Skin commensal bacteria play important roles in maintenance of skin homeostasis, and Langerhans cells (LCs) are critical in induction of peripheral tolerance; however, the role of LCs' response to the skin microbiota, specifically the microbial metabolites, in skin homeostasis is not clear. In the present study, LCs that derived from CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells in the cord blood cells were utilized, and we found that a microbial metabolite of tryptophan (Trp), indole-3-aldehyde (IAId), induced the production of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase and IL-10 in LCs through activation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). Moreover, IAId promoted the expression of receptor activator of NF-κB and receptor activator of NF-κB ligand on LCs and keratinocytes in an AhR-dependent manner respectively, which might result in the activation of NF-κB signaling and production of IL-10. Additionally, despite a mature phenotype of LCs induced by IAId, IAId-activated LCs inhibited CD4+ T cell proliferation and induced IL-10 secretion. Our study revealed a negatively regulatory function of a Trp microbial metabolite on LCs through activation of AhR, and microbial metabolites could be developed as a new strategy for the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases.
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