Carbon monoxide ameliorates murine T-cell-dependent colitis through the inhibition of Th17 differentiation

Abstract

Recent studies have identified carbon monoxide (CO) as a potential therapeutic molecule for the treatment of inflammatory diseases including intestinal inflammation. In the present study, we explored the efficacy and the mechanisms of action of CO-releasing molecule (CORM)-A1 in T-cell transfer induced colitis model in mice. In addition, the impact of CORM-A1 on the T helper (Th) cell differentiation was evaluated using naïve CD4⁺ T cells isolated from the spleens in Balb/c mice. The results showed that CORM-A1 conferred protection against the development of intestinal inflammation and attenuated Th17 cell differentiation. Hence, the observed immunomodulatory effects of CORM-A1 could be useful for developing novel therapeutic approaches for managing intestinal inflammation through the regulation of Th17 differentiation.

Keywords:

• Carbon monoxide
• colitis
• Th17 differentiation

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) to Tomohisa Takagi [Grant no. 16K09322] and (B) to Yuji Naito [Grant no. 16H05289] from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.