Psoriasis is a common chronic autoimmune condition of the skin characterized by hyperplasia of epidermal keratinocytes associated with pro-inflammatory cytokines. IL-33 is a new member of the IL-1 superfamily that signals through the ST2 receptor and was originally defined as an inducer of T helper 2 (Th2) cytokines. Recently, broader ...

Monocytes and macrophages link the innate and adaptive immune systems and protect the host from the outside world. In inflammatory disorders their activation leads to tissue damage. Galectins have emerged as central regulators of the immune system. However, if they regulate monocyte/macrophage physiology is still unknown. Binding of Gal-1, Gal-2, ...

BACKGROUND: Recent studies suggest that peritoneal fluid (PF) may be an important mediator of inflammation. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that PF may drive systemic inflammation in intra-abdominal sepsis by representing a priming agent for neutrophils. METHODS: PF was collected 12 hours after the initiation ...

The ectonucleotidase NTPDase1 (CD39) terminates P2 receptor activation by the hydrolysis of extracellular nucleotides (i.e., the P2 receptor ligands). In agreement with that role, exacerbated inflammation has been observed in NTPDase1-deficient mice. In this study, we extend these observations by showing that inhibition of NTPDase1 markedly increases IL-8 production by ...

Sulfur mustard (SM, bis(2-chloroethyl)sulfide) is a bifunctional alkylating agent that causes dermal inflammation, edema and blistering. To investigate the pathogenesis of SM-induced injury, we used a vapor cup model which provides an occlusive environment in which SM is in constant contact with the skin. The dorsal skin of SKH-1 hairless ...

Inflammation is frequently linked to preterm delivery (PTD). Here, we tested the hypothesis that complement activation plays a role in cervical remodeling and PTD. We studied two mouse models of inflammation-induced PTD. The first model was induced by vaginal administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and the second one by administration of ...

No medication exists that clearly improves mortality of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Oxidative molecules, in particular superoxide anions play important roles in the COPD-associated abnormal inflammatory response and pulmonary emphysema, which arises due to an imbalance in proteases and antiproteases and increased apoptosis. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) catalyses the dismutation ...

The causative/regulatory connections between changes in tissue redox state and fever induction were investigated herein. Wherefore, LPS, the primary element of bacterial cell wall, in addition to inducing pro-inflammatory cytokines, activated macrophages and other leukocytes to secrete hydroxyl radical (OH), nitric oxide metabolites (NO(x)(-)), superoxide (O(2)) and other reactive oxygen/nitrogen ...

Circulating monocytes are divided into two major, phenotypically and functionally distinct subsets: Gr-1(hi) "inflammatory" and Gr-1(lo) "resting" monocytes. One of the unique cellular abnormalities in lupus-prone mice is monocytosis, which is characterized by a selective expansion of Gr-1(lo) monocytes and dependent on the expression of stimulatory IgG Fc receptors (FcγR). ...

Neutrophils enter the peripheral blood from the bone marrow and die after a short time. Molecular analysis of spontaneous neutrophil apoptosis is difficult as these cells die rapidly and cannot be easily manipulated. We use conditional Hoxb8 expression to generate mouse neutrophils and test the regulation of apoptosis by extensive ...

Clinical and epidemiological studies implicate IL-1 as an important mediator of perinatal inflammation. We tested the hypothesis that intra-amniotic IL-1α would induce pulmonary and systemic fetal inflammatory responses. Sheep with singleton fetuses were given an intra-amniotic injection of recombinant sheep IL-1α (100 μg) and were delivered 1, 3, or 7 ...

The macrophage plays a major role in the induction and resolution phases of inflammation; however, how lipid mediator-derived signals may modulate macrophage function in the resolution of inflammation driven by microbes (e.g. in inflammatory bowel disease) is not well understood. We examined the effects of aspirin-triggered lipoxin (ATL), a stable ...

