Anis Tarakan Blogs

Propolis and the immune system: a review

anis — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 02:54:26 GMT

Propolis and the immune system: a review

J.M. Sforcin∗
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Biosciences Institute, UNESP, 18618-000 Botucatu, SP, Brazil

Abstract

Propolis has been used empirically for centuries and it was always mentioned as an immunomodulatory agent. In recent years, in vitro and in vivo assays provided new information concerning its mechanisms of action, thus a review dealing with propolis and the immune system became imperative. This review compiles data from our laboratory as well as from other researchers, focusing on its chemical composition and botanical sources, the seasonal effect on its composition and biological properties, its immunomodulatory and antitumor properties, considering its effects on antibody production and on different cells of the immune system, involving the innate and adaptive immune response. In vitro and in vivo assays demonstrated the modulatory action of propolis on murine peritoneal macrophages, increasing their microbicidal activity. Its stimulant action on the lytic activity of natural killer cells against tumor cells, and on antibody production was demonstrated. Propolis inhibitory effects on lymphoproliferation may be associated to its anti-inﬂammatory property. In immunological assays, the best results were observed when propolis was administered over a short-term to animals. Propolis antitumor property and its anticarcinogenic and antimutagenic potential are discussed. Since humans have used propolis for different purposes and propolis-containing products have been marketed, the knowledge of its properties with scientiﬁc basis is not only of academic interest but also of those who use propolis as well. This review opens a new perspective on the investigation of propolis biological properties, mainly with respect to the immune system.

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Neuropeptide S: Anatomy, Pharmacology, Genetics and Physiological Functions

anis — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:21:45 GMT

Neuropeptide S: Anatomy, Pharmacology, Genetics and Physiological Functions

Rainer K. Reinscheid

Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California Irvine, 360 Med Surge 2, Irvine, CA 92697-4625, USA rreinsch@uci.edu

Results Probl Cell Differ (46) O. Civelli, Q.-Y. Zhou: Orphan G Protein-Coupled Receptors and Novel Neuropeptides DOI 10.1007/400_2007_051/Published online: 19 January 2008 © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2008

Abstract

Neuropeptide S (NPS) is one of the most recent examples of a neurotransmitter identiﬁed by the orphan receptor strategy. Impressive progress has been made in the short time since its identiﬁcation to determine physiological functions modulated by NPS. The anatomical distribution of NPS and its receptor, NPSR, suggests possible functions in the regulation of vigilance states and modulation of emotional behaviors. Early studies provided evidence that NPS induces behavioral arousal and promotes wakefulness by suppressing all stages of sleep. NPS was also found to produce anxiolytic-like effects in behavioral paradigms that measure fear or responses to novelty. Recent studies have demonstrated that NPS can modulate energy and endocrine homeostasis. Differential regulation of NPS and NPSR transcripts was observed after caffeine or nicotine treatment, indicating complex interactions with adenosine and cholinergic systems. NPS has been found co-localized with other excitatory transmitters such as glutamate, acetylcholine, or corticotropine-releasing factor. Activation of NPSR triggers mobilization of intracellular Ca2+ and stimulation of cAMP synthesis, therefore increasing cellular excitability. A functional polymorphism in NPSR has been identiﬁed that produces a gain-of-function phenotype by increasing agonist potency upto tenfold. Finally, a gender-speciﬁc associationof this NPSRpolymorphismwith panic disorder was found in male patients, indicating that the NPS systemmight be involved in modulating anxiety responses in humans. Further studies about interactions of the NPS system with other transmitter systems might help to discover additional functions of NPS and deﬁne its role within complex neural networks.

