Glycyrrhizic acid-mediated subdual of myeloid-derived suppressor cells induces antileishmanial immune responses in a susceptible host

CD11b⁺ Gr1⁺ myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), a heterogeneous population of precursor cells, modulate protective immunity against visceral leishmaniasis by suppressing T cell functions. We observed that CD11b⁺ Gr1⁺ MDSCs, which initially expanded in soluble leishmanial antigen (SLA)-immunized mice and later diminished, suppressed proliferation of T cells isolated from SLA-immunized mice, but to a lesser extent than the case in naive mice. This lesser suppression of MDSCs accompanied the expression of F4/80 and the production of Cox-2, arginase I, nitric oxide, and PGE2. However, with SLA immunization, there was no difference in the expression of interleukin-2 (IL-2) or gamma interferon (IFN-γ) by T cells, in contrast to the case in nonimmunized mice, in which there is an influence. Glycyrrhizic acid (a triterpenoid compound)-mediated inhibition of Cox-2 in myeloid-derived suppressor cells influenced the capacity of T cells to proliferate and the expression of IL-2 and IFN-γ in Leishmania donovani-infected BALB/c mice. Further characterization confirmed that administration of glycyrrhizic acid to L. donovani-infected BALB/c mice results in an impairment of the generation of MDSCs and a reciprocal organ-specific proliferation of IFN-γ- and IL-10-expressing CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells. Comprehensive knowledge on the Cox-2-mediated regulation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells might be involved in unlocking a new avenue for therapeutic interventions during visceral leishmaniasis.