Search results for "NEUTROPHIL"
showing 10 items of 449 documents
Carbocysteine regulates innate immune responses and senescence processes in cigarette smoke stimulated bronchial epithelial cells
2013
Cigarette smoke represents the major risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Cigarette smoke extracts (CSE) alter TLR4 expression and activation in bronchial epithelial cells. Carbocysteine, an anti-oxidant and mucolytic agent, is effective in reducing the severity and the rate of exacerbations in COPD patients. The effects of carbocysteine on TLR4 expression and on the TLR4 activation downstream events are largely unknown. This study was aimed to explore whether carbocysteine, in a human bronchial epithelial cell line (16-HBE), counteracted some pro-inflammatory CSE-mediated effects. In particular, TLR4 expression, LPS binding, p21 (a senescence marker), IL-8 mRNA and…
Roflumilast N-oxide reverses corticosteroid resistance in neutrophils from patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
2013
Background Glucocorticoid functions are markedly impaired in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor roflumilast N-oxide (RNO) is the active metabolite of roflumilast approved as a treatment to reduce the risk of exacerbations in patients with severe COPD. Objective We sought to characterize the differential effects of RNO versus corticosteroids and their potential additive/synergistic effect in neutrophils from patients with COPD, thus providing scientific rationale for the combination of roflumilast with corticosteroids in the clinic. Methods Peripheral blood neutrophils were isolated from patients with COPD (n = 32), smokers (n = 7), …
Cytotoxic effects of antibodies to proteinase 3 (C-ANCA) on human endothelial cells.
1994
SUMMARY Autoantibodies directed against cytoplasmic antigens of neutrophils (ANCA), especially those with specificity for proteinase 3 (PR-3) and myeloperoxidase, are valuable markers for differential diagnosis and monitoring of disease activity in Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) and other vasculitides. Till now, several concepts concerning a direct role of antibodies against PR-3 in the pathogenesis of WG have been discussed. Recently we were able to show that these antibodies recognize PR-3 translocated into the membrane of human endothelial cells. The aim of this study was to investigate putative cytotoxic effects of antibodies to PR-3 on human endothelial cells. Antibodies were obtained b…
The pyrrole moiety as a template for COX-1/COX-2 inhibitors
2000
Aroyl- and thiophene-substituted pyrrole derivatives have been synthesized as a new class of COX-1/COX-2 inhibitors. The inhibition of COX-1 was evaluated in a biological system using bovine PMNLs as the enzyme source, whereas LPS-stimulated human monocytes served as the enzyme source for inducible COX-2. The determination of the concentration of arachidonic acid metabolites was performed by HPLC for COX-1 and RIA for COX-2. Variation of the substitution pattern led to a series of active compounds which showed inhibition for COX-1 and COX-2. Structural requirements for the development of COX-1/COX-2 inhibitors are discussed.
Inhibition of Granulocyte Function by Prednisolone and Non-Steroid Anti-Inflammatory Drugs. Quantitative Evaluation with NBT Test and its Correlation…
1980
The effect of prednisolone and non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs on PMNL (polymorphonuclear leucocytes) oxidative metabolism was quantified with a newly standardized NBT test, and it was investigated whether these effects correlate with phagocytosing capacity of PMNL. Prednisolone inhibits NBT reduction in dose dependency already at concentrations, which do not interfere with phagocytosis. Thus prednisolone dissociates phagocytosis and phagocytosis-associated oxidative metabolism. High doses of prednisolone also inhibit phagocytosis. These effects of prednisolone are still demonstrable when PMNL are washed after pre-incubation with the drug. The non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (indome…
Antibodies to proteinase 3 increase adhesion of neutrophils to human endothelial cells
1993
SUMMARY The detection of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA), especially those with specificity for proteinase 3, is important in the diagnosis and in monitoring disease activity of Wegener's granulomatosis and related vasculitides. An ubiquitous feature of all ANCA-associated acute vascular injury is lytic necrosis. Adhesion of neutrophils to endothelium is a fundamental early step of the inflammatory response. Recently we were able to show that ANCA recognize their target antigen (proteinase 3) translocated into the membrane of human endothelial cells. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of ANCA on the adhesion of neutrophils to human endothelial cells. Incubatio…
Characterization of a novel population of low-density granulocytes associated with disease severity in HIV-1 infection
2012
The mechanisms resulting in progressive immune dysfunction during the chronic phase of HIV infection are not fully understood. We have previously shown that arginase, an enzyme with potent immunosuppressive properties, is increased in HIV seropositive (HIV+) patients with low CD4(+) T cell counts. Here we show that the cells expressing arginase in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of HIV+ patients are low-density granulocytes (LDGs) and that whereas these cells have a similar morphology to normal-density granulocyte, they are phenotypically different. Importantly, our results reveal that increased frequencies of LDGs correlate with disease severity in HIV+ patients.
COVID-19 disease - Temporal analyses of complete blood count parameters over course of illness, and relationship to patient demographics and manageme…
2020
Background Detailed temporal analyses of complete (full) blood count (CBC) parameters, their evolution and relationship to patient age, gender, co-morbidities and management outcomes in survivors and non-survivors with COVID-19 disease, could identify prognostic clinical biomarkers. Methods From 29 January 2020 until 28 March 2020, we performed a longitudinal cohort study of COVID-19 inpatients at the Italian National Institute for Infectious Diseases, Rome, Italy. 9 CBC parameters were studied as continuous variables [neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, platelets, mean platelet volume, red blood cell count, haemoglobin concentration, mean red blood cell volume and red blood cell distribu…
Transmembrane beta-barrel of staphylococcal alpha-toxin forms in sensitive but not in resistant cells.
1997
Staphylococcal α-toxin is a 293-residue, single-chain polypeptide that spontaneously assembles into a heptameric pore in target cell membranes. To identify the pore-forming domain, substitution mutants have been produced in which single cysteine residues were introduced throughout the toxin molecule. By attaching the environmentally sensitive dye acrylodan to the sulfhydryl groups, the environment of individual amino acid side chains could be probed. In liposomes, a single 23-amino acid sequence (residues 118–140) was found to move from a polar to a nonpolar environment, indicating that this sequence forms the walls of the pore. However, periodicity in side chain environmental polarity coul…
Digestive vacuoles of Plasmodium falciparum are selectively phagocytosed by and impair killing function of polymorphonuclear leukocytes.
2011
AbstractSequestration of parasitized erythrocytes and dysregulation of the coagulation and complement system are hallmarks of severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria. A link between these events emerged through the discovery that the parasite digestive vacuole (DV), which is released together with infective merozoites into the bloodstream, dually activates the intrinsic clotting and alternative complement pathway. Complement attack occurs exclusively on the membrane of the DVs, and the question followed whether DVs might be marked for uptake by polymorphonuclear granulocytes (PMNs). We report that DVs are indeed rapidly phagocytosed by PMNs after schizont rupture in active human serum. Uptake …