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Disease resistance of Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, following the dietary administration of a yeast culture food supplement

anis — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 05:51:03 GMT

Disease resistance of Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, following the dietary administration of a yeast culture food supplement

Joseph E. Burgents, Karen G. Burnett * , Louis E. Burnett
Grice Marine Laboratory, College of Charleston, 205 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412, USA Received 19 February 2003; received in revised form 20 August 2003; accepted 2 September 2003
Aquaculture 231 (2004) 1 –8 D 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract

A yeast culture feed supplement (Diamond V XP Yeast CultureR, Diamond V Mills, Cedar Rapids, Iowa [IA]) was assessed for its impact on disease resistance in the Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei. Animals were fed a standard shrimp pellet diet supplemented with 0% (control with 1% grain carrier), 0.5% (with 0.5% carrier), or 1.0% XP daily for 4 weeks. To assess resistance to bacterial disease, at 1-week intervals 21 shrimp (0.5 –2.5 g) from each test diet were injected intramuscularly with an LD50 dose (2.0 10 5/g body weight) of a gram-negative shrimp pathogen, Vibrio sp. 90-69B3. Survival was monitored every 4 h for 48-h post injection. Each week, three independent bacterial challenges were performed for each diet and the results expressed as the mean percent survival Fstandard error (S.E.). A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed a significant effect of diet ( p = 0.003, df = 31), but not duration of feeding, on survival. A one-way ANOVA showed no differences among the treatment groups after 1 or 2 weeks. After 3 weeks, the mean survival of 1% XP-fed shrimp (74.2 F1.4%) was significantly higher than that of controls (42.9 F5.5%), while mean survival of shrimp fed 0.5% XP (54.8 F11.9%) was not significantly different from controls. After 4 weeks, mean survival of 1.0% XP-fed shrimp (63.4 F8.8%) remained higher than that of controls but the difference was not significant ( p = 0.07). An insufficient number of animals were available from the 0.5% XP-fed group to perform bacterial challenges at this timepoint. Mean survival of control shrimp declined significantly over the 4 weeks of study (slope of linear regression p 0, p = 0.005, df = 11), but no decline was observed in animals fed the 0.5% or 1.0% XP diets. After 4 weeks L. vannamei fed standard shrimp pellets, 0% XP control, or 1.0% XP diets showed no significant differences in weight, suggesting that the changes in disease resistance did not correlate with changes in growth rate among the treatment groups. These results indicate that dietary administration of Diamond V XP Yeast CultureR can protect shrimp against a decline in resistance to bacterial disease.

Keywords: Litopenaeus vannamei; Diet; Yeast; Vibrio; Disease resistance

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INFLUENCE OF DIMERIZED LYSOZYME (KLP-602) ON THE IMMUNE RESPONSES INDUCED BY FUROGEN VACCINE IN RAINBOW TROUT (ONCORHYNCHUS MYKISS)

anis — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 05:00:53 GMT

INFLUENCE OF DIMERIZED LYSOZYME (KLP-602) ON THE IMMUNE RESPONSES INDUCED BY FUROGEN VACCINE IN RAINBOW TROUT (ONCORHYNCHUS MYKISS)

Andrzej K. Siwicki 1,3, Peter Klein2, Krzysztof Kazuń3,
Marc Morand4, Edward Głąbski3, Sylwia Trapkowska1

1Department of Microbiology and Clinical Immunology, University of Warmia and
Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland
2Nika Health Products Ltd, NJ, USA
3Department of Fish Pathology and Immunology, Inland Fisheries Institute in Olsztyn, Poland
4Laboratoire Veterinaire Departemental, Conseil General du Jura, France

Copyright © Wydawnictwo Akademii Rolniczej we Wroclawiu, ISSN 1505-0297
Electronic Journal of Polish Agricultural Universities

ABSTRACT

In the present study the possible stimulation of nonspecific and specific immune response after immunization induced by immersion Furogen (Aqua Health Ltd) vaccine were analysed in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The modulation was attempted using a natural immunostimulant, dimerized lysozyme (KLP-602). Five groups of rainbow trout were given intraperitoneal injections of KLP-602 two days before vaccine, with vaccine, and two days after vaccine applicated by immersion. The results of cellular study showed that KLP-602 applicated before or with Furogen vaccine statistically significant (P<0.05) increased the total immunoglobulin secreting cells (ISC) and specific antibody secreting cells (ASC) levels, compared to the KLP-free (only vaccinated) group of fish. Analysis of the results shows no significant differences between group of fish where KLP-602 was applicated after vaccination and KLP-free (only vaccinated) group of fish. Analysis the results of humoral study shows that KLP-602 applicated before or with vaccine significantly increased (P<0.05) the total immunoglobulin levels and specific antibody levels in serum, compared to the KLP-free (only vaccinated) group of fish. Also results shows no significant differences between group of fish where KLP-602 was applicated after vaccination and KLP-free (only vaccinated) group of fish. The higher responses after the application of KLP-602 before or with vaccine were observed.

