ABSTRACT
AIM OF STUDY: This study was performed to elicit the effectiveness of bee venom (BV), a traditional immunosuppressive Korean acupuncture agent, on the maturation of dendrtic cells (DCs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Immature dendritic cells (iDCs) were generated from mouse bone marrow cells with GM-CSF. After 10 days of initial differentiation, DCs were activated with lipopolysaccharides (LPS) for another 48h in the presence or absence of BV. Surface molecule analysis, intracytoplasmic staining of cytokines, FITC-conjugated antigen uptake, and transwell migration assays were conducted with iDCs and activated DCs. RESULTS: Up-regulation of costimulatory molecules, typical of mature DCs (mDCs) was inhibited by addition of BV. Pro-inflammatory cytokines were also found to be reduced with BV treatment in LPS-stimulated DC. A decrease in antigen uptake upon the maturation of DC was reversed in low dose BV treated mDC. In addition, BV treated mDC demonstrated reduced directional migration in response to CCL21, a lymphoid chemokine which directs mDC. CONCLUSIONS: BV may have a therapeutic effect an on abnormally activated immune status, such as autoimmune rheumatoid arthritis, through an immune-modulatory effect on DC.