Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench modulates human T-cell cytokine response
Fabiana N Fonseca, Genovefa Papanicolaou, Hong Lin, Clara B S Lau, Edward J Kennelly, Barrie R Cassileth, Susanna Cunningham-Rundles, Fabiana N Fonseca, Genovefa Papanicolaou, Hong Lin, Clara B S Lau, Edward J Kennelly, Barrie R Cassileth, Susanna Cunningham-Rundles
Abstract
The study objective was to evaluate the composition of a neutral and weakly acidic water-soluble extract from Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench (EchNWA) previously shown to modify murine influenza infection, and to assess immunomodulatory effects on human T-cells. EchNWA extract from fresh aerial parts was extracted with water, ethanolic precipitation, and size-exclusion chromatography. The chemical profile of EchNWA was characterized by chromatography (size-exclusion, HPLC, GC-MS), and small molecule fingerprint analysis performed by HPLC-PDA. Jurkat T-cells at high and low cell density were pretreated or not with doses of EchNWA, followed by activation with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate plus ionomycin (PMA+I). Interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon gamma (IFNg) cytokine secretions were measured by multi-cytokine luminex technology. Results showed that EchNWA contains 80% polysaccharides, predominantly a 10kDa entity; phenolic compounds, cynarin, cichoric and caftaric acids, but no detectable alkylamides. Cytokine production required stimulation and was lower after PMA+I activation in high-density compared to low-density conditions. EchNWA mediated a strong dose-dependent enhancement of high-density T-cell production of IL-2 and IFNg response to PMA+I. EchNWA alone did not stimulate T-cells. EchNWA enhanced mean fluorescence intensity of IL-2 in Jurkat T-cells activated by PMA+1 or ionomycin alone. Conversely EchNWA mediated modest but significant suppression of IFNg response and reduced the percentage of CD25+ T-cells under low-density conditions. Conclusions are that EchNWA polysaccharides, but not phenolic compounds have dose-related adjuvant effects on human T-cell cytokine responses characterized by enhancing and suppressive effects that are regulated by T-cell density.
Keywords: Cytokine response; Echinacea; Human T-cell density; Immune modulation; Neutral and weakly acidic water-soluble extract; Polysaccharides and phenolic compounds; Small molecule fingerprint-analysis.
Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Figures
![Fig. 1](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/4140398/bin/nihms554258f1.jpg)
![Fig. 2](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/4140398/bin/nihms554258f2.jpg)
Fig. 3
Effect of EchNWA pretreatment on…
Fig. 3
Effect of EchNWA pretreatment on T-cell response to ionomycin alone: Jurkat T-cells cultured…
Fig. 4
Effect of EchNWA pretreatment on…
Fig. 4
Effect of EchNWA pretreatment on IFN-γ response: Jurkat T-cells were cultured at low…
Fig. 5
Effect of EchNWA on CD25…
Fig. 5
Effect of EchNWA on CD25 Expression in High and Low Cell Density Jurkat…
- Echinacea alkylamides inhibit interleukin-2 production by Jurkat T cells.Sasagawa M, Cech NB, Gray DE, Elmer GW, Wenner CA. Sasagawa M, et al. Int Immunopharmacol. 2006 Jul;6(7):1214-21. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2006.02.003. Epub 2006 Mar 7. Int Immunopharmacol. 2006. PMID: 16714226
- Application of HPLC Fingerprint Combined with Chemical Pattern Recognition and Multi-Component Determination in Quality Evaluation of Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench.Lv X, Feng S, Zhang J, Sun S, Geng Y, Yang M, Liu Y, Qin L, Zhao T, Wang C, Liu G, Li F. Lv X, et al. Molecules. 2022 Sep 30;27(19):6463. doi: 10.3390/molecules27196463. Molecules. 2022. PMID: 36235000 Free PMC article.
- Human gene expression as a tool to determine horticultural maturity in a bioactive plant (Echinacea purpurea L. Moench).Brovelli EA, Rua D, Roh-Schmidt H, Chandra A, Lamont E, Noratto GD. Brovelli EA, et al. J Agric Food Chem. 2005 Oct 19;53(21):8156-61. doi: 10.1021/jf0505372. J Agric Food Chem. 2005. PMID: 16218658
- Echinacea alkylamides modulate induced immune responses in T-cells.Matthias A, Banbury L, Bone KM, Leach DN, Lehmann RP. Matthias A, et al. Fitoterapia. 2008 Jan;79(1):53-8. doi: 10.1016/j.fitote.2007.07.012. Epub 2007 Aug 11. Fitoterapia. 2008. PMID: 17855021
- Effects of chemically characterized fractions from aerial parts of Echinacea purpurea and E. angustifolia on myelopoiesis in rats.Ramasahayam S, Baraka HN, Abdel Bar FM, Abuasal BS, Widrlechner MP, Sayed KA, Meyer SA. Ramasahayam S, et al. Planta Med. 2011 Nov;77(17):1883-9. doi: 10.1055/s-0031-1279990. Epub 2011 Aug 25. Planta Med. 2011. PMID: 21870322 Free PMC article.
