Red Ginseng Extract Ameliorates Autoimmune Arthritis via Regulation of STAT3 Pathway, Th17/Treg Balance, and Osteoclastogenesis in Mice and Human

Figure 5

Red ginseng extract increased Foxp3-expressing regulatory T cells and decreased IL-17-expressing Th17 cells in human PBMCs. CD4⁺ T cells were isolated from human peripheral blood and cultured with various concentrations of red ginseng extract (RGE) (a) MTT assay (b) The proportion of IL-17 positive cells and Foxp3 positive cells was analyzed by flow cytometry. (c) The mRNA expressions of Th17 - and Treg-associated molecules were measured by RT-PCR. (d) The concentrations of IL-17, IL-21, and IL-22 in the supernatant were measured by ELISA. (e) The level of total and phosphorylated STAT3 (at Y705 and S727, resp.) and STAT5 was assessed by western blotting. Data are presented as the mean ± SD of three independent experiments ^∗𝑃<0.05, ^∗∗𝑃<0.01, and ^∗∗∗𝑃<0.001 compared to control.

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