الفهرس 
Immune System
ImmunotherapyOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Dendritic cells (DCs) imply crucial antigen presenting cells that perform an essential role in the regulation of immune responses. Dendritic cells can be stimulated to activate a cytotoxic response towards an antigen. Also, DCs can be directed to become tolerogenic which is important for preservation of immune homeostasis, control of certain diseases and management of hypersensitivities. The present study was designed to investigate the in vitro effect of dexamethasone (immunosuppressant) and Echinacea purpurea (immunostimulant) on maturation and differentiation of DCs derived from monocytes. An in vivo experiment was conducted to investigate whether treatment of mice with either DEX or E.purpurea has immunomodulatory effect on murine splenic DCs. DCs were generated in vitro by incubating peripheral blood monocytes with cytokine cocktail (GM-CSF and IL-4) for 9 days. Microscopic examination showed that blood monocytes cultured in DMEM medium (day 0), undergone morphological change (day 3),transformed to immature DCs (day 7), and differentiated into mature DCs (day 9).