- Echinacea purpurea-derived homogeneous polysaccharide exerts anti-tumor efficacy via facilitating M1 macrophage polarization.Ren W, Ban J, Xia Y, Zhou F, Yuan C, Jia H, Huang H, Jiang M, Liang M, Li Z, Yuan Y, Yin Y, Wu H. Ren W, et al. Innovation (Camb). 2023 Feb 9;4(2):100391. doi: 10.1016/j.xinn.2023.100391. eCollection 2023 Mar 13. Innovation (Camb). 2023. PMID: 36873268 Free PMC article.
- Plant Derived Immunomodulators; A Critical Review.Swaroop AK, Lalitha CMVN, Shanmugam M, Subramanian G, Natarajan J, Selvaraj J. Swaroop AK, et al. Adv Pharm Bull. 2022 Aug;12(4):712-729. doi: 10.34172/apb.2022.074. Epub 2021 Oct 2. Adv Pharm Bull. 2022. PMID: 36415638 Free PMC article. Review.
- On the Bioactivity of Echinacea purpurea Extracts to Modulate the Production of Inflammatory Mediators.Vieira SF, Gonçalves VMF, Llaguno CP, Macías F, Tiritan ME, Reis RL, Ferreira H, Neves NM. Vieira SF, et al. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Nov 6;23(21):13616. doi: 10.3390/ijms232113616. Int J Mol Sci. 2022. PMID: 36362404 Free PMC article.
- Can Echinacea be a potential candidate to target immunity, inflammation, and infection - The trinity of coronavirus disease 2019.Nagoor Meeran MF, Javed H, Sharma C, Goyal SN, Kumar S, Jha NK, Ojha S. Nagoor Meeran MF, et al. Heliyon. 2021 Feb;7(2):e05990. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e05990. Epub 2021 Feb 8. Heliyon. 2021. PMID: 33585706 Free PMC article. Review.
- Immunomodulators Inspired by Nature: A Review on Curcumin and Echinacea.Catanzaro M, Corsini E, Rosini M, Racchi M, Lanni C. Catanzaro M, et al. Molecules. 2018 Oct 26;23(11):2778. doi: 10.3390/molecules23112778. Molecules. 2018. PMID: 30373170 Free PMC article. Review.
- Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
- Caffeic Acids / analysis
- Cytokines / immunology*
- Echinacea* / chemistry
- Humans
- Immunologic Factors / chemistry
- Immunologic Factors / pharmacology*
- Jurkat Cells
- Monosaccharides / analysis
- Phenols / analysis
- Plant Extracts / chemistry
- Plant Extracts / pharmacology*
- Polysaccharides / analysis
- Succinates / analysis
- T-Lymphocytes / drug effects*
- T-Lymphocytes / immunology
- Caffeic Acids
- Cytokines
- Immunologic Factors
- Monosaccharides
- Phenols
- Plant Extracts
- Polysaccharides
- Succinates
- chicoric acid
- caftaric acid
- Full Text Sources
- Other Literature Sources
- Medical
- Miscellaneous
NCBI Literature Resources
The PubMed wordmark and PubMed logo are registered trademarks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Unauthorized use of these marks is strictly prohibited.
National Library of Medicine
8600 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20894
![Fig. 3](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/4140398/bin/nihms554258f3.jpg)
Fig. 4
Effect of EchNWA pretreatment on…
Fig. 4
Effect of EchNWA pretreatment on IFN-γ response: Jurkat T-cells were cultured at low…
Fig. 5
Effect of EchNWA on CD25…
Fig. 5
Effect of EchNWA on CD25 Expression in High and Low Cell Density Jurkat…
- Echinacea alkylamides inhibit interleukin-2 production by Jurkat T cells.Sasagawa M, Cech NB, Gray DE, Elmer GW, Wenner CA. Sasagawa M, et al. Int Immunopharmacol. 2006 Jul;6(7):1214-21. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2006.02.003. Epub 2006 Mar 7. Int Immunopharmacol. 2006. PMID: 16714226
- Application of HPLC Fingerprint Combined with Chemical Pattern Recognition and Multi-Component Determination in Quality Evaluation of Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench.Lv X, Feng S, Zhang J, Sun S, Geng Y, Yang M, Liu Y, Qin L, Zhao T, Wang C, Liu G, Li F. Lv X, et al. Molecules. 2022 Sep 30;27(19):6463. doi: 10.3390/molecules27196463. Molecules. 2022. PMID: 36235000 Free PMC article.
