ABSTRACT
Objective To observe the effects of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) on the differentiation and proliferation of Helper T cells 17 (TH 17),so as to reveal its role and the possible mechanism in inducing immunological suppression.Methods Sixteen Balb/c mice of SPF level aged 8 weeks were randomly divided into two groups:MMF group and control group,with 8 mice in each group.In MMF group,the mice received intragastric administration of MMF (40 mg·kg-1· day-1 ),and those in control group received intragastric administration of identical volumetric saline every day.After three weeks,peripheral blood was collected and spleen cells were prepared.Flow cytometry was used to determine the proportions of CD4+ TH 17 and CD4+ CD25+ Tregs,then the ratio of TH 17/Tregs was calculated,and the concentrations of interleukin-1 7 (IL-1 7) and interleukin-23 (IL-23) in serum were measured by ELISA.Results The proportion of CD4+ TH 17 in the peripheral blood and spleen was (1.95 ± 0.08) and (2.42 ± 0.06) in MMF group,and (3.19 ± 0.07)％ and (4.21 ± 0.25)％ in control group,respectively.There were significant differences between the two groups (P ＜0.05).Meanwhile,the ratio of TH 17/Tregs in MMF group,both in the peripheral blood and spleen,was significantly decreased as compared with the control group (P＜0.05).The concentration of IL-17 in MMF group was lower,but that of IL-23 in MMF group was higher than in the control group (P＜0.05).Conclusion MMF could obviously suppress the differentiation and proliferation of CD4+ TH 17 in vivo,reduce the ratio of TH17/Tregs and the IL-17 secretion,thus facilitate the induction of immune tolerance.