Preventive effects of (5R)-5-hydroxytriptolide on concanavalin A-induced hepatitis

(5R)-5-hydroxytriptolide (LLDT-8) exhibits strong immunosuppressive activities in vitro and in vivo. Here, we investigated the effects of LLDT-8 on concanavalin A-induced hepatitis. Liver damage was evaluated by serum alanine transaminase (ALT) level and liver histology. The effects of LLDT-8 were determined by measurement of serum cytokines, lymphocyte proliferation assay, flow cytometry analysis of splenic T cell percentage and apoptosis, reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis for gene transcriptions. In LLDT-8-treated mice, serum ALT level and histological damage were markedly attenuated. The beneficial effect of LLDT-8 was closely associated with (i) reduction of serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin-2, interleukin-12, and interleukin-6 levels; (ii) elimination of activated T cells by increasing proapoptotic genes signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) and interferon regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1) expression in spleens; (iii) blockade of mRNA expressions for chemokines (monokine induced by IFN-gamma, Mig; IFN-gamma-inducible protein-10, IP-10; IFN-inducible T cell-alpha chemoattractant, I-TAC), vascular adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and chemokine receptors (C-C chemokine receptor 1, CCR1; C-C chemokine receptor 5, CCR5; C-X-C chemokine receptor 3, CXCR3) in livers. These results suggested the therapeutic potential of LLDT-8 in IFN-gamma/STAT1/IRF-1 signaling- and inflammatory cytokines-mediated immune disorders.