Search results for "Phage"
showing 10 items of 1573 documents
Oxidative stress-induced glucocorticoid resistance is prevented by dual PDE3/PDE4 inhibition in human alveolar macrophages
2011
Summary Background Oxidative stress is present in airway diseases such as severe asthma or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and contributes to the low response to glucocorticoids through the down-regulation of histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity. Objective To study the effects of the phosphodiesterase (PDE)-3 and 4 inhibitors and their combination vs. glucocorticoids in a model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cytokine release in alveolar macrophages under oxidative stress conditions. Methods Differentiated U937 or human alveolar macrophages were stimulated with H2O2 (10–1000 μm) or cigarette smoke extract (CSE, 0–15%) for 4 h before LPS (0.5 μg/mL, 24 h) addition. In other experime…
Cholesterol accumulation is increased in macrophages of phospholipid transfer protein-deficient mice: normalization by dietary alpha-tocopherol suppl…
2007
Objective— Phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) is a multifunctional, extracellular lipid transport protein that plays a major role in lipoprotein metabolism and atherosclerosis. Recent in vivo studies suggested that unlike systemic PLTP, macrophage-derived PLTP would be antiatherogenic. The present study aimed at characterizing the atheroprotective properties of macrophage-derived PLTP. Methods and Results— Peritoneal macrophages were isolated from PLTP-deficient and wild-type mice and their biochemical characteristics were compared. It is shown that macrophages isolated from PLTP-deficient mice have increased basal cholesterol content and accumulate more cholesterol in the presence of LD…
Transesophageal contrast echocardiography is not always the gold standard method in the identification of a patent foramen ovale: A clinical case
2015
In the embryo, Eustachian valve is a crescent-shaped membrane extending from the lower margin of the inferior vena cava and the ostium of the coronary sinus into the right atrium toward fossa ovalis and tricuspid valve. At birth, after the functional closure of the foramen ovale, the Eustachian valve loses its function, reducing to an embryo remnant. According to growing evidence, a persistent Eustachian valve is a frequent finding in patients with a patent foramen ovale (PFO). By directing the blood from the inferior cava to the interatrial septum, it may prevent the spontaneous closure of PFO after birth and indirectly predispose to paradoxical embolism. Transesophageal contrast enhanced …
Inhibition of the NF-κB Signaling Pathway Mediates the Anti-inflammatory Effects of Petrosaspongiolide M
2003
Petrosaspongiolide M (PT) is a potent secretory phospholipase A(2) inhibitor and anti-inflammatory agent. This marine metabolite reduced the production of nitrite, prostaglandin E(2), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in the mouse air pouch injected with zymosan. These effects were also observed in mouse peritoneal macrophages stimulated with zymosan. Inhibition of these inflammatory mediators was related to reductions in inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclo-oxygenase-2, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha expression. Since nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) appears to play a central role in the transcriptional regulation of these proteins by macrophages, we investigated the effects of PT on thi…
Recombinant Human Single Chain Fv Antibodies Recognizing Human Interleukin-6
1998
A human antibody library was displayed on the surface of filamentous bacteriophage and screened for binding to human interleukin-6 (IL-6). Two antibody-bearing phages were selected that bound IL-6. The complementary-determining region 3 loops of the variable heavy chains of these two antibodies differed in length and sequence and recognized two distinct epitopes. One of the single chain Fv fragments isolated (H1) was found to bind human (but not murine) IL-6 with an affinity comparable to that of the human IL-6 receptor. H1 also recognized newly synthesized human IL-6 intracellularly, as shown by indirect immunofluorescence. H1 did not neutralize human IL-6, and the H1 epitope was mapped to…
Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (CSF) and multilineage CSF recruit human monocytes to express granulocyte CSF
1989
Abstract We assessed the capacity of recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and multilineage (Multi)-CSF to induce release of granulocyte-CSF (G-CSF) by highly purified peripheral blood monocyte (Mo) preparations. Our results reveal that GM-CSF and Multi-CSF, either alone or in a synergistic concert, activate Mo to transcribe G-CSF messenger (m) RNA and release biologically active G- CSF protein into their culture supernatants. G-CSF had no regulatory effect on Mo expression of cytoplasmic G-CSF mRNA levels and G-CSF protein secretion by itself. These differential actions of CSFs provide further insight into self-regulatory mechanisms within the growth f…
Cytokine components and mucosal immunity in the oviduct of Xenopus laevis (amphibia, pipidae)
2011
Abstract Most studies on the mucosal immunity in female reproductive tissues have been performed in mammals. In all species, apart from their reproductive strategies, immunity in the genital mucosa is required to defend the host against luminal pathogens. In this study we investigated the role of the innate immunity of the oviductal mucosa of Xenopus laevis , an amphibian characterized by external fertilization. In particular we examined the expression and localization of Interleukin-1β (IL1B), Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and Interleukin-1 receptor type 1 (IL1R1) in different oviductal portions including an upper glandular region, an intermediate and a lower aglandular regi…
A protective role for interleukin 18 in interferon γ-mediated innate immunity to Cryptosporidium parvum that is independent of natural killer cells.
2012
Innate immunity against some intracellular parasitic protozoa involves interleukin 18 (IL-18)-mediated interferon γ (IFN-γ) production by natural killer (NK) cells, but the role of IL-18 in innate resistance to Cryptosporidium infection is unknown. Adult Rag2(-/-)γc(-/-) mice that lack NK cells, T cells, and B cells demonstrated resistance to Cryptosporidium parvum infection that was IFN-γ dependent. Treatment with anti-IL-18-neutralizing antibodies resulted in loss of resistance correlating with reduced intestinal IFN-γ expression. Intestinal mature IL-18 expression increased in vivo during infection and also in the intestinal epithelial cell line CMT-93 following combined IFN-γ treatment/…
Differential expression of mRNA encoding interleukin-12 p35 and p40 subunitsin situ
1994
Interleukin-12 (IL-12) is a heterodimeric cytokine that plays an important role in the regulation of the immune response. For biological activity the expression of both subunits of IL-12, p35 and p40, is required. Moreover, in the mouse the p40 chain of IL-12 specifically inhibits the effects of the IL-12 heterodimer. In the present study we have analyzed by in situ hybridization the expression of the p35 and p40 mRNA in the spleens of BALB/c and mutant (SCID, nude, beige) mice, unstimulated and after in vivo stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and with staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB). In unstimulated spleens of BALB/c mice p35 and p40 mRNA were only detectable in a few strongly st…
Bacteriophage Adherence to Mucus Mediates Preventive Protection against Pathogenic Bacteria
2019
The mucosal surfaces of animals are habitat for microbes, including viruses. Bacteriophages—viruses that infect bacteria—were shown to be able to bind to mucus. This may result in a symbiotic relationship in which phages find bacterial hosts to infect, protecting the mucus-producing animal from bacterial infections in the process. Here, we studied phage binding on mucus and the effect of mucin on phage-bacterium interactions. The significance of our research is in showing that phage adhesion to mucus results in preventive protection against bacterial infections, which will serve as basis for the development of prophylactic phage therapy approaches. Besides, we also reveal that exposure to m…