Flow cytometric in vitro screening pipeline for Australian rainforest natural products in the search for novel immunomodulatory therapies
Presentation Time: 11:30 AM - 12:45 PM
Poster Board Number: B847
Abstract ID: 5311
Presenting Author:
Kevin Hendrawan , Postdoctoral Fellow at QIMR Berghofer Med. Res. Inst.
Abstract:
Novel immunomodulatory therapies derived from natural products may provide safer and effective therapeutic options for patients with treatment-refractory autoimmune or inflammatory diseases. We developed an immunomodulatory compound screening pipeline, primarily using flow cytometry-based in vitro assays, to screen the QBiotics Library of Australian Rainforest plant extracts for compounds with anti-inflammatory activity. Firstly, activity-guided fractionation of plant extracts was performed using a Cell Trace VioletTM proliferation assay with anti-CD3/CD28-activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Plant extracts exhibiting anti-inflammatory activity (>50% suppression of proliferating PBMCs) and low cytotoxic properties (>85% viable PBMCs based on LIVE/DEAD BlueTM) were further fractionated until compounds with >95% purity were isolated. Isolated compounds undergo detailed immunophenotyping using a 17-colour flow cytometry panel and a 14-parameter multiplex cytokine ELISA to determine potential indications for downstream experiments. Here, we show that this screening pipeline detects the immunoregulatory activity of known immunosuppressive drugs. We also show that this screening pipeline resulted in the isolation of natural compounds previously known to be immunosuppressive. This project can provide safer alternatives for the future treatment of severe inflammatory/autoimmune diseases or lead to novel immunotherapies for cancer.
Flow cytometric in vitro screening pipeline for Australian rainforest natural products in the search for novel immunomodulatory therapies
Category
Poster and Podium (Block Symposium)