RESUMO
Aim To investigate the effects of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) on activation and proliferation of murine CD3+ T lymphocytes,and to study the mechanisms of its immunomodulative effects. Methods Lymphocytes suspension was isolated and prepared sterilely from murine lymph nodes, and was incubated with different concentrations of CAPE for 2 h, then polyclonal activator Con A was added to activate the lymphocytes; double-fluorescence staining and flow cytometry were used to detect CD69 and CD25 expressions to evaluate activation level of CD3+ T lymphocyte, and CFDA-SE staining plus flow cytometry were used to analyze CD3+ T lymphocyte proliferation. Results CAPE (0.5, 1, 5, 10 mg?L-1) could inhibit the expression of CD69 and CD25 of CD3+ T lymphocytes in a dose-dependent manner, and it also could inhibit T lymphocyte proliferation stimulated by Con A in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion In vitro, CAPE could exert notably inhibition on activation and proliferation of murine CD3+ T lymphocytes,and its immunomodulative effects might result from affecting PLC-? signaling and MAPK-signaling pathways. So CAPE was a potentially effective immunoinhibitory agent.