Search results for "Immune system"
showing 10 items of 2885 documents
Molecular mechanisms of hookworm disease: stealth, virulence, and vaccines.
2012
Hookworms produce a vast repertoire of structurally and functionally diverse molecules that mediate their long-term survival and pathogenesis within a human host. Many of these molecules are secreted by the parasite, after which they interact with critical components of host biology, including processes that are key to host survival. The most important of these interactions is the hookworm's interruption of nutrient acquisition by the host through its ingestion and digestion of host blood. This results in iron deficiency and eventually the microcytic hypochromic anemia or iron deficiency anemia that is the clinical hallmark of hookworm infection. Other molecular mechanisms of hookworm infec…
Acquired and Hereditary Angioedema: Pathogenesis and Therapy
1988
There are two main pathogenetic ways by which angioedema can develop. These pathways are completely different and lead to completely different diseases, which may have angioedema of the skin in common. Most cases of cutaneous angioedema develop with involvement of the mast cell and its mediators; especially histamine is considered to play a major role. The exact pathogenesis, however, is not known. This type of angioedema is assumed to be related to urticaria for several reasons: 1 Often it appears alternately with urticaria 2 It responds to antihistaminic drugs 3 The same causes may provoke either urticaria or angioedema
Coagulation signaling and cancer immunotherapy.
2019
The last decades have delineated many interactions of the hemostatic system with cancer cells that are pivotal for cancer-associated thrombosis, angiogenesis and metastasis. Expanding evidence shows that platelets, the tissue factor pathway, and proteolytic signaling involving protease-activated receptors (PARs) are also central players in innate and adaptive immunity. Recent studies in immune-competent mice have uncovered new immune-evasive roles of coagulation signaling networks in the development and growth of different preclinical tumor models. Tumor-type specific PAR1 signaling facilitates the escape from immune surveillance by cytotoxic T cells. In addition, tumor-associated macrophag…
Chemotherapy-induced antitumor immunity requires formyl peptide receptor 1.
2015
How dying tumor cells get noticed Besides killing tumor cells directly, some chemotherapies, such as anthracyclines, also activate the immune system to kill tumors. Vacchelli et al. discovered that in mice, anthracycline-induced antitumor immunity requires immune cells to express the protein formyl peptide receptor 1 (FPR1). Dendritic cells (DCs) near tumors expressed especially high amounts of FPR1. DCs normally capture fragments of dying tumor cells and use them to activate nearby T cells to kill tumors, but DCs lacking FPR1 failed to do this effectively. Individuals with breast or colon cancer expressing a variant of FPR1 and treated with anthracyclines showed poor metastasis-free and ov…
Oxidative Stress and Mitochondrial Impairment After Treatment with Anti-HIV Drugs: Clinical Implications
2011
Thirty years after the discovery of HIV infection, there are numerous antiretroviral drugs that control the disease when administered in a potent combination referred to as Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART). This therapy reduces the viral load and improves immune system reconstitution, leading to a significant reduction of HIV-related morbidity and mortality. However, HAART does not completely eliminate HIV, so treatment must continue throughout the patient's life. Prolonged use of HAART has been related to long-term adverse events that can compromise patient health. These deleterious effects have been reported for the majority of antiretroviral drugs and are the most common caus…
Carbon Monoxide-Releasing Molecules: A Pharmacological Expedient to Counteract Inflammation
2008
Carbon monoxide (CO) mediates many of the biological effects that are attributed to heme oxygenase (HO), the enzyme responsible for CO production in mammals. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of HO-1, the inducible isoform of heme oxygenase, have been demonstrated in a variety of disease models and a therapeutic exploitation of this pathway is currently under scrutiny. In this context, the liberation of CO from CO-releasing molecules (CO-RMs) is extremely attractive as these compounds may form the basis of a new class of pharmaceuticals. Recent investigations indicate that HO-1 and CO modulate important processes in chronic inflammation; these include the control of immune respon…
Chemical Constituents and Pharmacological Properties ofPoria cocos
2011
Poria cocos (Polyporaceae) is a saprophytic fungus that grows in diverse species of Pinus. Its sclerotium, called fu-ling or hoelen, is used in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine for its diuretic, sedative, and tonic effects. Various studies of this fungus have demonstrated its marked anti-inflammatory activity in different experimental models of acute and chronic inflammation. It is widely used as a constituent of many preparations in Asian medicine, but the number of research papers on its clinical properties is insufficient for establishing its efficacy and safety from a scientific point of view. In this review, we have compiled all the published data concerning the chemistry, pha…
Cellular and humoral immune responses against cancer: implications for cancer vaccines.
1991
The key issue in tumor immunology is to identify antigens as target structures for a cancer-selective immunological attack in the tumor-bearing host, resulting in tumor rejection. There is a growing detailed understanding of structural and regulatory gene alterations giving rise to candidate rejection antigens and peptides in tumor cells. As well as reviewing the development of new adjuvant and recombinant vector systems, new approaches are suggested for the construction of cancer vaccines.
IgG1 anti-epidermal growth factor receptor antibodies induce CD8-dependent antitumor activity
2014
Anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies (mAb) like Cetuximab are commonly used for treatment of EGFR+ solid tumors mainly by exerting their therapeutic effect through inhibition of signal transduction. Additionally, IgG1 is a potent mediator of antibody-dependent cytotoxicity (ADCC). In case of the IgG1, Cetuximab induction of ADCC in vivo is controversially discussed. In our study, we investigated the efficiency of Cetuximab-mediated ADCC in a humanized mouse tumor model in vivo and analyzed the contribution of immunologic processes toward antitumor activity. Therefore, we used immunodeficient NOD/Scid mice transgenic for human MHC class I molecule HLA-A2 and adoptively transferred human HLA-A2+ P…
Immuntherapie des Kolorektalkarzinoms - aktueller Stand und Perspektiven
2006
The specific immunotherapy of colorectal cancer initially revealed promising results. However, a significant clinical benefit for patients has still to be proven in phase III trails. In order to compare the different clinical approaches and early phase I - II studies, there is an urgent need for the establishment and acceptance of new standardized diagnostic tools for detecting and quantifying induced and clinical relevant immune responses in patients. Whether or not subgroups with a certain genetic background, such as specific HLA alleles, reveal a better benefit from tumour vaccinations needs to be further analysed. Currently, only two specific antibodies, targeting membraneous receptors …