Open AccessA New Method for Screening Natural Products to Stimulate IFN-γ Production in Jurkat Human T Lymphocytes
Author(s) -
Yan Ouyang,
Xiaoming Zhong,
Hongqun Liao,
Pengcheng Zhu,
Kaiyuan Luo,
Hui Zhu
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
slas discovery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2472-5560
pISSN - 2472-5552
DOI - 10.1177/2472555220922475
Subject(s) - jurkat cells , flow cytometry , interferon , cytokine , immune system , biology , interferon gamma , viral infection , immunology , t cell , virus
Interferon-γ (IFN-γ) is a critical cytokine in the defense against viral and bacterial infection. It is mainly produced by natural killer cells and activated T cells. Given its regulatory role in coordinating cellular and humoral immune responses, IFN-γ is considered to be an effective therapeutic agent in the treatment of viral infection. Here we established a fluorescence-based high-content screening model to find small molecules that can stimulate the production of IFN-γ in human Jurkat cells. After a primary screening of 267 natural products, two hits, Astragalus polyphenols and 6-shogaol, were identified to promote the activity of the IFN-γ promoter and subsequently validated by the flow cytometry assay. Obviously, both Astragalus polyphenols and 6-shogaol exhibited potential to induce the transcription and expression of IFN-γ in a dose-dependent manner. These results indicated that our high-content screening model could be a credible and useful platform to contribute to the discovery of novel molecules to promote the expression of IFN-γ and provide leading compounds for the treatment of viral infectious diseases.