Dendropanax morbifera Leveille (Araliaceae) is an endemic species that grows in Southwestern Korea and has been used as a folk medicine. Several studies reported that D. morbifera leaves have diverse therapeutic potentials. We found that the water extract of D. morbifera leaves increased the growth of EL-4 T cells. The water extract was divided into five fractions: [Formula: see text]-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, [Formula: see text]-butanol, and water layers. The ethyl acetate (W-EA) fraction showed a more significant effect than the other fractions on the growth of EL-4 T cells, splenocytes, and isolated murine CD4[Formula: see text] T cells. We evaluated the W-EA fraction for its immunomodulatory effects focusing on T cell functions. First, we tested the effect of the W-EA fraction on the regulation of interleukin-2 (IL-2), a potent T cell growth factor. The W-EA fraction significantly increased IL-2 secretion in EL-4 T cells activated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and ionomycin (Io). In addition, the W-EA fraction increased interferon-gamma (IFN-[Formula: see text] production in isolated murine splenocytes activated with Concanavalin A (ConA). Next, we examined the effect of the W-EA fraction on the regulation of transcriptional factors related to IL-2 production in T cells. The W-EA fraction significantly increased PMA/Io-induced promoter activity of a nuclear factor of activated T cells (NF-AT) in EL-4 T cells, but did not show any significant effects on the promoters of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-[Formula: see text]B). These results indicate that the W-EA fraction from water extract of D. morbifera leaves enhances IL-2 production at the transcriptional levels via the up-regulation of NF-AT in PMA/Io-activated EL-4 T cells.
Keywords: Dendropanax morbifera; IL-2, immune; NF-AT; T cell.