Search results for "MICE"
showing 10 items of 6027 documents
Anti-inflammatory profile of dehydrocostic acid, a novel sesquiterpene acid with a pharmacophoric conjugated diene
2005
Sesquiterpene acids are natural products that, in contrast with the thoroughly studied sesquiterpene lactones, have received little pharmacological attention. A good source of this class of compounds is Inula viscosa (Asteraceae), a plant with documented anti-inflammatory effects. The present paper gives the results of our investigations on the biochemical mechanisms involved in the anti-inflammatory activity of one such compound, dehydrocostic acid. The most salient findings were that in vitro dehydrocostic acid inhibits leukotriene B(4) production (IC(50)=22 microM), elastase activity (IC(50)=43 microM) and bee venom phospholipase A(2) activity (IC(50)=17 microM). Furthermore, this sesqui…
Cross-circulation and Cell Distribution Kinetics in Parabiotic Mice
2011
Blood-borne nucleated cells participate not only in inflammation, but in tissue repair and regeneration. Because progenitor and stem cell populations have a low concentration in the blood, the circulation kinetics and tissue distribution of these cells is largely unknown. An important approach to tracking cell lineage is the use of fluorescent tracers and parabiotic models of cross-circulation. Here, we investigated the cross-circulation and cell distribution kinetics of C57/B6 GFP(+)/wild-type parabionts. Flow cytometry analysis of the peripheral blood after parabiosis demonstrated no evidence for a "parabiotic barrier" based on cell size or surface characterstics; all peripheral blood cel…
Metabolism of propafenone and verapamil by cryopreserved human, rat, mouse and dog hepatocytes: comparison with metabolism in vivo
2003
In the present study we examined the metabolism of [(14)C]propafenone (P) and [(14)C]verapamil (V) using cryopreserved human, dog (Beagle), rat (Sprague-Dawley) and mouse (NMRI) hepatocytes. The percentage ratios of the metabolites were identified after extraction by HPLC with UV and radioactivity detection. Phase-II metabolites were cleaved using beta-glucuronidase. Metabolism of the drugs by cryopreserved hepatocytes was compared with that in the respective species in vivo. All phase-I and -II metabolites known from in vivo experiments: 5-hydroxy-P (5-OH-P); 4'-hydroxy-P (4'-OH-P); N-despropyl-P (NdesP) and the respective glucuronides, were identified after incubation with cryopreserved h…
Multipotent Neural Stem Cells Reside into the Rostral Extension and Olfactory Bulb of Adult Rodents
2002
The lateral walls of the forebrain lateral ventricles are the richest source of stem cells in the adult mammalian brain. These stem cells give rise to new olfactory neurons that are renewed throughout life. The neurons originate in the subventricular zone (SVZ), migrate within the rostral extension (RE) of the SVZ along the rostral migratory stream (RMS) within tube-like structures formed of glial cells, to eventually reach the olfactory bulb (OB). We demonstrate that, contrary to the current view, multipotential (neuronal-astroglial-oligodendroglial) precursors with stem cell features can be isolated not only from the SVZ but also from the entire RE, including the distal portion within the…
Effect of polybrominated biphenyls on bromobenzene lethality in mice.
1977
Polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) are inducers of hepatic microsomal cytochrome P450 and P1 450 in rats and mice. The purpose of this study was to determine, in mice, the effect of PBBs on the lethality of the hepatotoxin bromobenzene. Female NMRI mice were administered a single ip injection of 150 mg/kg PBBs and other mice received phenobarbital (PB), 100 mg/kg daily for 3 days, or 3‐methylcholanthrene (MC), 20 mg/kg daily for 3 days. At 24 hr after PB or MC and 24, 48, and 96 hr after PBBs animals received 3,150 mg/kg bromobenzene ip (LD85) and the time to death was recorded. Both PB and MC enhanced bromobenzene lethality and decreased the median time to death (LT50) from 23 hr in controls …
Use of a Genetically Engineered Strain To Evaluate the Pathogenic Potential of Yeast Cell and Filamentous Forms duringCandida albicansSystemic Infect…
2007
ABSTRACTThe pathogenesis ofCandida albicanssystemic infection is complex and results from the balance between its intrinsic virulence attributes and the host immune responses. Morphogenetic transitions between yeast cell and filamentous forms are considered one of the main virulence attributes inC. albicans. We have examined the pathogenesis of a genetically engineeredC. albicansstrain in which morphogenetic conversions can be externally manipulated in immunodeficient mice; these included B-cell deficient, nude (T cell deficient), SCID (lacking both functional T and B cells), and DBA/2N (C5 deficient with impaired neutrophil activity) mice. We also tested mice severely immunosuppressed by c…
Characterization of lymphokine-mediated activation of macrophages for antigen presentation: studies with long-term cultured bone marrow-derived macro…
1984
In cultures of bone marrow (BM) supplemented with L cell-derived colony-stimulating factor a pure population of macrophages (M phi) differentiates, which can be further propagated with a doubling time of 3.8 days. "Young" BMM phi obtained on day 8 of culture were shown to act as antigen-presenting cells inducing the antigen-specific proliferation of the cloned T cell line ST2/K.9, whereas "old" M phi had lost this ability. However, at any time tested (up to 132 days) the presentation function of old BMM phi could be completely restored by pulsing the cells with lymphokines (LK). A duration of 11 hr for the LK-pulse was sufficient to trigger the M phi to exert an optimal presentation functio…
LFA-1 activity state on dendritic cells regulates contact duration with T cells and promotes T-cell priming.
2010
AbstractA key event in the successful induction of adaptive immune responses is the antigen-specific activation of T cells by dendritic cells (DCs). Although LFA-1 (lymphocyte function–associated antigen 1) on T cells is considered to be important for antigen-specific T-cell activation, the role for LFA-1 on DCs remains elusive. Using 2 different approaches to activate LFA-1 on DCs, either by deletion of the αL-integrin cytoplasmic GFFKR sequence or by silencing cytohesin-1–interacting protein, we now provide evidence that DCs are able to make use of active LFA-1 and can thereby control the contact duration with naive T cells. Enhanced duration of DC/T-cell interaction correlates inversely …
Nucleosome-specific, Time-dependent Changes in Histone Modifications during Activation of the Early Growth Response 1 (Egr1) Gene
2014
Histone post-translational modifications and nucleosome remodeling are coordinate events involved in eukaryotic transcriptional regulation. There are relatively few data on the time course with which these events occur in individual nucleosomes. As a contribution to fill this gap, we first describe the nature and time course of structural changes in the nucleosomes -2, -1, and +1 of the murine Egr1 gene upon induction. To initiate the transient activation of the gene, we used the stimulation of MLP29 cells with phorbol esters and the in vivo activation after partial hepatectomy. In both models, nucleosomes -1 and +1 are partially evicted, whereas nucleosomes +1 and -2 slide downstream durin…
Persistent episomal transgene expression in liver following delivery of a scaffold/matrix attachment region containing non-viral vector
2008
An ideal gene therapy vector should enable persistent transgene expression without limitations of safety and reproducibility. Here we report the development of a non-viral episomal plasmid DNA (pDNA) vector that appears to fulfil these criteria. This pDNA vector combines a scaffold/matrix attachment region (S/MAR) with a human liver-specific promoter (alpha1-antitrypsin (AAT)) in such a way that long-term expression is enabled in murine liver following hydrodynamic injection. Long-term expression is demonstrated by monitoring the longitudinal luciferase expression profile for up to 6 months by means of in situ bioluminescent imaging. All relevant control pDNA constructs expressing luciferas…