Mycophenolic acid treated myeloid dendritic cells exhibit tolerogenic properties

Dendritic cells (DC) are highly potent antigen presenting cells which play a role in regulating immune responses, including immunogenic and tolerogenic responses. The balance between immunogenicity and tolerance seems to depend on their functional state of maturation and degree of activation. MPA, the active part of MMF, inhibits lymphocyte proliferation via a blockade of the enzyme inosine 5*-monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH), an enzyme on which lymphocytes solely depend to generate the purines necessary for DNA/RNA synthesis. The aims of this project were to investigate the effects of MPA on DC phenotype and…