- Human gene expression as a tool to determine horticultural maturity in a bioactive plant (Echinacea purpurea L. Moench).Brovelli EA, Rua D, Roh-Schmidt H, Chandra A, Lamont E, Noratto GD. Brovelli EA, et al. J Agric Food Chem. 2005 Oct 19;53(21):8156-61. doi: 10.1021/jf0505372. J Agric Food Chem. 2005. PMID: 16218658
- Echinacea alkylamides modulate induced immune responses in T-cells.Matthias A, Banbury L, Bone KM, Leach DN, Lehmann RP. Matthias A, et al. Fitoterapia. 2008 Jan;79(1):53-8. doi: 10.1016/j.fitote.2007.07.012. Epub 2007 Aug 11. Fitoterapia. 2008. PMID: 17855021
- Effects of chemically characterized fractions from aerial parts of Echinacea purpurea and E. angustifolia on myelopoiesis in rats.Ramasahayam S, Baraka HN, Abdel Bar FM, Abuasal BS, Widrlechner MP, Sayed KA, Meyer SA. Ramasahayam S, et al. Planta Med. 2011 Nov;77(17):1883-9. doi: 10.1055/s-0031-1279990. Epub 2011 Aug 25. Planta Med. 2011. PMID: 21870322 Free PMC article.
- Echinacea purpurea-derived homogeneous polysaccharide exerts anti-tumor efficacy via facilitating M1 macrophage polarization.Ren W, Ban J, Xia Y, Zhou F, Yuan C, Jia H, Huang H, Jiang M, Liang M, Li Z, Yuan Y, Yin Y, Wu H. Ren W, et al. Innovation (Camb). 2023 Feb 9;4(2):100391. doi: 10.1016/j.xinn.2023.100391. eCollection 2023 Mar 13. Innovation (Camb). 2023. PMID: 36873268 Free PMC article.
- Plant Derived Immunomodulators; A Critical Review.Swaroop AK, Lalitha CMVN, Shanmugam M, Subramanian G, Natarajan J, Selvaraj J. Swaroop AK, et al. Adv Pharm Bull. 2022 Aug;12(4):712-729. doi: 10.34172/apb.2022.074. Epub 2021 Oct 2. Adv Pharm Bull. 2022. PMID: 36415638 Free PMC article. Review.
- On the Bioactivity of Echinacea purpurea Extracts to Modulate the Production of Inflammatory Mediators.Vieira SF, Gonçalves VMF, Llaguno CP, Macías F, Tiritan ME, Reis RL, Ferreira H, Neves NM. Vieira SF, et al. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Nov 6;23(21):13616. doi: 10.3390/ijms232113616. Int J Mol Sci. 2022. PMID: 36362404 Free PMC article.
- Can Echinacea be a potential candidate to target immunity, inflammation, and infection - The trinity of coronavirus disease 2019.Nagoor Meeran MF, Javed H, Sharma C, Goyal SN, Kumar S, Jha NK, Ojha S. Nagoor Meeran MF, et al. Heliyon. 2021 Feb;7(2):e05990. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e05990. Epub 2021 Feb 8. Heliyon. 2021. PMID: 33585706 Free PMC article. Review.
- Immunomodulators Inspired by Nature: A Review on Curcumin and Echinacea.Catanzaro M, Corsini E, Rosini M, Racchi M, Lanni C. Catanzaro M, et al. Molecules. 2018 Oct 26;23(11):2778. doi: 10.3390/molecules23112778. Molecules. 2018. PMID: 30373170 Free PMC article. Review.
- Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
- Caffeic Acids / analysis
- Cytokines / immunology*
- Echinacea* / chemistry
- Humans
- Immunologic Factors / chemistry
- Immunologic Factors / pharmacology*
- Jurkat Cells
- Monosaccharides / analysis
- Phenols / analysis
- Plant Extracts / chemistry
- Plant Extracts / pharmacology*
- Polysaccharides / analysis
- Succinates / analysis
- T-Lymphocytes / drug effects*
- T-Lymphocytes / immunology
- Caffeic Acids
- Cytokines
- Immunologic Factors
- Monosaccharides
- Phenols
- Plant Extracts
- Polysaccharides
- Succinates
- chicoric acid
- caftaric acid
- Full Text Sources
- Other Literature Sources
- Medical
- Miscellaneous
![Fig. 4](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/4140398/bin/nihms554258f4.jpg)
![Fig. 5](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/4140398/bin/nihms554258f5.jpg)
Source: PubMed