Key words: Lysozyme dimer, fish, Furogen vaccine, ASC, specific immune response

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The Stimulation of Cytokine-like Proteins in Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) Orally Treated with ß-1, 3-glucan

anis — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 04:42:13 GMT

The Stimulation of Cytokine-like Proteins in Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) Orally Treated with ß-1, 3-glucan

N. CHANSUE¹, M. ENDO², T. KONO² and M. SAKAI²*

¹Veterinary Medical Aquatic Animal Research Center Faculty of Veterinary Science Chulalongkorn University Bangkok 10330 Thailand
²Faculty of Agriculture Miyazaki University Miyazaki, 889-2192 Japan

Asian Fisheries Science 13(2000): 271-278 Asian Fisheries Society, Manila, Philippines

Abstract

The stimulation of tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), interleukin-10 (IL-10) or interleukin-12 (IL-12)-like proteins using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was investigated in tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) orally treated with ß-1,3-glucan (ßG) for five days. The stimulation of each cytokine were determined in the plasma of tilapia orally treated with ßG. The TNF-a reactive protein was significantly stimulated in the plasma of tilapia treated with ßG. The levels of IL-1ß, IL-10 and IL-12 antibody-reactive proteins also increased in the plasma of fish treated with ßG. On the other hand, the phagocytic indices of macrophages in tilapia treated with ßG significantly increased. These results suggest that the immunostimulation in tilapia orally treated with ßG may relate with the production of cytokine-like proteins.

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Immunostimulant Patch Enhances Immune Responses to Inﬂuenza Virus Vaccine in Aged Mice

anis — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 04:25:43 GMT

Immunostimulant Patch Enhances Immune Responses to Inﬂuenza Virus
Vaccine in Aged Mice

Mimi Guebre-Xabier, Scott A. Hammond, Larry R. Ellingsworth, and Gregory M. Glenn*
IOMAI Corporation, Gaithersburg, Maryland
Received 26 November 2003/Accepted 5 March 2004

JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY, July 2004, p. 7610–7618
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Abstract

Improvement in the immune response to inﬂuenza virus vaccination in the elderly represents the primary unmet need in inﬂuenza virus vaccination. We have shown that topical application of immunostimulating (IS) patches containing heat-labile enterotoxin of Escherichia coli (LT) enhances immune responses to injected vaccines. We extend these ﬁndings and show that LT-IS patch application enhances the antibody responses to inﬂuenza virus vaccination in both young and aged mice. LT-IS patches markedly increased inﬂuenza virusspeciﬁc immunoglobulin G (IgG), hemagglutination inhibition antibody, mucosal antibody, and T-cell responses. The magnitude of the immune responses in aged mice receiving an LT-IS patch was equivalent to or greater than that of the immune responses in young mice given vaccine alone. These results suggest that addition of an LT-IS patch may compensate for the deﬁcient immune function seen in the aged in response to inﬂuenza virus vaccination. Therefore, use of an LT-IS patch could be a new, safe, and simple immunization strategy that may signiﬁcantly improve the outcome of inﬂuenza virus vaccination in the elderly.

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Efficacy of Benzalkonium Chloride as an Antibacterial and Immunostimulant in Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man)

anis — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 04:20:14 GMT

Efficacy of Benzalkonium Chloride as an Antibacterial and Immunostimulant
in Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man)

M. GOSWAMI and K.P. PRASAD*
Fish Health Management Lab Central Institute Of Fisheries Education Seven Bungalows, Versova, Mumbai 400061, India

Asian Fisheries Science 13(2000): 279-285 Asian Fisheries Society, Manila, Philippines

