Presenter: Esther Eniola Mustapha

Faculty Sponsor: Lisa M. Minter

School: UMass Amherst

Research Area: Disease Detection, Prevention & Treatment

Session: Poster Session 6, 4:15 PM - 5:00 PM, Auditorium, A7

ABSTRACT

Many cultures globally have used herbal medicine for centuries and still use it today to treat a variety of conditions. However, there is limited scientific data on the general use of these plants or their role in treating inflammatory conditions. Inflammation occurs when the immune system is activated, causing the release of cytokines that recruit and further activate immune cells. We aim to learn if plant-derived compounds, traditionally used in anti-inflammatory remedies, can modulate immune cell signaling associated with the release of the specific cytokine, Interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), by evaluating glycyrrhizin, the main active anti-inflammatory compound in licorice root.

            We performed toxicity assays on MC9 mast cells and Jurkat T cells to compare the effects of glycyrrhizin on the two cell types, allowing us to determine a baseline at which glycyrrhizin inhibits the secretion of IL-1β by MC9 mast cells without causing excessive cell death. We will conduct an Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) to determine the effectiveness of glycyrrhizin in preventing the secretion of IL-1β by MC9 mast cells when stimulated in culture. Finally, we plan to use an animal model to determine if glycyrrhizin, as a topical treatment, can prevent the inflammation characteristic of psoriasis without compromising overall immune function.

            We anticipate glycyrrhizin will reduce IL-1β secretion by mast cells and decrease inflammation in the animal psoriasis model. These findings will provide scientific data to support using Licorice Root as an anti-inflammatory remedy, while also introducing an accessible topical treatment for psoriasis.