Suppression of interleukin-2 by the putative endogenous cannabinoid 2-arachidonyl-glycerol is mediated through down-regulation of the nuclear factor of activated T cells.

2-Arachidonyl-glycerol (2-Ara-Gl) recently was identified as a putative endogenous ligand for cannabinoid receptor types CB1 and CB2 by competitive binding. More recent immune function assays demonstrated that 2-Ara-Gl possessed immunomodulatory activity. Because several plant-derived cannabinoids inhibit interleukin-2 (IL-2) expression, 2-Ara-Gl was investigated for its ability to modulate this cytokine. The direct addition of 2-Ara-Gl to mouse splenocyte cultures suppressed phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate plus ionomycin-induced IL-2 secretion and steady state mRNA expression in a dose-dependent manner. 2-Ara-Gl also produced a marked inhibition of IL-2 promotor activity as determined by transient transfection of EL4.IL-2 cells with a pIL-2-CAT construct. 2-Ara-Gl at 5, 10, 20, and 50 microM suppressed phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate plus ionomycin-induced IL-2 promotor activity by 18%, 28%, 39%, and 54%, respectively. To further characterize the mechanism for the transcriptional regulation of IL-2 by 2-Ara-Gl, the DNA-binding activity of transcription factors, nuclear factor of activated T cells (NF-AT), nuclear factor for immunoglobulin kappa chain in B cells (NF-kappa B/Rel), activator protein-1(AP-1), octamer, and cAMP-response element binding protein was evaluated by electrophoretic mobility shift assay in mouse splenocytes. In addition, a reporter gene expression system for p(NF-kappa B)3-CAT, p(NF-AT)3-CAT, and p(AP-1)3-CAT was used in transiently transfected EL4.IL-2 cells to determine the effect of 2-Ara-Gl on promoter activity for each of the specific transcription factors. 2-Ara-Gl reduced both the NF-AT-binding and promoter activity in a dose-dependent manner and, to a lesser degree, NF-kappa B/Rel-binding and promoter activity. No significant effect was observed on octamer- and cAMP-response element-binding activity. AP-1 DNA-binding activity was not inhibited by 2-Ara-Gl, but a modest inhibition of promoter activity was observed.