Abstract
Proinflammatory cytokines mediate the toxic effect of staphylococcal exotoxins (SE). Chlorogenic acid, a plant polyphenol, inhibited SE-induced T-cell proliferation (by 98%) and production-dates printpubdate="05/03/02" of interleukin 1β, tumor necrosis factor, interleukin 6, interferon gamma, monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1α, and MIP-1β by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. These data indicate that chlorogenic acid may be therapeutically useful for mitigating the pathogenic effects of SE. Naturally occurring polyphenolic compounds such as chlorogenic acid may serve as a potent anti-inflammatory agent alternative to conventional chemotherapeutics.