Search results for "nkg"
showing 10 items of 46 documents
CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells inhibit natural killer cell functions in a transforming growth factor-beta-dependent manner.
2007
Tumor growth promotes the expansion of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T (T reg) cells that counteract T cell–mediated immune responses. An inverse correlation between natural killer (NK) cell activation and T reg cell expansion in tumor-bearing patients, shown here, prompted us to address the role of T reg cells in controlling innate antitumor immunity. Our experiments indicate that human T reg cells expressed membrane-bound transforming growth factor (TGF)–β, which directly inhibited NK cell effector functions and down-regulated NKG2D receptors on the NK cell surface. Adoptive transfer of wild-type T reg cells but not TGF-β−/− T reg cells into nude mice suppressed NK cell–mediated cytotoxicity, redu…
Effect of the extract of Ginkgo biloba (EGb 761) on the circulating and cellular profiles of polyunsaturated fatty acids: correlation with the anti-o…
2000
Abstract Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb 761) has beneficial effects on cognitive functions in aging patients, and on various pathologies, including cardiovascular diseases. Although the extract is known to have antioxidant properties and improve membrane fluidity, the cellular mechanisms underlying these effects have not been determined. Here, we examined the in vivo effects of EGb 761 on circulating and cellular lipids. EGb 761 treatment induced significant increases in the levels of circulating polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and a decrease in the saturation index SI (saturated/polyunsaturated species). Plasma triglycerides and cholesterol were not affected, while phospholipids were slig…
Phospholipid breakdown and choline release under hypoxic conditions: inhibition by bilobalide, a constituent of Ginkgo biloba
1997
A marked increase of choline release from rat hippocampal slices was observed when the slices were superfused with oxygen-free buffer, indicating hypoxia-induced hydrolysis of choline-containing phospholipids. This increase of choline release was suppressed by bilobalide, an ingredient of Ginkgo biloba, but not by a mixture of ginkgolides. The EC50 value for bilobalide was 0.38 microM. In ex vivo experiments, bilobalide also inhibited hypoxia-induced choline release when given p.o. in doses of 2-20 mg/kg 1 h prior to slice preparation. The half-maximum effect was observed with 6 mg/kg bilobalide. A similar effect was noted after p.o. administration of 200 mg/kg EGb 761, a ginkgo extract con…
Bilobalide, a constituent of Ginkgo biloba , inhibits NMDA-induced phospholipase A 2 activation and phospholipid breakdown in rat hippocampus
2000
In rat hippocampal slices superfused with magnesium-free buffer, glutamate (1 mM) caused the release of large amounts of choline due to phospholipid breakdown. This phenomenon was mimicked by N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) in a calcium-sensitive manner and was blocked by NMDA receptor antagonists such as MK-801 and 7-chlorokynurenate. The NMDA-induced release of choline was not caused by activation of phospholipase D but was mediated by phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activation as the release of choline was accompanied by the formation of lyso-phosphatidylcholine (lyso-PC) and glycerophospho-choline (GPCh) and was blocked by 5-[2-(2-carboxyethyl)-4-dodecanoyl-3,5-dimethylpyrrol-1-yl]pentano ic acid, …
Role of GABAergic antagonism in the neuroprotective effects of bilobalide
2006
Bilobalide, a constituent of Ginkgo biloba, has neuroprotective properties. Its mechanism of action is unknown but it was recently found to block GABA(A) receptors. The goal of this study was to test the potential role of a GABAergic mechanism for the neuroprotective activity of bilobalide. In rat hippocampal slices exposed to NMDA, release of choline indicates breakdown of membrane phospholipids. NMDA-induced choline release was almost completely blocked in the presence of bilobalide (10 microM) and under low-chloride conditions. Bicuculline (100 microM), a competitive antagonist at GABA(A) receptors, reduced NMDA-induced choline release to a small extent (-23%). GABA (100 microM) partiall…
Why Women Have More Alzheimer's Disease Than Men: Gender and Mitochondrial Toxicity of Amyloid-β Peptide
2010
The main risk factors for developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) are age and gender. The incidence of the disease is higher in women than in men, and this cannot simply be attributed to the higher longevity of women versus men. Thus, there must be a specific pathogenic mechanism to explain the higher incidence of AD cases in women. In this regard, it is notable that mitochondria from young females are protected against amyloid-beta toxicity, generate less reactive oxygen species, and release less apoptogenic signals than those from males. However, all this advantage is lost in mitochondria from old females. Since estrogenic compounds protect against mitochondrial toxicity of amyloid-beta, estr…
Mitochondrial damage in aging and apoptosis.
2002
: Mitochondria are essential to cellular aging, and free radical production by mitochondria is increased with aging. The rate of oxidant production by mitochondria correlates inversely with maximal life span of species. In many species, females live longer than males. We report that mitochondrial oxidant production by females is significantly lower than that of males. However, mitochondria from ovariectomized females have a similar oxidant production as those of males. Thus, gender difference in life span can be explained, at least in part, by different oxidant generation by mitochondria. Administration of antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E, or a Ginkgo biloba extract, protects against …
Irradiation detection of herbal ingredients used in plant food supplements by Electron Spin Resonance on samples pre-treated with alcoholic extraction
2020
Abstract This study aimed to verify the applicability of the EN 1787 method for the detection of irradiation in herbal ingredients used in Plant Food Supplements (PFSs). In matrices such as herbs and spices the main limit of the method is the presence of intrinsic radicals responsible for spurious signals leading to complex ESR spectra. To overcome this limit, before ESR measurement a treatment with alcohol has been proposed (Delincee and Soika, 2002; Ahn et al., 2012, 2014). As reported in the literature, this treatment is expected to reduce/eliminate the confounding signals so that the samples may be correctly classified. In this study the efficacy of the pre-treatment was tested on raw h…
Causes and Consequences of Damage to Mitochondria: Study of Functional Aspects by Flow Cytometry
2003
A rapidly increasing amount of data supports the view that progressive bioenergetic loss caused by injury of the main energy-producing subcellular organelles, that is, the mitochondria, plays a key role in aging. A link between senescence and energy loss is already implied in Harman's (1) free radical theory of aging, according to which oxygen-derived free radicals injure the cells, with concomitant impairment of performance at the cellular and physiological levels. Further, Miquel and co-workers (2, 3) have proposed a mitochondrial theory of aging, according to which aging results from oxygen stress damage to the mitochondrial genome, with concomitant bioenergetic decline. More recently, a…
Nutritional prevention of cognitive decline and dementia.
2018
Cognitive impairment results from a complex interplay of many factors. The most important independent predictor of cognitive decline is age but other contributing factors include demographic, genetic, socio-economic, and environmental parameters, including nutrition. The number of persons with cognitive decline and dementia will increase in the next decades in parallel with aging of the world population. Effective pharmaceutical treatments for age-related cognitive decline are lacking, emphasizing the importance of prevention strategies. There is extensive evidence supporting a relationship between diet and cognitive functions. Thus, nutritional approaches to prevent or slow cognitive decli…