Artesunate inhibits proliferation of na < ve CD4(+) T cells but enhances function of effector T cells

Abstract

Artesunate is an artemisinin derivative from Artemisia annua and is being applied as a first-line drug for malaria treatment. In addition to anti-malarial effects, anti-cancer, anti-viral, and anti-inflammatory activities have been reported for artemisinin derivatives. In this study, we investigated the effects of artesunate on na < ve T cell activation and Th1/Th2 differentiation. Artesunate inhibited the proliferation of CD4(+) T cells and the production of IL-2, T cell growth factor. Moreover, artesunate reduced the expression of cell surface protein CD25 (IL-2 receptor alpha chain) and CD69 on CD4(+) T cells. Artesunate showed inhibitory effects on na < ve T cell activation but artesunate increased the production of IFN-gamma and IL-4 under Th1 and Th2 skewed condition respectively. Therefore, these results suggest that artesunate has a negative mitogenic effect on CD4(+) T cells but reinforces the function of effector T cells.