α-mangostin derivatives ameliorated mouse DSS-induced chronic colitis via regulating Th17/Treg balance

Th17 cell, an important subpopulation of helper T cell, plays an important role in the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and is thought to be a potential target for the treatment of IBD. In our previous study, we demonstrated that alpha-mangostin could relieve lupus nephritis via inhibiting Th17 cell function. In our preliminary study, we obtained four derivatives by adding chemical modification of alpha-mangostin which could also inhibit Th17 cell differentiation in vitro. In this study, we constructed a chronic IBD mouse model and demonstrated the therapeutic effects of alpha-mangostin and its derivatives as therapeutic agents for IBD. In compounds treating groups, intestinal inflammation showed significant improvement in symptoms which included weight loss, high disease activity index, colon length shorten and the change of intestinal flora. We also found that compounds could effectively either suppress the number of Th17 cell or increase the number of Treg cell detected by flow cytometry, thus reducing the Th17/Treg ratio and suppressing the level of intestinal inflammation. Notably, IL17-F levels, rather than IL17-A, were reduced in the colon of mice of compounds treating groups. Thus, alpha-mangostin and its derivatives ameliorate DSS-induced chronic colitis in mice by regulating Th17/ Treg balance to alleviate intestinal inflammation and can modulate the intestinal microbial community. These results suggest that alpha-mangostin and its derivatives may be the new therapeutic option for chronic colitis.