Cambogin suppresses dextran sulphate sodium‐induced colitis by enhancing Treg cell stability and function

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic and relapsing inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract, and an impaired immune response plays a critical role in IBD. The current drugs and therapies for IBD treatment are of limited use, therefore, there is a need to find novel drugs or therapies for this disease. We investigated the effect of cambogin in a mouse model of dextran sulphate sodium (DSS)‐induced colitis and whether cambogin attenuates inflammation via a Treg‐cell‐mediated effect on the immune response. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Chronic colitis was established in mice using 2% DSS, and cambogin (10 mg·kg(−1), p.o.) was administered for 10 days. Body weight, colon length and colon histology were assessed. Cytokine production was measured using elisa and quantitative real‐time PCR. To evaluate the mechanism of cambogin, human CD4(+)CD25(hi)CD127(lo) Treg cells were isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Major signalling profiles involved in Treg cell stability were measured. KEY RESULTS: Cambogin attenuated diarrhoea, colon shortening and colon histological injury and IL‐6, IFN‐γ and TNF‐α production in DSS‐treated mice. Cambogin also up‐regulated Treg cell numbers in both the spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes. Furthermore, cambogin (10 μM) prevented Foxp3 loss in human primary Treg cells in vitro, and promoted USP7‐mediated Foxp3 deubiquitination and increased Foxp3 protein expression in LPS‐treated cells. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The effect of cambogin on DSS‐induced colitis is expedited by a Treg‐cell‐mediated modification of the immune response, suggesting that cambogin could be applied as a novel agent for treating colitis and other Treg cell‐related diseases.