Monovalent mannose‐glycoconjugates of sulforaphane reprogram human dendritic cells via NFATc1 to induce immune tolerance under inflammatory conditions

Background and Purpose Immune tolerance prevents inflammation and autoimmunity, with dendritic cells (DCs) playing a key role. Reprogramming DCs towards a tolerogenic state represents a promising therapeutic strategy. Sulforaphane (SFN) has known immunomodulatory effects, but its clinical applicatio...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Angarita-Planchez, María Elena, Leiva Castro, Camila, Múnera‐Rodríguez, Ana Maria, Martínez Bailén, Macarena, Carmona Asenjo, Ana Teresa, López Enríquez, Soledad, Palomares Jerez, María Francisca
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Sevilla (US)
Repositorio:idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
OAI Identifier:oai:idus.us.es:11441/180712
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/11441/180712
https://doi.org/10.1111/bph.70291
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Dendritic cells
Glycoconjugates
Immune tolerance
Immunomodulation
Inflammation
NFATc1
Regulatory T cells
Sulforaphane
Descripción
Sumario:Background and Purpose Immune tolerance prevents inflammation and autoimmunity, with dendritic cells (DCs) playing a key role. Reprogramming DCs towards a tolerogenic state represents a promising therapeutic strategy. Sulforaphane (SFN) has known immunomodulatory effects, but its clinical application is limited by poor stability and bioavailability. To enhance its therapeutic potential, SFN was conjugated with mannose (SFNMan) or fucose (SFNFuc), aiming to induce a tolerogenic phenotype in human monocyte-derived DCs (moDCs) under inflammation and to explore NFATc1's involvement. Experimental Approach moDCs were exposed to inflammatory conditions and treated with SFN, SFNMan or SFNFuc. Their phenotype, cytokine profile, T cell–modulating capacity and NFATc1 signalling were evaluated. Key Results SFNMan selectively induced a tolerogenic phenotype, characterised by an increased PD-L1/CD86 ratio and IL-10 production; up-regulation of SOCS1 and IDO transcripts; and Treg expansion and reduced proliferation of cytotoxic T cell proliferation. Functional assays and confocal microscopy revealed that SFNMan, but not SFNFuc, promoted NFATc1 nuclear translocation. Pharmacological inhibition of NFATc1 with cyclosporin A (CsA) abolished these effects, confirming NFATc1 as a central mediator of SFNMan-induced immune tolerance. Conclusions and Implications Our findings identify NFATc1 as a key transcriptional switch in moDCs tolerogenic programming and highlight the carbohydrate-dependent specificity of SFN conjugates. SFNMan represents a novel carbohydrate-engineered immunomodulator capable of driving immune tolerance through NFATc1 activation. These results provide a mechanistic framework for the development of precision therapies targeting inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.