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Updated: Mar 1, 2026

Author Spotlight: Achieving High-Purity In Vitro Differentiation of Th17 Cells Using Cytokine Concentration Modulation
Published on: October 25, 2024
Inhibitory effects of propofol on Th17 cell differentiation
Chi-Chien Lin1,2,3, Der-Yuan Chen4,5,6, Kuo-Tung Tang1,4
1a Institute of Biomedical Science, National Chung Hsing University , Taichung , Taiwan.
Abstract:
Propofol (2,6-diisopropylphenol) is probably the most widely used intravenous anesthetic agent in daily practice. It has been reported to show immunomodulatory activity. However, the effect of propofol on the differention of T cells remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrated for the first time that propofol inhibited both interleukin (IL)-6 plus transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)-induced Th17 cell differentiation in vitro and in LPS-challenged mice. Propofol also suppressed the IL-6-induced phosphorylation of Janus kinase-2 (JAK2)/signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT3) pathway, a cytokine-activated essential transcription factor in Th17 cell development, which occurred concomitantly with the enhancement of suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 (SOCS3) expression involved in the downregulation of STAT3 phosphorylation. These data extend our knowledge of the immunosuppressive effects of propofol and their underlying mechanism.
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