The antiviral effects of acteoside and the underlying IFN-γ-inducing action

Xun Song, Jiang He, Hong Xu, Xiao-Peng Hu, Xu-Li Wu, Hai-Qiang Wu, Li-Zhong Liu, Cheng-Hui Liao, Yong Zeng, Yan Li, Yue Hao, Chen-Shu Xu, Long Fan, Jian Zhang*, Hong-Jie Zhang*, Zhen-Dan He*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

43 Citations (Scopus)
47 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

There are many herbal teas that are found in nature that may be effective at treating the symptoms and also shortening the duration of viral infections. When combating viral infections, T lymphocytes are an indispensable part of human acquired immunity. However, studies on the use of natural products in stimulating lymphocyte-mediated interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) production are very limited. In this study, we found that acteoside, a natural phenylpropanoid glycoside from Kuding Tea, enhanced IFN-γ production in mouse lymphocytes in a dose-dependent manner, particularly in the CD4+ and CD8+ subsets of T lymphocytes. To this end, we suggest that the antiviral activity of acteoside was highly correlated to its inducing ability of IFN-γ production. Mechanistically, the activation of T-bet enhanced the promoter of IFN-γ and subsequently resulted in an increased IFN-γ production in T cells. Collectively, we have found a natural product with the capacity to selectively enhance mouse T cell IFN-γ production. Given the role of IFN-γ in the immune system, further studies to clarify the role of acteoside in inducing IFN-γ and prevention of viral infection are needed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3017-3030
Number of pages14
JournalFood and Function
Volume7
Issue number7
Early online date10 Jun 2016
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2016

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Food Science

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