive activity of the REV-infected PBL was not influenced at removing machrophage from the cell suspension by incubation in plastic petri dishes. In addition to the immunosuppression, chickens infected with the REV isolate showed abnormal feather development (nakanuke), anemia, paralysis and retarded growth. Three out of 11 chickens inoculated with the isolate at day-old died between 6 and 9 weeks of age by bacterial infections.