Abstract
CD4+CD25+ regulatory T (Treg) cells play crucial roles in the host response to tumors. Increasing evidence supports the existence of elevated numbers of Treg cells in solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. In this study, the effects of methyl gallate on Treg cells were examined. Methyl gallate inhibited Treg cell-suppressive effects on effector CD4+ T cells and Treg migration toward tumor environment. The expression of Treg surface markers including CTLA-4, CCR4, CXCR4, and glucocorticoid-induced TNFR was significantly suppressed upon methyl gallate treatment. Furthermore, forkhead box P3 (Foxp3) expression was also significantly decreased by methyl gallate, suggesting that the suppressive effects of methyl gallate on Treg were medicated by decrease of Treg-specific transcription factor Foxp3. In tumor-bearing hosts, methyl gallate treatment substantially reduced tumor growth and prolonged the survival rate. In contrast, nu/nu mice did not show decreased tumor progression in response to methyl gallate. In addition, in tumor-bearing Treg-depleted mice, tumor growth and the survival rates were not changed by methyl gallate treatment, strongly suggesting that the main therapeutic target of methyl gallate in tumor suppression was related to modulation of the CD4+CD25+ Treg cell functions. In the spleen of tumor-bearing mice, methyl gallate treatment induced a significant decrease in the CD4+CD25+Foxp3high Treg cell population. Especially, the number of tumor-infiltrating CD25+Foxp3high Treg cells was significantly lower in methyl gallate-treated mice. These results suggest that methyl gallate can be used to reverse immune suppression and as a potentially useful adjunct for enhancing the efficacy of immune-based cancer therapy.
TITLE |
Methyl gallate exhibits potent antitumor activities by inhibiting tumor infiltration of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells |
JOURNAL |
Journal of Immunology
Volume 185, Issue 11, 1 December 2010, Pages 6698-6705 |
DOI |
10.4049/jimmunol.1001373 (click 하시면 DOI 검색 결과가 새창으로 나타납니다.) |