SCREENING METHOD FOR IL-10 PRODUCTION-INDUCING AHR LIGAND

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a screening method for an IL-10 production-inducing agent and the like useful as the preventive and/or therapeutic agent of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and arthritis rheumatism.SOLUTION: An IL-10 production-inducing agent can be screened by comprising the following steps: (a) stimulating a wild type B cell and an AhR knockout B cell with CpG under the presence or absence of the test substance, subsequently culturing it; (b) measuring the concentration of the IL-10 in a culture supernatant individually; (c) when the concentration of the IL-10 in the wild type B cell under the presence of the test substance is higher than that under the absence of the test substance, the concentration of the IL-10 in the AhR knockout B cell does not change between under the presence and absence of the test substance, and in the absence of the test substance, the concentration of the IL-10 in the wild type B cell is higher than that in the AhR knockout B cell, evaluating this test substance as an IL-10 production-inducing AhR ligand (IL-10 production-inducing agent). 【課題】多発性硬化症、関節炎リウマチ等の自己免疫疾患の予防及び／又は治療剤として有用なＩＬ−１０産生誘発剤のスクリーニング方法等を提供すること。【解決手段】以下の工程を備えたことにより、ＩＬ−１０産生誘発剤をスクリーニングする。（ａ）野生型Ｂ細胞、及びＡｈＲノックアウトＢ細胞を、被検物質の存在下又は非存在下にＣｐＧで刺激した後、培養する工程；（ｂ）培養上清中のＩＬ−１０濃度を個別に測定する工程；（ｃ）野生型Ｂ細胞におけるＩＬ−１０濃度が、被検物質の存在下の方が非存在下よりも高く、ＡｈＲノックアウトＢ細胞におけるＩＬ−１０濃度が、被検物質の存在下と非存在下で変化がなく、かつ、被検物質の非存在下において、野生型Ｂ細胞におけるＩＬ−１０濃度がＡｈＲノックアウトＢ細胞におけるＩＬ−１０濃度よりも高い場合、かかる被検物質をＩＬ−１０産生誘発ＡｈＲリガンド（ＩＬ−１０産生誘発剤）と評価する工程；【選択図】なし