5-Aminosalicylic Acid, A Weak Agonist for Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor That Induces Splenic Regulatory T Cells

5-Aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) is widely used as a key drug in inflammatory bowel disease. It has been recently reported that 5-ASA induces CD4 + Foxp3 + regulatory T cells (Tregs) in the colon via the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a ligand-activated transcription factor that regulates inflammation. However, the role of 5-ASA as an AhR agonist that induces Tregs in the spleen remains unknown.

In the present study, we investigated these themes using an AhR-mediated transactivation assay and flow cytometry analysis. The experiments were conducted by using DR-EcoScreen cells and C57BL/6 mice.

The DR-EcoScreen cell-based transactivation assay revealed that 5-ASA acted as a weak AhR agonist at concentrations of ≥300 μM (1.31-1.45-fold), and that a typical AhR agonist, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), activated AhR at a concentration of 0.1 nM (22.8-fold). In addition, the treatment of mouse splenic cells with 300 μM 5-ASA in a primary culture assay significantly induced CD4+CD25 + Foxp3 + Tregs (control vs. 5-ASA: 9.0% vs. 12.65%, p < 0.05), while 0.1 nM TCDD also showed significant induction of Tregs (control vs. TCDD: 9.0% vs. 14.1%, p < 0.05). Interestingly, this induction was eliminated by co-treatment with an AhR antagonist, CH-223191.

These results suggest that 5-ASA is a weak agonist of AhR and thereby induces Tregs in spleen cells. Our findings may provide useful insights into the mechanism by which 5-ASA regulates inflammation.