Fig. 1.

Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) inhibits interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-5 production by human CD4⁺ T cells. CD4⁺ T cells (10⁶ cells/ml) were cultured for 48 h in the absence or presence of CAPE (10 µM) with soluble anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 monoclonal antibodies (2 µg/ml) stimulation. Cytokine levels in the culture supernatants for six healthy subjects and four asthmatic patients were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. *P < 0·05; **P < 0·01; ***P < 0·001.