ArticleiScience2023
Herbal supplement Spirulina stimulates inflammatory cytokine production in patients with dermatomyositis
Article in iScience, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed.
- Diverse Lenabasum pathway activation in dermatomyositis patients' blood.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- The Effects of CB2R Activation on Inflammatory Pathways in Dermatomyositis.Biomedicines · 2026Article
- Immunomodulatory effects of Spirulina extract and its gold nanoformulation enhance the macrophage polarization toward M1 phenotype via NF-kB signaling.Archives of microbiology · 2026Article
- Spirulina and Its Bioactive Compounds as Multi-Target Anticancer Agents: Mechanisms, Immune Modulation, and Translational Potential.Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Sulfated Polysaccharide-Rich Fractions from Spirulina Platensis (SPPs) Exert Multi-Target Anticancer Activity in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) Cells.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Neuroprotective and Antioxidant Study ofCurrent aging science · 2026Article
- Identifying immunostimulatory herbal supplements that may flare autoimmune skin diseases: a systematic scoping review.Lupus science & medicine · 2025Article
- Inhibition of free radicals and inflammation on RAW264.7 macrophage cell line by Arthrospira platensis extract.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Extremophile-Derived Bioactives in Cosmeceuticals: Bridging Nutraceuticals and Skincare for Holistic Wellness.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Spirulina and exercise: a two-pronged approach to mitigating oxidative stress in colorectal cancer.Molecular biology reports · 2025Review
- Dermatomyositis: focus on cutaneous features, etiopathogenetic mechanisms and their implications for treatment.Seminars in immunopathology · 2025Review
- Understanding the Role of Type I Interferons in Cutaneous Lupus and Dermatomyositis: Toward Better Therapeutics.Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.) · 2025Review
- Prevalence and Risk of Immunostimulatory Herbal Supplement Treatment Among Autoimmune Dermatology Patients.ACR open rheumatology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Spirulina, an herbal supplement and popular ingredient in health foods, is a potent stimulant of the immune system. Spirulina use is temporally associated with the onset or exacerbation of Dermatomyositis (DM), an autoimmune connective tissue disease that frequently affects the skin and muscle. In this study, we investigated the effect of Spirulina on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in DM and Healthy Controls (HCs), showing that Spirulina stimulates Interferon β (IFNβ), Tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), and Interferon γ (IFNγ) production of DM PBMCs primarily via Toll-Like Receptor 4 (TLR4) activation using ELISA (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay) and flow cytometry. We show that classical monocytes and monocyte-derived dendritic cells are stimulated by Spirulina and are activated via TLR4. Skin from patients with Spirulina-associated DM exhibits an inflammatory milieu similar to that of idiopathic DM but with a stronger correlation of TLR4 and IFNγ.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.