Abstract

During the last decade many improvements have taken place in aquaculture, especially in prawn and shrimp farming. The shift from extensive to intensive and semi-intensive farming has brought about an increase in disease outbreaks, especially by bacteria. To control these diseases, antibiotics have been used indiscriminately. To avoid the use of antibiotics and the development of resistant strains of bacteria, we studied the efficacy of benzalkonium chloride (BKC), a quaternary ammonium compound as an antibacterial and immunostimulant in Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man). Efficacy was evaluated in vitro by minimum lethal concentration (MLC) and found to be 1.0 ppm for P. fluorescens and 1.5 ppm for E. tarda, V. alginolyticus, S. aureus and A. salmonicida. The 24 hr LD50 of BKC for two month old M. rosenbergii was 10.0 ppm. Its immunostimulant effect was evaluated by challenging BKC treated M rosenbergii (1.5 ppm BKC bath for 15 days) with P. fluorescens and V. alginolyticus. The NBT (nitroblue tetrazolium) assay showed that BKC treatment stimulated nonspecific immune response by the activation of granular cells. It also protected M. rosenbergii from disease when compared to untreated controls. A single treatment of BKC was effective for P. fluorescens for 49 hours and 46 hours for V. alginolyticus. Bath treatment at 2.0 ppm for one hour showed successful control of bacterial infection in M. rosenbergii previously infected with the bacteria. The results showed that BKC could be used as an effective antibacterial and immunostimulant in M. rosenbergii.

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In Vivo Activity of Released Cell Wall Lipids of Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Gue´rin Is Due Principally to Trehalose Mycolates¹

anis — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 04:09:44 GMT

In Vivo Activity of Released Cell Wall Lipids of Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Gue´rin Is Due Principally to Trehalose Mycolates¹

Rachel E. Geisel, Kaori Sakamoto, David G. Russell, and Elizabeth R. Rhoades²
The Journal of Immunology 2005, 174: 5007–5015.

Copyright © 2005 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.

Abstract

The hallmark of Mycobacterium-induced pathology is granulomatous inﬂammation at the site of infection. Mycobacterial lipids are potent immunomodulators that contribute to the granulomatous response and are released in appreciable quantities by intracellular bacilli. Previously we investigated the granulomagenic nature of the peripheral cell wall lipids of Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Gue´rin (BCG) by coating the lipids onto 90 m diameter microspheres that were mixed into Matrigel matrix with syngeneic bone marrow-derived macrophages and injected i.p. into mice. These studies demonstrated that BCG lipids elicit proinﬂammatory cytokines and recruit leukocytes. In the current study we determined the lipids responsible for this proinﬂammatory effect. BCG-derived cell wall lipids were fractionated and puriﬁed by liquid chromatography and preparative TLC. The isolated fractions including phosphatidylinositol dimannosides, cardiolipin, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, trehalose monomycolate, trehalose dimycolate, and mycoside B. Trehalose dimycolate, when delivered to bone marrow-derived murine macrophages, induced the greatest secretion of IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α in vitro. Trehalose dimycolate similarly induced the greatest secretion of these proinﬂammatory cytokines in ex vivo matrices over the course of 12 days. Trehalose monomycolate and dimycolate also induced profound neutrophil recruitment in vivo. Experiments with TLR2 or TLR4 gene-deﬁcient mice revealed no defects in responses to trehalose mycolates, although MyD88-deﬁcient mice manifested signiﬁcantly reduced cell recruitment and cytokine production. These results demonstrate that the trehalose mycolates, particularly trehalose dimycolate, are the most bioactive lipids in the BCG extract, inducing a proinﬂammatory cascade that inﬂuences granuloma formation. The Journal of Immunology, 2005, 174: 5007–5015.

