Label-free proteomics and single-cell mass cytometry analysis of 5 immune tissues from mice with artesunate administration reveal immunosuppression of artesunate via BST2 and MDSCs

Artesunate is a worldwide prevalent antimalarial medicine, which has also been demonstrated for anti-tumor, anti-virus and anti-autoimmune diseases. Yet the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms remain largely unexplored. Here, we examined immunological features of 5 immune tissues (spleen, bone marrow, thymus, lymph nodes and peritoneal cavity) of mice with artesunate administration through label-free proteomics and high-dimensional single-cell mass cytometry (CyTOF). Label-free proteomics uncovered dramatic alterations for the interferon-I (IFN-I) induced proteins, especially BST2 and IFIT1 downregulation in spleen and bone marrow. CyTOF analysis further indicated that the percentage of MDSCs was significantly elevated in spleen and bone marrow. The follow-up in vivo LPS-induced inflammatory model confirmed that pretreatment with artesunate attenuated the inflammatory damage, and the expression of BST2 was decreased in the spleen of mice with artesunate administration. Together, our findings presented an immune landscape of multiple tissues of mice with artesunate administration. These datasets provide comprehensive biological resources to develop therapeutic strategies for inflammatory diseases.