Search results for "Macrophage"
showing 10 items of 781 documents
Janus -faced liposomes enhance antimicrobial innate immune response in Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection
2012
We have generated unique asymmetric liposomes with phosphatidylserine (PS) distributed at the outer membrane surface to resemble apoptotic bodies and phosphatidic acid (PA) at the inner layer as a strategy to enhance innate antimycobacterial activity in phagocytes while limiting the inflammatory response. Results show that these apoptotic body-like liposomes carrying PA (ABL/PA) ( i ) are more efficiently internalized by human macrophages than by nonprofessional phagocytes, ( ii ) induce cytosolic Ca 2+ influx, ( iii ) promote Ca 2+ -dependent maturation of phagolysosomes containing Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), ( iv ) induce Ca 2+ -dependent reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, (…
Cyclosporine A Impairs the Macrophage Reverse Cholesterol Transport in Mice by Reducing Sterol Fecal Excretion
2012
Despite the efficacy in reducing acute rejection events in organ transplanted subjects, long term therapy with cyclosporine A is associated with increased atherosclerotic cardiovascular morbidity. We studied whether this drug affects the antiatherogenic process of the reverse cholesterol transport from macrophages in vivo. Cyclosporine A 50 mg/kg/d was administered to C57BL/6 mice by subcutaneous injection for 14 days. Macrophage reverse cholesterol transport was assessed by following [(3)H]-cholesterol mobilization from pre-labeled intraperitoneally injected macrophages, expressing or not apolipoprotein E, to plasma, liver and feces. The pharmacological treatment significantly reduced the …
Activation of L-arginine transport by protein kinase C in rabbit, rat and mouse alveolar macrophages
1998
1 The role of protein kinase C in controlling L-arginine transport in alveolar macrophages was investigated. 2 L-[3H]Arginine uptake in rabbit alveolar macrophages declined by 80 % after 20 h in culture. 4β-Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), but not 4α-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (α-PMA), present during 20 h culture, enhanced L-[3H]arginine uptake more than 10-fold. Staurosporine and chelerythrine opposed this effect. 3 L-[3H]Arginine uptake was saturable and blockable by L-lysine. After PMA treatment Vmax was increased more than 5-fold and Km was reduced from 0.65 to 0.32 mM. 4 Time course experiments showed that PMA increased L-[3H]arginine uptake almost maximally within 2 h. This…
iNOS-derived nitric oxide mediates the increase in TFF2 expression associated with gastric damage: role of HIF-1.
2009
Trefoil (TFF) peptides are involved in gastrointestinal mucosal restitution. An hypoxia inducible factor 1 (HIF-1)-dependent induction of TFF genes has been reported in gastric epithelial cells. Nitric oxide (NO) is associated with mucosal damage and modulates HIF-1 activity. The aim of the present study was to analyze the role of iNOS-derived NO in HIF-1alpha stabilization and TFF gene expression in damaged gastric mucosa. Aspirin caused gastric injury that peaked 6 h after dosing and returned to normality at 24 h. iNOS mRNA expression occurs in the corpus in parallel with damage. Blockade of iNOS activity did not modify gastric lesions induced by aspirin but delayed mucosal healing. Aspir…
Phytochemical and pharmacological studies on the acetonic extract of Marrubium globosum ssp. libanoticum
2006
A new natural labdane diterpene, marrulibanoside, was isolated from the acetonic extract of aerial parts of M. globosum Montbr. et Auch. ex Benth. ssp. libanoticum Boiss. (Lamiaceae). Its structure was determined by spectroscopic methods such as 1D and 2D NMR and mass spectrometry. Pharmacological studies have shown that the extract of M. globosum exerts anti-inflammatory effects in the rat paw oedema induced by carrageenin resulting in reduced paw swelling. This activity, which seems due to marrulibanoside, is a consequence of iNOS and COX-2 activities inhibition.
TGF-β Signaling Pathways in Different Compartments of the Lower Airways of Patients With Stable COPD
2017
Background: The expression and localization of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) pathway proteins in different compartments of the lower airways of patients with stable COPD is unclear. We aimed to determine TGF-β pathway protein expression in patients with stable COPD. Methods: The expression and localization of TGF-β pathway components was measured in the bronchial mucosa and peripheral lungs of patients with stable COPD (n = 44), control smokers with normal lung function (n = 24), and control nonsmoking subjects (n = 11) using immunohistochemical analysis. Results: TGF-β1, TGF-β3, and connective tissue growth factor expression were significantly decreased in the bronchiolar epithelium…
In vivo and in vitro cytokine profiles and mononuclear cell subsets in sicilian patients with active visceral leishmaniasis
1995
Sera from Sicilian patients with confirmed visceral leishmaniasis (Leishmania donovani infantum) were analysed at the moment of the diagnosis, during the course of the disease and after clinical recovery, for the concentration of IL-10, IFN-gamma, IL-4 and IL-2. The results show high concentrations of IL-10 and IFN-gamma in the sera at the beginning of infection that return to the normal range following successful chemotherapy. By contrast, PBMC stimulated in vitro with Ag and mitogen produced low levels of IL-10 and IFN-gamma when collected at the time of the diagnosis and normal levels when assayed after recovery. IL-2 was undetected in the sera and was significantly reduced in the supern…
Circulating mir-320a promotes immunosuppressive macrophages M2 phenotype associated with lung cancer risk
2019
miRNAs play a central role in the complex signaling network of cancer cells with the tumor microenvironment. Little is known on the origin of circulating miRNAs and their relationship with the tumor microenvironment in lung cancer. Here, we focused on the cellular source and relative contribution of different cell types to circulating miRNAs composing our risk classifier of lung cancer using in vitro/in vivo models and clinical samples. A cell‐type specific expression pattern and topography of several miRNAs such as mir‐145 in fibroblasts, mir‐126 in endothelial cells, mir‐133a in skeletal muscle cells was observed in normal and lung cancer tissues. Granulocytes and platelets are the major …
Granulocyte-macrophage-colony-stimulating factor enhances immune responses to melanoma-associated peptides in vivo.
1996
Peptide epitopes derived from differentiation antigens of the melanocyte lineage were recently identified in human melanomas as targets for MHC-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). The characterization of multiple CTL-defined antigenic determinants has opened possibilities of development of antigen-targeted vaccines. In the present study, we determined CTL reactivity against melanoma-associated peptides derived from Melan A/MART-1, tyrosinase, and gp100/Pmel17 in 3 HLA-A2+ melanoma patients. Then, we assessed the immune responses to synthetic melanoma-associated peptides injected intradermally. After 3 cycles of immunization with peptide alone, we used systemic GM-CSF as an adjuvant du…
Heat shock protein 60 levels in tissue and circulating exosomes in human large bowel cancer before and after ablative surgery.
2015
BACKGROUND: Heat shock protein 60 (Hsp60) is a chaperonin involved in tumorigenesis, but its participation in tumor development and progression is not well understood and its value as a tumor biomarker has not been fully elucidated. In the current study, the authors presented evidence supporting the theory that Hsp60 has potential as a biomarker as well as a therapeutic target in patients with large bowel cancer. METHODS: The authors studied a population of 97 subjects, including patients and controls. Immunomorphology, Western blot analysis, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction were performed on tissue specimens. Exosomes were isolated from blood and characterized by electr…