ABSTRACT
Aim To explore the characteristics and mechanism of resveratrol(Res)in promoting apoptosisof T lymphocytes and to investigate the therapeutic effect of Res on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis(EAE)in mice. Methods Annexin V/PI double staining was used to investigate the effect of Res on the apoptosis of mouse primary naïve T lymphocytes and anti-CD3/anti-CD28 activated T lymphocytes. Activation-induced cell death models were established on CD4+ T lymphocytes and Jurkat cells in vitro,and the effect of Res on activation-induced cell death was detected by PI single staining or Annexin V/PI double staining. The expression of apoptosis related proteins were detected by Western blot. EAE model in mice was induced by MOG35-55,and the therapeutic effect of Res administration was investigated. The apoptosis of CD4+ T lymphocytes from vehicle group and Res group was detected. Results Res did not affect the survival of naïve T cells,but promoted the apoptosis of activated T lymphocytes. With the increase of Res concentration,activation-induced cell death of CD4+ T cells and Jurkat cells significantly increased,and the cleavage of apoptosis related proteins PARP and Caspase-3 increased. In addition,Res delayed the onset of EAE,reduced the clinical score,and decreased the infiltration of inflammatory cells in spinal cord. The CD4+ T lymphocytes from the mice with Res administration were more sensitive to activation-induced cell death. Conclusion Res promotes activation-induced cell death of T lymphocytes and ameliorates EAE in mice.