Journal of Stem Cell Research & Therapy

A comparison of the immunosuppressive effects of silymarin with rapamycin and FK506 on the proliferation and apoptosis of T cells in vitro

4^th International Conference and Exhibition on Cell & Gene Therapy

August 10-12, 2015 London, UK

Nahid Eskandari, Ehsan Almasi, Marjan Gharagozloo and Abassali Pourazar

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Stem Cell Res Ther

Abstract:

Silymarin is a polyphenolic flavonoid derived from milk thistle (Silybummarianum). The goal of this study was to determine
immunosuppressive effect of Silymarin on proliferation and apoptosis of human T cells in comparison with Rapamycin and
FK506. Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) from healthy individuals were activated with Con A (5μg/ml) and then
treated with Silymarin, Rapamycin and FK506 in various concentrations (0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10,100 and 200 μM) for 5 days. For
apoptosis assay using flow cytometry, PBMCs were activated with Con A and treated with IC50 dose of Silymarin, Rapamycin and
FK506 for 5 days, then cell apoptosis was analyzed by FITC-annexin V/PI staining and flow cytometry. The effects of Silymarin,
Rapamycin and FK506 on the activation of PARP (poly ADP ribose polymerase) pathway in PBMCs stimulated with Con A and
treated with IC50 dose of drugs for 5 days evaluated using the PathScan cleaved PARP sandwich ELISA kit. This study showed that
Silymarin had the ability to inhibit T cell proliferation in vitro. Moreover, our results indicated that 100 μM and 200 μM of Silymarin
showed inhibitory effect on T cells proliferation in comparison with FK506 and Rapamycin. Data shown that the inhibitory effect of
Silymarin, FK506 and Rapamycinon T cell proliferation was not due to cytotoxicity and none of these drugs at IC50 concentration
had not affected the level of cleaved PARP. Silymarin could be a good candidate for immunosuppressive therapy for certain medical
conditions with superior efficacy and lesser toxicity in comparison with other immunosuppressive drugs.