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Role of Trehalose Dimycolate in Recruitment of Cells and Modulation of Production of Cytokines and NO in Tuberculosis

anis — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 03:55:12 GMT

Role of Trehalose Dimycolate in Recruitment of Cells and Modulation of Production of Cytokines and NO in Tuberculosis

VALE ´RIA M. F. LIMA¹, VANIA L. D. BONATO¹, KARLA M. LIMA¹, SANDRA A. DOS SANTOS¹, RUBENS R. DOS SANTOS¹, EDUARDO D. C. GONC¸ALVES¹, LUCIA H. FACCIOLI², IZAIRA T. BRANDA ˜O¹, JOSE ´M. RODRIGUES-JUNIOR³, AND CE ´ LIO L. SILVA¹

Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, School of Medicine of Ribeira˜o Preto¹, and School of Pharmacy of Ribeira˜o Preto², University of Sa˜o Paulo, Ribeira˜o Preto, SP, and Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG³, Brazil

Received 18 September 2000/Returned for modiﬁcation 4 December 2000/Accepted 29 May 2001

Abstract

Mice treated with viable Mycobacterium tuberculosis with no glycolipid trehalose dimycolate (TDM) on the outer cell wall (delipidated M. tuberculosis) by intraperitoneal or intratracheal inoculation presented an intense recruitment of polymorphonuclear cells into the peritoneal cavity and an acute inﬂammatory reaction in the lungs, respectively. In addition, lung lesions were resolved around the 32nd day after intratracheal inoculation. TDM-loaded biodegradable polyDL-lactide-coglycolide microspheres as well as TDM-coated charcoal particles induced an intense inﬂammatory reaction. In addition, high levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a), IL-12, IL-10, gamma interferon (IFN-g), and IL-4 production were detected in lung cells, and nitric oxide (NO) production was high in culture supernatants of bronchoalveolar lavage cells. These in vivo data were conﬁrmed by in vitro experiments using peritoneal macrophages cultured in the presence of TDM adsorbed onto coverslips. High levels of IFN-g, IL-6, TNF-a, IL-12, IL-10, and NO were detected in the culture supernatants. Our results suggest that TDM contributes to persistence of infection through production of cytokines, which are important for the recruitment of inﬂammatory cells and maintenance of a granulomatous reaction. In addition, our ﬁndings are important for a better understanding of the immunostimulatory activity of TDM and its possible use as an adjuvant in experiments using DNA vaccine or gene therapy against tuberculosis.

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Fibrinogen-Coated Droplets of Olive Oil for Delivery of Docetaxel to a Fibrin(ogen)-Rich Ascites Form of a Murine Mammary Tumor

anis — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 03:42:10 GMT

Fibrinogen-Coated Droplets of Olive Oil for Delivery of Docetaxel to a Fibrin(ogen)-Rich Ascites Form of a Murine Mammary Tumor

Charity M¹. Einhaus¹, Andre O. Perrotta¹, Andrew C. Retzinger¹, Michael D. Dentler¹,
Abhijeet S. Jakate², Pankaj B. Desai², and Gregory S. Retzinger¹

¹Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and the ²College of Pharmacy, the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio

Clinical Cancer Research Vol. 10, 7001–7010, October 15, 2004

ABSTRACT

Micronized droplets of olive oil loaded with docetaxel and coated with functional fibrinogen were administered intraperitoneally to mice bearing the fibrin(ogen)-rich ascites form of the TA3/St mammary tumor. When compared with docetaxel administered intraperitoneally as its commercial formulation (i.e., Taxotere), docetaxel-loaded oil droplets coated with murine fibrinogen prolonged the median survival time of tumor-bearing mice from 14.5 to 29.5 days. Drug-free oil droplets provided no therapeutic benefit. Significantly more docetaxel was associated with tumor cells 24 and 48 hours after administration of the drug in fibrinogen-coated oil droplets than after its administration as Taxotere. Consistent with a role for thrombin in the retention of fibrinogen-coated oil droplets within the tumor microenvironment, hirudin significantly reduced the association of tumor cells with docetaxel delivered in fibrinogencoated oil droplets and, at the same time, reduced the therapeutic efficacy of the droplets to that of Taxotere. Importantly, fibrinogen-coated oil droplets formed rosettes with tumor cells in vivo, a process prevented by hirudin. Although mice treated with oil droplets developed antifibrinogen antibodies, those antibodies seemed to be inconsequential. Taken together, our results and observations indicate fibrinogen-coated oil droplets markedly improve the therapeutic efficacy of docetaxel for the treatment of a mammary tumor grown in ascites form, a consequence of thrombin-mediated retention of the drug-loaded droplets within the tumor microenvironment.

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