Astilbin, a major bioactive compound from Rhizome smilacis glabrae, has been reported to possess anti-inflammatory properties. Our study first evaluated astilbin on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced acute colitis in mice. By intraperitoneal injection of astilbin, the severity of colitis was attenuated, and the serum levels of IL-10 and TGF-beta were increased. Using flow cytometry, a higher number of IL-10(+) dendritic cells (DCs) and TGF-beta(+) DCs and a lower number of CD86(+) DCs, IL-12 p40(+) DCs, and IL-10(+) DCs were detected in the spleen of mice with colitis after astilbin treatment. The administration of astilbin also resulted in the upregulation of CD103(+) expression in colonic DCs. In a coculture system, murine bone marrow-derived DCs pretreated with astilbin resulted in an enhanced production of CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) T cells. The results of this study show that astilbin could be a candidate drug for inflammatory bowel disease by mediating the regulatory functions of DCs. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.