Longan polysaccharides promote Th1 and Treg cell differentiation via dendritic cells

  • Int J Biol Macromol. 2025 Sep;321(Pt 3):146462. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.146462.
Shengwei Wang  1 ,  Xiaoyan Chen  2 ,  Qianxin Li  2 ,  Yanxian Feng  2 ,  Qianming Yang  2 ,  Ruili Yang  3 ,  Wu Li  4
Affiliations
  • 1. School of Pharmacy and Food Engineering, Wuyi University, Jiangmen 529020, China; Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Functional Food of Hainan Province, College of Food Science and Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.
  • 2. School of Pharmacy and Food Engineering, Wuyi University, Jiangmen 529020, China.
  • 3. College of Food Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.
  • 4. School of Pharmacy and Food Engineering, Wuyi University, Jiangmen 529020, China; Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Functional Food of Hainan Province, College of Food Science and Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 40749906 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.146462
Abstract

In this study, the activating effects of a glucan derived from longan (LP) on primary bone marrow dendritic cells (BMDCs) and their role in mediating T cells differentiation were investigated. LP significantly reduce phagocytosis in dendritic cells (DCs) while augmenting CD80, CD86, and MHC II surface molecule expression, and promoting the IL-6, IL-10, and IL-12 secretion. RNA-seq, immunofluorescence, and Western blot analysis indicated that LP primarily activate DC through the Toll-NF-κB pathway, upregulating genes related to maturation and antigen presentation, thereby regulating cytokine release and T cell activation. In addition, LP promote the CD3+ T cells proliferation and increase the CD3+ CD4+ and CD3+ CD8+ T cells ratio through DC mediation. Notably, LP increase the proportion of CD3+ CD4+ IFN-γ+ Th1 cells and CD3+ CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ T regulatory cells, while concurrently decreasing CD3+ CD4+ IL-4+ Th2 cells. These results indicate that LP promotes T cell differentiation towards Th1 and Treg subsets through dendritic cell mediation, enhancing a Th1-dominated cellular immune response alongside Treg-mediated immune regulation.

Keywords
Dendritic cells; Longan polysaccharide; T cells differentiation; Th1/Th2 cells.
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