Fig. 4.

Effect of cotreatment with Korean Red Ginseng extract (KRGE) on the population of Th17 cells and the expression of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) during cyclosporine A (CsA) treatment. CD4+ T cells from the spleens of normal C57BL/6 mice were cultured with CsA and/or KRGE in the Th0- or Th17-polarizing condition. After 72 h of culture, the cells were stained with antibodies to CD4 and either interleukin (IL)-17 in the Th17-polarized condition (A and B) or phosphorylated STAT3 (p-STAT3) in the Th0 condition (C and D) and analyzed by intracellular flow cytometry. Note that cotreatment with KRGE significantly reduced both CD4+IL-17+ cells and p-STAT3 cells compared with the CsA group. The data are presented as means ± standard deviation (SD) of three independent experiments. The p value was < 0.05 vs. the other treatment conditions. SSC, side-scattered light.