Herbal medicine-initiated approaches for the elucidation of immunological network in the intestine

抄録

Accumulating evidence has revealed the biological function of lipids in the maintenance of immunological homeostasis as well as the development of immune diseases. Among immunologically functional lipids, sphingosine1-phosphate (S1P) is well-known to regulate cell trafficking in various immunological circumstances. Numerous immunological functions of S1P have been revealed using an immunosuppressant, FTY720 (fingolimod) which is Isaria sinclairii-derived S1P agonist and is currently approved for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. In this review, we show our findings on S1P-mediated immune regulation in the intestine and possible strategy for the control of intestinal immune and infectious diseases using herbal medicine.