<i>Lycium barbarum</i> Polysaccharide Ameliorates Sjögren's Syndrome in a Murine Model
Yifan Wang, Jia Xiao, Yuchen Duan, Miao Miao, Bo Huang, Jiali Chen, Gong Cheng, Xingyu Zhou, Yuebo Jin, Jing He, Zhanguo Li, Kwok‐Fai So
Abstract
Scope This study aims to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and mechanisms of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) in primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). Methods and results Non‐obese diabetic mice (the pSS model) are randomly divided into four groups: Low dose LBP (LBP.L, 5 mg kg −1 d −1 ), high dose LBP (10 mg kg −1 d −1 ), low dose interleukin (IL)‐2 (25 000 IU/d), and control (saline water). Drugs were treated for 12 weeks. LBP.L significantly reduces the salivary gland inflammation compared with the control group (histological score p LBP.L vs Control = 0.019; foci number: p LBP.L vs Control = 0.038). LBP.L also remarkably reduces the effector follicular helper T (Tfh) cells and the CD4 + IL‐17A + helper T (Th17) cells in both spleen and cervical lymph node (cLN) cells. Additionally, the ratios of regulatory T cell (Treg)/Tfh cells and Treg/Th17 cells are substantially increased in mice treated with LBP.L in both spleen and cLNs. LBP also inhibits Th17 and Tfh cells and markedly increases the Treg/Tfh ratio in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Conclusion LBP.L inhibits the progression of pSS in mice, associated with modulation of T cell differentiation.