Investigation on novel targets for the treatment of Cystic Fibrosis (CF) lung inflammation is a major priority, considering that no effective therapy is available for this purpose. Consistently with the evidence that the sphingolipid (SL) ceramide regulates airway inflammation and infection in CF mice and patients, SLs have been identified ...

Strategies that block infiltration of leukocytes into the injured spinal cord improve sparing of white matter and neurologic recovery. Here we examine the dependency of recovery on hematogenous depletion of neutrophils and macrophages. Mice were depleted of neutrophils or macrophages by systemic administration of anti-Ly6G or clodronate-liposomes. A third group ...

Induction of parturition with glucocorticosteroids in cattle is used for research purposes, in diseased or injured pregnant cows, and as a management tool to time parturition. A negative side effect of induction of parturition with glucocorticosteroids is the high incidence of retained placenta that occurs after these calvings. Reaction of ...

Prostaglandin E2 constitutes a major cyclooxygenase-2-derived prostanoid produced at inflammatory sites. In vitro and in vivo data supports its role as a modulator of inflammation. Prostaglandin E2 exerts anti-inflammatory effects by binding to one of its receptors, the prostaglandin E receptor 4 (EP4), thereby modulating macrophage and T lymphocyte functions ...

Environmental signals at the site of inflammation mediate rapid monocyte mobilization and dictate differentiation programs whereby these cells give rise to macrophages or dendritic cells. Monocytes participate in tissue healing, clearance of pathogens and dead cells, and initiation of adaptive immunity. However, recruited monocytes can also contribute to the pathogenesis ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: After ovulation in the cow, the corpus luteum (CL) rapidly develops within a few days with angiogenesis and progesterone production. CL formation resembles an inflammatory response due to the influx of immune cells. Neutrophils play a role in host defense and inflammation, and secrete chemoattractants to stimulate angiogenesis. ...

Macrophages, which are abundant in the tumour microenvironment, enhance malignancy. At metastatic sites, a distinct population of metastasis-associated macrophages promotes the extravasation, seeding and persistent growth of tumour cells. Here we define the origin of these macrophages by showing that Gr1-positive inflammatory monocytes are preferentially recruited to pulmonary metastases but ...

Aims: We wanted to test the proinflammatory effects of vinyltriethoxysilane-based organically modified silica nanoparticles (ORMOSIL-NPs) in vitro on blood leukocytes. Materials & methods: Cell selectivity, cytokines/chemokines and O(2) (-) production were analyzed using nonpolyethylene glycol (PEG)ylated and PEGylated ORMOSIL-NPs, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)-NPs and small unilamellar vesicles (SUV)-NPs. Results: ORMOSIL-NPs mostly ...

Vasculopathy including endothelial cell apoptosis and inflammation contributes to the high incidence of stroke and myocardial infarction in diabetic patients. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of calycosin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (CG), a phytoestrogen, on advanced glycation end products (AGEs)-induced HUVEC damage. We observed that CG can significantly ...

Analyses of neutrophil death mechanisms have revealed many similarities with other cell types; however, a few important molecular features make these cells unique executors of cell death mechanisms. For instance, in order to fight invading pathogens, neutrophils possess a potent machinery to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), the phagocyte nicotinamide ...

Eur J Clin Invest 2011 ABSTRACT: Introduction  The bile acid-phospholipid conjugate ursodeoxycholyl lysophosphatidylethanolamide (UDCA-LPE) is a promising novel compound with profound hepatoprotective functions in vitro and in vivo. Because of high costs of LPE synthesis from hydrolysis of phosphatidylethanolamide (PE), costs for UDCA-LPE synthesis for in vivo and human use ...

Candida albicans is a leading cause of biofilm-related infections. As Candida biofilms are recalcitrant to host defenses, we sought to determine the effects of interferon-γ and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, two pro-inflammatory cytokines, on the antifungal activities of human polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) against C. albicans biofilms, using an in vitro biofilm ...

Reflux oesophagitis (RO) is defined as the inflammation of the lower oesophagus due to damage caused by acid reflux from the stomach. Histopathologic features of acid reflux include epithelial hyperplasia, baloon cells, basal cell hyperplasia, papillary elongation, dilated intercellular spaces representing epithelial oedema, vascular congestion, and inflammatory cell infiltration comprising ...

Purpose: The aim of this study was to ascertain the role of different vascular access types in inflammatory status, monocyte activation, and senescence in hemodialysis patients.Methods: We recruited 126 hemodialysis patients, including 51 with arterovenous fistula (AVF), 32 with arterovenous graft (AVG), and 43 with tunneled cuffed catheters (TCC). In ...

Purinergic receptors or purinoceptors are expressed in many mammalian cells and are activated by extracellular purines (adenine, purine nucleotides and nucleosides). Both adenosine (P1) and nucleotide/nucleoside (P2, grouped in P2X and P2Y subtypes) receptors exert important role in the inflammatory processes. The significative up-regulation of many purinoceptors located on the ...

There are few studies on the ischemic necrosis and apoptosis of septal cartilage after using bilateral spreader grafts in rhinoplasty. We attempted to evaluate structural changes to the septal cartilage after using the bilateral spreader graft and herein propose possible involved mechanisms observed by histopathologic examination, the apoptosis index using ...

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) can be expanded from different sources. We compared the influence of inflammation and TLR ligation on the phenotype and function of MSC derived from bone marrow (BM), adipose tissue (AT), and Wharton's jelly (WJ). WJ-MSC were featured by a lack of TLR4 expression. While inflammation upregulated ...

Inflammation is a component of tumour progression mechanisms. Neutrophils are a common inflammatory infiltrate in many tumours, but their regulation and functions in neoplasia are not understood. We recently demonstrated that pro-inflammatory IL-17-producing cells recruited blood neutrophils into the peritumoural stroma of hepatocellular carcinoma by epithelium-derived CXC chemokines. Here we ...

Endotoxin, an outer membrane component of Gram-negative bacteria, plays an important role in the pathogenesis of septic shock. Endotoxin adsorption therapy by polymyxin B-immobilized fiber column hemoperfusion (PMX) has been used for the treatment of septic shock patients in Japan since 1994. The covalent binding of polymyxin B onto the ...

RATIONALE: Apocynin suppresses the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are implicated in ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). We thus hypothesized that apocynin attenuates VILI. METHODS: VILI was induced by mechanical ventilation with tidal volume (V (t)) of 15 ml/kg in isolated and perfused rat lung. Apocynin was administered in the ...

Increased circulating and tissue levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) are often present in severe inflammatory states associated with neutrophil activation and accumulation and correlate with poor clinical outcome from many of these conditions. The mechanisms by which PAI-1 contributes to inflammation have not been fully delineated. In the ...

RATIONALE: The pulmonary phenotype of Hermansky Pudlak syndrome (HPS) in adults includes foamy alveolar type 2 cells, inflammation, and lung remodeling, but there is no information on the ontogeny nor on early disease mediators. OBJECTIVES: To establish ontogeny of HPS lung disease in an animal model, examine disease mediators, and ...

Monocytes from tuberculosis patients exhibit functional and phenotypical alterations compared with healthy controls. To determine whether these discrepancies can be explained by changes in monocyte subsets, the expression of CD14 and CD16 was evaluated in tuberculosis patients and healthy controls; additionally, some markers related to the mononuclear phagocytes maturation, differentiation ...

In obesity, chronic low-grade inflammation is thought to mediate the effects of increased adipose tissue mass on metabolic comorbidity. Of the different cell types that contribute to obesity-induced inflammation in adipose tissue, this review focuses on macrophages and their monocytes precursors. Mechanisms for monocyte recruitment to adipose tissue, and how ...

The chemokine receptors CCR1, CCR2, CCR3, CCR5, and CXCR2 have been found to be expressed on microglia in many neurodegenerative diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease. There is emerging evidence that chemokines, besides chemoattraction, might directly modulate reactive profiles of microglia. To address this hypothesis we have investigated ...

The aim of this study was to define the functional role of a recently identified RahU protein from Pseudomonas aeruginosa in macrophages and its role in bacterial defense. Recombinant (r)-RahU had no significant effect on cell apoptosis or cell viability in human monocytic THP-1 cells. Gene expression array of murine ...

Heaves in horses is characterized by lower airway neutrophilic inflammation, and reversible airflow obstruction. Pulmonary macrophages contribute to the inflammation observed in a number of human and animal pulmonary diseases, and it has been postulated that they are responsible for the neutrophilic inflammation present in heaves by the release of ...

Atherosclerosis and associated cardiovascular disease are the leading causes of mortality in developed countries and the World Health Organization has estimated that by 2020 these disorders will be the main sanitary and socio-economic problem world-wide due in part to the progressive aging of our societies. Atherosclerosis is a complex chronic ...

The signalling lipid phosphatidic acid (PA) is generated by the hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine (PC), which is catalysed by phospholipase D (PLD) enzymes. Neutrophils, important cells of the innate immune system, maintain the body's defence against infection. Previous studies have implicated PLD-generated PA in neutrophil function; these have relied heavily on ...

Hippophae rhamnoides has been extensively used in oriental traditional medicines for treatment of asthma, skin diseases, gastric ulcers, and lung disorders. In this study, we isolated casuarinin from the leaves of H.rhamnoides and examined the effect of casuarinin on the TNF-α-induced ICAM-1 expression in a human keratinocytes cell line HaCaT. ...

Context: Malva parviflora L. (Malvaceae) is widely distributed throughout Africa. It has several uses in traditional medicinal practice. Leaves of this plant are used in the treatment of some inflammatory disorders. Objective: The anti-inflammatory and the antioxidant activities of the methanol extract (Met. E) and aqueous extract (Aq. E) of ...

Aim: Pharmacological profiling techniques, such as the cantharidin-induced skin blister, may be used to assess the anti-inflammatory properties of novel drugs. However, no data are available on the reproducibility of this technique or on the blocking effect of anti-inflammatory drugs, such as anti-TNF and corticosteroids. Methods: A group of 30 ...

There is a tight interaction of the bone and the immune system. However, little is known about the relevance of the complement system, an important part of innate immunity and a crucial trigger for inflammation. The aim of this study was, therefore, to investigate the presence and function of complement ...

Efficient execution of apoptotic cell death followed by efficient clearance mediated by professional macrophages is a key mechanism in maintaining tissue homeostasis. Removal of apoptotic cells usually involves three central elements: 1) attraction of phagocytes via soluble "find me" signals, 2) recognition and phagocytosis via cell surface-presenting "eat me" signals, ...

AIM OF THE STUDY: As a Chinese traditional herbal medicine, leaves of Platycladus orientalis (Linnaeus) Franco (LPO) are used to treat coughs, excessive mucus secretion, chronic bronchitis, bronchiectasis, and asthma, etc. The experiments were carried out to investigate their anti-inflammatory properties and mechanisms, which could support the Chinese traditional uses ...

Inflammatory tissue injury and immunosuppression are the major causes of death in sepsis. Novel therapeutic targets that can prevent excessive inflammation and improve immune responses during sepsis could be critical for treatment of this devastating disease. LOX-1 (lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1), a membrane protein expressed in endothelial cells, has ...

Exposure to the major air pollutant ozone can aggravate asthma and other lung diseases. Our recent study in human volunteers has shown that the glutathione S-transferase Mu 1 (GSTM1)-null genotype is associated with increased airway neutrophilic inflammation induced by inhaled ozone. The aim of this study was to examine the ...

Catecholamines released from the sympathetic nervous system in response to stress or injury impact expression of inflammatory cytokines generated by immune cells. α(1)-Adrenergic receptors (AR) are expressed on innate immune cell populations, but their subtype expression patterns and signaling characteristics are not well characterized. Primary human monocytes, a human monocytic ...