Prosopis strombulifera aqueous extract reduces T cell response and ameliorates type I diabetes in NOD mice

PERSIA, FABIO ANDRÉS; ABBA, ROMINA; PASCUAL, LOURDES; HAPON, MARÍA BELÉN; MACKERN-OBERTI, JUAN PABLO; GAMARRA-LUQUES, CARLOS

Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine

Elsevier

Año: 2023

2225-4110

Background: New products with tolerogenic properties on T cell response are necessary to improve current efficacy,cost and side effects of immunosuppressants. Prosopis strombulifera aqueous extract (PsAE) have reportedcytotoxic, antitumoral, antiatherogenic and antileishmanial activities, containing phytochemicals with immunerelatedactivities. Despite these, there are no previous studies with respect to PsAE suppressive properties over Tcell proliferation and their function.Goal: Because of previous antecedents, this study aims to evaluate the effect of PsAE on T cell activation, proliferation,cytokine production, and to investigate its effect over an in vivo model of type 1 diabetes (T1D).Experimental procedure: Splenocytes and sorted CD4+/CD8+ from wild type C57BL/6 mice were cultured todetermine activation, IFN-γ release and T-cell proliferation after polyclonal stimulation. NOD mice were used tostudy the effects of orally administered extract on glycemia, insulitis stages and perforin-1 (PRF-1)/granzyme-B(GRZ-B) expression.Results: In primary cultures, the plant extract impairs T cell activation, decreases IFN-γ release, and reducesproliferation after different polyclonal stimuli. In vivo, PsAE improves NOD (non-obese diabetic) mice glycemiclevels and T1D progression by diminution of pancreas insulitis and reduction of PRF-1 and GRZ-B mRNA expression.To our knowledge, this is the first report characterizing the therapeutic properties of PsAE on T cellactivation.Conclusion: The current work provides evidence about in vitro and in vivo immunosuppressive effects of PsAEand promotes this plant extract as a complementary and alternative treatment in autoimmune T-cell mediateddiseases as T1D.