Artesunate prevents type 1 diabetes in NOD mice mainly by inducing protective IL 4 producing T cells and regulatory T cells
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease characterized by the immune mediated destruction of insulin producing b cells. Recent studies showed that in addition to malaria, artemisinin and its derivative, artesunate (AS) could alleviate several autoimmune diseases. However, whether AS has a role in the prevention or treatment of T1D is still unknown. Therefore, in this study we administrated AS or DMSO in the drinking water of nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice, a mouse model of T1D. We found that AS administration significantly prevented the incidence of T1D. The frequency of IL 4 producing CD4+ single positive T cells and CD8+ T cells was significantly elevated, and IFN g producing T cells were reduced in the spleen and pancreatic lymph nodes. In the pancreas, the skewing to IL 4 producing T cells was also observed. In addition, more regulatory T cells were found in the pancreas. mRNA levels of proinflammatory cytokines, including TNF a and IL 6, were decreased. In addition, AS administration promoted the functional maturity of b cells in vitro. Our findings demonstrate that AS administration can prevent T1D in NOD mice mainly by reducing autoimmune T cells and increasing protective T cells. Our data constitute the first functional study of AS in T1D, which may provide a new rationale for future translational studies. Li, Z. Shi, X. Liu, J. Shao, F. Huang, G. Zhou, Z. Zheng, P. Artesunate prevents type 1 diabetes in NOD mice mainly by inducing protective IL 4 producing T cells and regulatory T cells. FASEB J. 33, 8241 8248 (2019) www.fasebj.org
FASEB journal official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology