BACKGROUND & AIMS: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is characterized by dense infiltrates of and defective apoptosis by mucosal cell populations. Some probiotics inhibit monocytes' expansion, although mechanisms remain unknown. Supernatants of Lactobacillus strains were investigated for inducing apoptosis of monocytes. METHODS: Secreted factors produced by Lactobacillus strains were tested on ...

Carbon nanotubes are considered to be one of the novel most attractive materials in nanotechnology. Because of their multiple industrial and biomedical applications, thorough studies on their toxicity and biocompatibility become a priority in order to prevent possible health risks. In this study the effects of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) ...

A current paradigm states that monocytes circulate freely and patrol blood vessels but differentiate irreversibly into dendritic cells (DCs) or macrophages upon tissue entry. Here we show that bona fide undifferentiated monocytes reside in the spleen and outnumber their equivalents in circulation. The reservoir monocytes assemble in clusters in the ...

Aspergillus fumigatus is an environmental fungus that causes life-threatening infections in neutropenic patients. In the absence of intact innate immunity, inhaled A. fumigatus spores (conidia) germinate in the lung, forming hyphae that invade blood vessels and disseminate to other tissues. Although macrophages and neutrophils are postulated to provide defense against ...

Lysyl oxidase (LOX) is an enzyme critical for the stability of extracellular matrix and also known to have diverse biological functions. Little is known, however, about the role of LOX in regulating inflammation. Here we demonstrate that LOX suppresses secretion of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in cultured vascular smooth muscle ...

Monocytes/macrophages are critical early innate immune responders during murine CMV (MCMV) infection. It has been established that inflammatory monocyte/macrophages are released from the bone marrow and into the peripheral blood before entry into infected tissue sites. We previously reported a role for IFN-alpha/beta in promotion of CCR2-mediated recruitment of monocyte/macrophages ...

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Maggots of the blowfly Lucilia sericata are used for the treatment of chronic wounds. As monocytes may contribute to the excessive inflammatory responses in such wounds, this study focussed on the effects of maggot secretions on the pro-inflammatory activities of these cells. METHODS: Freshly isolated monocytes were incubated with ...

Thalidomide is an effective drug for chronic inflammatory diseases, but the mechanism underlying its immunomodulatory action remains uncertain. Thalidomide has been reported to clinically improve chronic inflammatory granulomatous disorders. In such disorders, the granulomas consist of epithelioid cells, scattered lymphocytes and multinucleated giant cells (MNGC; Langhans-type cells). The present experimental ...

BACKGROUND: Neonatal sepsis is characterized by an excessive inflammatory response induced by immune cells (monocytes). We investigated the initial stage of monocyte-pathogen interaction, i.e. bacterial ingestion and degradation at the single-cell level, by comparing a new flow cytometric procedure with culture methods. We also examined the hypothesis that, in terms ...

BACKGROUND: Although macrophages (MPhi) are known as essential players in wound healing, their contribution to recovery from spinal cord injury (SCI) is a subject of debate. The difficulties in distinguishing between different MPhi subpopulations at the lesion site have further contributed to the controversy and led to the common view ...

Obesity is linked to a low-level chronic inflammatory state that may contribute to the development of associated metabolic complications. Retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) is an adipokine associated with parameters of obesity including insulin resistance indices, body mass index, waist circumference, lipid profile, and recently, with circulating inflammatory factors. Due to ...

In chronic inflammatory lesions macrophages are abundant and adapt to the low oxygen concentrations often present there. In low oxygen some cell types die by apoptosis, as reported for macrophage cell lines, while others survive better as they shift their metabolism to anaerobic glycolysis. It was found here that hypoxia ...

Relative to monocytes, human macrophages are deficient in their ability to process and release IL-1beta. In an effort to explain this difference, we used a model of IL-1beta processing and release that is dependent upon bacterial escape into the cytosol. Fresh human blood monocytes were compared with monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) ...

Innate immune reactions conducted by macrophages may affect the outcome of primary infections and are crucial for the transition to adaptive immune responses. In bovine coccidiosis little is known on early monocyte/macrophage-mediated responses. We therefore investigated in vivo, in vitro and ex vivo reactions of monocytes and macrophages against Eimeria ...

Microbial colonization of mucosal surfaces may be an initial event in the progression to disease, and it is often a transient process. For the extracellular pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae studied in a mouse model, nasopharyngeal carriage is eliminated over a period of weeks and requires cellular rather than humoral immunity. Here, ...

In this experiment Toll-like receptor expression pattern in monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation was examined. Jugular venous blood was collected from four Japanese calves, and the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated. The cells were directly used for collecting monocytes by magnetic cell sorting or cultured ...

OBJECTIVE: Secretory Immunoglobulin (Ig) A, the most important Ig for lung defense, is highly dependent on its molecular structure for its immune activity. Proteolytic cleavage of SIgA may occur in the airways and render the SIgA molecule inactive. Previous studies have attributed IgA cleavage to neutrophils (polymorphonucleur cells [PMNs]) and ...

The aim of this study is to elucidate the anti-inflammatory effects of Aralia elata extract fractions (AEEFs). A. elata-ethyl acetate fraction (AEEF) had the strongest antioxidant activity. A. elata-chloroform fraction (AECF) and A. elata-butanol fraction (AEBF) inhibited potently LPS-induced nitrite production from RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. The inhibition of nitric ...

OBJECTIVES: Serum amyloid A (SAA) is a biomarker of inflammation. Elevated blood levels in cardiovascular disease and local deposition in atheroma implies a role of SAA as a mediator rather than just a marker of inflammation. This study explored SAA-induced cytokine production and secretion by mononuclear cells. METHODS AND RESULTS: ...

Monocyte exposure to LPS induces a transient state in which these cells are refractory to further endotoxin stimulation. This phenomenon, termed endotoxin tolerance (ET), is characterized by a decreased production of cytokines in response to the proinflammatory stimulus. We have established a robust model of ET and have determined the ...

The study of inflammation is important for understanding the reaction between biomaterials and the human body, in particular, the interaction between biomaterials and immune system. In the current study, rat macrophages were induced by multiple biomaterials with different biocompatibilities, including polyvinyl chloride (PVC) containing 8% of organic tin, a positive ...

Although green tea polyphenol catechin is considered as a potential anti-inflammatory agent, its effect on bacterial component-induced inflammation has been poorly investigated. We examined the capacity of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) to regulate leukocyte responses to bacterial chemotactic peptide N-formylmethionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLF), which is recognized by a human G protein-coupled receptor FPR ...

In previous studies, we showed that ganglioside levels (GM3 being the main ganglioside) in human aortic intima isolated from atherosclerotic lesions were 5 times greater compared to intima from non-diseased vascular areas. Recently, we found that GM3 and GM3 synthase levels in differentiated in vitro macrophages were five and ten ...

It is widely believed that innate immune responses to Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) are primarily triggered by the spirochete's outer membrane lipoproteins signaling through cell surface TLR1/2. We recently challenged this notion by demonstrating that phagocytosis of live Bb by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) elicited greater production of proinflammatory cytokines ...

Macrophages are key players in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid synovitis as well as in atherosclerosis. To determine whether atherogenic oxidized phospholipids potentially contribute to synovial inflammation and subsequent monocyte/macrophage recruitment, we examined the effects of oxidized 1- palmitoyl-2-arachidonoyl-sn-3-glycero-phosphorylcholine (OxPAPC) on chemokine expression and leukocyte recruitment in a facsimile synovium in ...

Several workers have found that Malassezia are capable of suppressing cytokine release and downregulating the phagocytic function of monocytes. But lipid-depleted Malassezia furfur (M. furfur) extracts have also been shown to induce increased production of TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IL-1beta in monocytes. We thought that the detergents in shampoos or soaps ...

Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) is a severe fibrosing disorder occurring in patients with renal insufficiency. The majority of patients with this disorder have documented exposure to magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents containing Gd. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of gadolinium diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid bismethylamide (Gd[DTPA-BMA]; Omniscan) ...

It is widely believed that innate immune responses to Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) are primarily triggered by the spirochete's outer membrane lipoproteins signaling through cell surface TLR1/2. We recently challenged this notion by demonstrating that phagocytosis of live Bb by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) elicited greater production of proinflammatory cytokines ...

Hypervirulent MenB causing fatal human infections frequently display the oligomeric-coiled coil adhesin NadA, a 45-kDa intrinsic outer membrane protein implicated in binding to and invasion of respiratory epithelial cells. A recombinant soluble mutant lacking the 10-kDa COOH terminal membrane domain (NadA(Delta351-405)) also activates human monocytes/macrophages/DCs. As NadA is physiologically released ...

The cholinergic antiinflammatory pathway modulates inflammatory cytokine production through a mechanism dependent on the vagus nerve and the alpha7 subunit of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. GTS-21 [3-(2,4-dimethoxybenzylidene) anabaseine], a selective alpha7 agonist, inhibits inflammatory cytokine production in murine and human macrophages and in several models of inflammatory disease in vivo, ...

The inflammatory responses of monocytes/macrophages and the stimulation of lipid uptake into these cells by oxidized low density lipoprotein (oxLDL) are critical to the initiation and development of atherosclerosis. Increasing evidence has demonstrated that many microRNAs play important roles in the cell proliferation, apoptosis, and differentiation that accompany inflammatory responses. ...

Monocytes and macrophages play active roles in atherosclerosis, a chronic inflammatory disease that is a leading cause of death in the developed world. The prevailing paradigm states that, during human atherogenesis, monocytes accumulate in the arterial intima and differentiate into macrophages, which then ingest oxidized lipoproteins, secrete a diverse array ...

PURPOSE: Macrophages are major contributors to the damage occurring in the retina in experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU). CCR2 may be needed for efficient recruitment of monocytes to an inflammatory site, and the aim of this study was to determine whether this was the case in EAU. METHODS: EAU was induced ...

Macrophages are an important part of the cellular immune system and play a key role during immune responses. Thus, macrophages are interesting targets in basic and clinical research. Primary monocytes or monocyte-derived macrophages do not proliferate on a suitable scale so that their use for functional studies in vitro is ...

The aim of this work was to study the in vitro effect of T-2 toxin on human monocyte differentiation into macrophages and dendritic cells. Cytotoxicity of T-2 toxin on monocytes, on monocytes in differentiation process into macrophages or dendritic cells, and on immature dendritic cells and macrophages was evaluated to ...

Monocytes are leukocytic precursors of macrophages, dendritic cells, and osteoclasts, with critical roles in inflammation and tumor biology. Tumors can elicit signals that activate monocytes to extravasate, infiltrate tumors, and differentiate into tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), which can modulate host immune surveillance. In order to assess whether relaxin can influence monocyte ...

BACKGROUND: Interleukin (IL)-1beta has an important role in antifungal defense mechanisms. The inflammasome is thought to be required for caspase-1 activation and processing of the inactive precursor pro-IL-1beta. The aim of the present study was to investigate the pathways of IL-1beta production induced by Candida albicans in human monocytes. METHODS: ...

Whether galectin-9 plays a role in inflammatory responses remains elusive. The present study was designed to determine the role of intracellular galectin-9 in activation of inflammatory cytokine genes in human monocytes. Galectin-9 expression vector pBKCMV3-G9 was transiently co-transfected into THP-1 monocytic cells along with luciferase reporters carrying gene promoters of ...

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a phytohormone recently identified as a new endogenous pro-inflammatory hormone in human granulocytes. Here we report the functional activation of human monocytes and vascular smooth muscle cells by ABA. Incubation of monocytes with ABA evokes an intracellular Ca2+ rise through the second messenger cyclic ADP-ribose, leading ...

Monocytes/macrophages are key players throughout atheroma development. The aim of this study was to determine the role of macrophages in lesion formation in heart valves in hyperlipidemia. We examined whether systemic depletion of monocytes/macrophages had a beneficial or adverse effect on the development of lesions in hyperlipemic hamsters injected twice ...

Aim: In patients with advanced cirrhosis, little is known about the ability of peripheral blood monocytes to spontaneously produce signaling proteins such as cytokines. The aim of this ex vivo study was to evaluate cytokine production under baseline conditions and after stimulation by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a toll-like receptor (TLR) agonist. ...

BACKGROUND: beta-glucan is the major structure component of Candida albicans (C. albicans) cell wall. It has been demonstrated that Dectin-1 as the principal C-type lectin pattern-recognition receptor (PRR) can recognize fungal beta-glucan and induce immune responses. In this study, we sought to clarify whether insoluble beta-glucan from the cell wall ...

P. marneffei is a thermal dimorphic fungus which causes penicilliosis, an opportunistic infection in immunocompromised patients in South and Southeast Asia. Little is known about the innate immune response to P. marneffei infection. Therefore, the initial response of macrophages to P. marneffei conidia was evaluated by us. Adhesion between monocytes ...

Granulysin is a cytolytic and proinflammatory molecule first identified by a screen for genes expressed 'late' (3-5 days) after activation of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Granulysin is present in cytolytic granules of cytotoxic T lymphocytes and natural killer cells. Granulysin is made in a 15-kDa form that is cleaved ...

BACKGROUND: Surgery renders patients susceptible to life-threatening complications, including infections, multiple organ failure, and presumably cancer metastases. Surgery-induced immune perturbations were suggested to contribute to such deleterious effects, but also to facilitate post-injury healing. Preoperative psychological and physiological stress responses may contribute to these immune perturbations, and could thus jeopardize ...

Infiltration of monocyte-derived macrophages into adipose tissue may contribute to tissue and systemic inflammation and insulin resistance. We hypothesized that pioglitazone (Pio) could specifically reduce the inflammatory response of adipocytes to factors released by monocytes/macrophages. We show that macrophage factors (Mphi-factors) greatly increase expression levels of proinflammatory adipokines, chemokines, and ...

BACKGROUND: Increased expression of cytokines and chemokines has been observed in chronic heart failure (CHF). Amiodarone reduces circulating cytokine levels, so it may attenuate the production of monocyte cytokines and chemokines by C-reactive protein (CRP) and thus improve the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) patients with ...

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is a heterogeneous syndrome characterized by defective immunoglobulin production and high frequency of bacterial infections, autoimmunity and manifestations of chronic inflammation. The urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA), its cell bound and soluble receptor (uPAR, suPAR) have complex biological functions involving innate immune defense mechanisms and regulation of ...

The virulence and immunosuppressive activity of Mycobacterium ulcerans is attributed to mycolactone, a macrolide toxin synthesized by the bacteria. We have explored the consequence and mechanism of mycolactone pretreatment of primary human monocytes activated by a wide range of TLR ligands. The production of cytokines (TNF, IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-10, and ...

The decidual microenvironment is characterized by a unique population of leukocytes composed primarily of CD56(bright) NK cells and macrophages. The latter are situated near trophoblast cells at the fetal-maternal interface and there is evidence that trophoblast cells are capable of recruiting macrophages to this site. This study sought to determine ...