The polysaccharide component of Angelica gigas induces immuno-stimulatory effects on innate immune cells. However, it is unclear whether A. gigas’ adjuvant activity on the immune system can elicit anti-cancer responses. A water-soluble immuno-stimulatory component of A. gigas was prepared. How this ISAg modulated the activation of innate immune cells such as dendritic cells (DCs) was examined. ISAg-induced cytotoxic activity via natural killer (NK) and NKT cells was also tested using a tumor-bearing mouse model. ISAg treatment induced nitric oxide (NO) production and cytokine gene expression involved in innate immune responses. ISAg activated macrophages and DCs to secrete cytokine IL-12, through the TLR4 signaling pathway. IL-12 plays a crucial role in ISAg-mediated NK and NKT cell activation. Thus, the anti-cancer activity of NK and NKT cells induced ISAg-mediated cytotoxicity of B16 melanoma cells in mice. These results indicated that the natural ingredient, ISAg, has adjuvant activity to induce strong anti-cancer activity of NK and NKT cells in vivo.

We previously showed that ubiquitous overexpression of the chromatin remodeling factor SWItch3-related gene (SRG3) promotes M2 macrophage differentiation, resulting in anti-inflammatory responses in the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis model of multiple sclerosis. Since hepatic macrophages are responsible for sepsis-induced liver injury, we investigated herein the capacity of transgenic SRG3 overexpression (SRG3^β-actin mice) to modulate sepsis in mice exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) plus d-galactosamine (d-GalN). Our results demonstrated that ubiquitous SRG3 overexpression significantly protects mice from LPS/d-GalN-induced lethality mediated by hepatic M1 macrophages. These protective effects of SRG3 overexpression correlated with the phenotypic conversion of hepatic macrophages from an M1 toward an M2 phenotype. Furthermore, SRG3^β-actin mice had decreased numbers and activation of natural killer (NK) cells but not natural killer T (NKT) cells in the liver during sepsis, indicating that SRG3 overexpression might contribute to cross-talk between NK cells and macrophages in the liver. Finally, we demonstrated that NKT cell-deficient CD1d KO/SRG3^β-actin mice are protected from LPS/d-GalN-induced sepsis, indicating that NKT cells are dispensable for SRG3-mediated sepsis suppression. Taken together, our findings provide strong evidence that SRG3 overexpression may serve as a therapeutic approach to control overwhelming inflammatory diseases such as sepsis.

We have previously shown that Vα14 TCR Tg (Vα14^Tg) NC/Nga (NC) mice contain increased numbers of double-negative (DN) invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells that protect against spontaneous development of atopic dermatitis (AD). iNKT cells can regulate immune responses by producing various cytokines such as IFNγ and IL4 rapidly upon stimulation with α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer), a prototypical iNKT cell agonist. However, the precise role of α-GalCer-activated iNKT cells in AD development remains unclear. Therefore, we examined whether repeated activation of iNKT cells with α-GalCer can regulate the pathogenesis of AD in Vα14^Tg NC mice. We found that Vα14^Tg NC mice injected repeatedly with α-GalCer display exacerbated AD symptoms (e.g., a higher clinical score, IgE hyperproduction, and increased numbers of splenic mast cells and neutrophils) compared with vehicle-injected Vα14^Tg NC mice. Moreover, the severity of AD pathogenesis in α-GalCer-injected Vα14^Tg NC mice correlated with increased Th2 cells but reduced Th1 and Foxp3⁺ Treg cells. Furthermore, the resulting alterations in the Th1/Th2 and Treg/Th2 balance were strongly associated with a biased expansion of type 2 cytokine-deviated iNKT cells in α-GalCer-treated Vα14^Tg NC mice. Collectively, our results have demonstrated the adverse effect of repeated α-GalCer treatment on skin inflammation mediated by type 2 immunity.

We have previously shown that CD1d-restricted iNKT cells suppress dysregulated IFNγ expression and intestinal inflammation in Yeti mice on the C57BL/6 background. Since type 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s) in mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) protect against intestinal inflammation in a CD1d-associated manner, we investigated whether crosstalk between iNKT cells and MLN ILC3s controls IFNγ-mediated intestinal inflammation in Yeti mice. We found that Yeti mice display increased levels of ILC3s and that iNKT cell deficiency in Yeti/CD1d KO mice decreases levels of IL22-producing ILC3s during DSS-induced colitis. This finding indicates that iNKT cells and ILC3s cooperate to regulate intestinal inflammation in Yeti mice. Yeti iNKT cells displayed a pronounced anti-inflammatory (IL4- or IL9-producing) phenotype during colitis. Their adoptive transfer to iNKT cell-deficient animals induced a significant increase in IL22 production by ILC3s, indicating that crosstalk between iNKT cells and ILC3s plays a critical role in modulating colitis in Yeti mice. Moreover, we showed that the IL9-producing subset of iNKT cells potently enhances IL22-producing ILC3s in vivo. Taken together, our results identify a central role of the iNKT cell-ILC3 axis in ameliorating IFNγ-mediated intestinal inflammation.

Natural killer dendritic cells (NKDCs) possess potent anti-tumor activity, but the cellular effect of NKDC interactions with other innate immune cells is unclear. In this study, we demonstrate that the interaction of NKDCs and natural killer T (NKT) cells is required for the anti-tumor immune responses that are elicited byα-galactosylceramide (α-GC) in mice. The rapid and strong expression of interferon-γby NKDCs afterα-GC stimulation was dependent on NKT cells. Various NK and DC molecular markers and cytotoxic molecules were up-regulated followingα-GC administration. This up-regulation could improve NKDC presentation of tumor antigens and increase cytotoxicity against tumor cells. NKDCs were required for the stimulation of DCs, NK cells, and NKT cells. The strong anti-tumor immune responses elicited byα-GC may be due to the down-regulation of regulatory T cells. Furthermore, the depletion of NKDCs dampened the tumor clearance mediated byα-GC-stimulated NKT cellsin vivo. Taken together, these results indicate that complex interactions of innate immune cells might be required to achieve optimal anti-tumor immune responses during the early stages of tumorigenesis.