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Dioscin, a Steroidal Saponin Isolated from Dioscorea nipponica, Attenuates Collagen-Induced Arthritis by Inhibiting Th17 Cell Response

Department of Rheumatology, Nantong Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing, University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, P. R. China

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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Ying Xu

The No. 1 Affiliated Hospital of Yunnan, University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming 650021, P. R. China

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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Bei Liu

The No. 1 Affiliated Hospital of Yunnan, University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming 650021, P. R. China

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Xi Zheng

The No. 1 Affiliated Hospital of Yunnan, University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming 650021, P. R. China

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Jian Wu

Department of Rheumatology, Nantong Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing, University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, P. R. China

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Ying Zhang

The No. 1 Affiliated Hospital of Yunnan, University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming 650021, P. R. China

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Xiao-Si Li

The No. 1 Affiliated Hospital of Yunnan, University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming 650021, P. R. China

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Yan Qi

Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital and Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA

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Yu-Meng Sun

Department of Rheumatology, Nantong Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing, University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, P. R. China

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Wei-Bo Wen

The No. 1 Affiliated Hospital of Yunnan, University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming 650021, P. R. China

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Lifei Hou

Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital and Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA

E-mail Address: Lifei.Hou@childrens.harvard.edu

Correspondence to: Dr. Lifei Hou, Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital and Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Tel: (+1) 617-713-8154.

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, and

Chun-Ping Wan

The No. 1 Affiliated Hospital of Yunnan, University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming 650021, P. R. China

E-mail Address: wanchunping1012@163.com

Correspondence to: Dr. Chun-Ping Wan, The No.1 Affiliated Hospital of Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 120 Guanghua Street, Kunming 650021, P. R. China. Tel: (+86) 871-6362-3051.

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https://doi.org/10.1142/S0192415X19500216Cited by:24 (Source: Crossref)

Abstract

Dioscin, a steroidal saponin isolated from Dioscorea nipponica Makino, has previously been shown to possess antiarthritic effects. However, the underlying mechanism is still elusive. Herein, we investigated the therapeutic effects of dioscin on collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in DBA/1 mice and related mechanism. Cytokine production in CII-specific immune responses were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); Th17 cell-related gene expression, including IL-17A, ROR $γ τ$ and IL-23p19, were detected by qPCR analysis; Surface marker, T regulatory (Treg) cells and intracellular cytokines (IL-17A and IFN- $γ$ ) were evaluated by flow cytometry. We performed Th17 cell differentiation assay in vitro. Results showed that, in vivo, dioscin treatment significantly reduced the severity of CIA, which was accompanied by decreased Th17 response, but not Th1 and Treg response; dioscin-treated mice also showed lower percentage of CD11b $^{+}$ Gr-1 $^{+}$ neutrophils; In vitro, dioscin treatment suppressed the differentiation of naive CD4 $^{+}$ T cells into Th17 cell and decreased IL-17A production. Collectively, our results indicate that dioscin exerts antiarthritic effects by inhibiting Th17 cell immune response.

Keywords:

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