A NF-κB-Based High-Throughput Screening for Immune Adjuvants and Inhibitors

The nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) family is crucial for regulating immune and inflammatory responses. The activation of the immune cell signaling pathway usually activates NF-κB, causing a protective immune response. NF-κB can also cause excessive inflammatory responses by activating a cascade reaction of pro-inflammatory mediators such as cytokines. In this study, we used an NF-κB luciferase reporter gene system. Out of more than 800 compounds screened, four NF-κB agonists were identified with strong activity at nontoxic concentrations. Subsequently, the adjuvant effect was verified on mouse bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) and macrophages RAW264.7. It was found that fostamatinib (R788) disodium increased the production of IL-6, IL-12p40, and TNF-α, indicating that R788 disodium could induce the maturation of antigen-presenting cells (APCs). In addition, three compounds were screened to significantly inhibit NF-κB at nontoxic doses, including dehydrocostus lactone (DHL)–a known NF-κB inhibitor. The results showed that DHL significantly reduced the release of LPS-induced inflammatory cytokines (including TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-12). Our findings indicate that the NF-κB-based high-throughput screening can be used to discover potential immune adjuvants and anti-inflammatory molecules. Graphical Abstract