Ginsenoside Re enhances survival of human CD4+ T cells through regulation of autophagy

In the present study, we examined the effects of ginsenoside Re (Re) on cytokine expression, cytokine-dependent autophagy and cell survival in human CD4+ T cells. When CD4+ T cells isolated from human peripheral blood were treated with Re, LC3 and monodansylcadaverine (MDC), representative markers of autophagy, were decreased in a dose-dependent manner. Interestingly, Re suppressed the production of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and immunity-related GTPase family M (IRGM) in CD4+ T cells whereas no changes in other autophagy-related signaling molecules (ERK, p38 and AKT-mTOR-p70S6k) were found. Concomitantly, we observed that Re increased the proliferation of CD4+ T cells with decreased cell death. Our results demonstrate that ginsenoside Re enhanced viability of CD4+ T cells through the regulation of IFN-γ-dependent autophagy activity.