Journal of immunology research
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Several recent studies have shown differences in the maternal immune milieu at different phases of pregnancy, but most studies have been cross-sectional or of relatively few time points. Levels of 42 cytokines were determined using a multiplex bead-based assay on archived serum from a cohort of pregnant women (N = 16) at median of 18 time points tested, from the first trimester through to parturition, per woman. ⋯ IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12p70, IL-13, IL-15, IP-10, and FLT3-ligand increase as a function of gestational weeks, and IFNα2, IL-1ra, IL-3, IL-9, IL-12p40, and soluble CD40 ligand increase as a function of trimester. As pregnancy normally progresses, a maternal shift away from a type 2-biased immune response and toward an inflammatory/counterregulatory response is observed.
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The gut microbiota plays an important role in the development of asthma. With advanced age the microbiome and the immune system are changing and, currently, little is known about how these two factors contribute to the development of allergic asthma in the elderly. In this study we investigated the associations between the intestinal microbiome and allergic airway disease in young and old mice that were sensitized and challenged with house dust mite (HDM). ⋯ Allergic mice had induced serum levels of IL-17A and old mice developed a greater allergic airway response compared to young mice. This study demonstrates that the intestinal bacterial community structure differs with age, possibly contributing to the exaggerated pulmonary inflammatory response in old mice. Furthermore, our results show that the composition of the gut microbiota changes with pulmonary allergy, indicating bidirectional gut-lung communications.
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Postconditioning of myocardial tissue employs short cycles of ischemia or pharmacologic agents during early reperfusion. Effects of helium postconditioning protocols on infarct size and the ischemia/reperfusion-induced immune response were investigated by measurement of protein and mRNA levels of proinflammatory cytokines. Rats were anesthetized with S-ketamine (150 mg/kg) and diazepam (1.5 mg/kg). ⋯ Increased protein levels of cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant (CINC-3) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) were found after 30 or 60 min of helium inhalation, in comparison to control. 30 min of helium increased mRNA levels of CINC-3, IL-1β, interleukin 6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in myocardial tissue not directly subjected to ischemia/reperfusion. These results suggest that the effectiveness of the helium postconditioning protocol is very sensitive to duration of noble gas application. Additionally, helium was associated with higher levels of inflammatory cytokines; however, it is not clear whether this is causative of nature or part of an epiphenomenon.
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Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) represent a heterogeneous population of cells with immunosuppressive properties and might confer to worse prognosis in cancer patients. The presence of phenotypically newly described subpopulations of MDSCs and their association with the clinical outcome were investigated in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. The percentages and correlation between MDSCs and distinct immune cells in the peripheral blood of 110 chemotherapy-naive patients before treatment and healthy controls were investigated using flow cytometry. ⋯ Increased percentages of monocytic-MDSCs were associated with worse response to treatment (P = 0.02) and patients with normal levels of CD14(+)CD15(+)CD11b(+)CD33(+)HLA-DR(-)Lin(-) had longer overall survival and progression free-survival compared to those with high levels (P = 0.008 and P = 0.005, resp.). Multivariate analysis revealed that the increased percentages of CD14(+)CD15(+)CD11b(+)CD33(+)HLA-DR(-)Lin(-) MDSCs were independently associated with decreased progression free-survival and overall survival. The data provide evidence that increased percentages of new monocytic-MDSCs' subpopulations in advanced NSCLC patients are associated with an unfavourable clinical outcome.
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Some specific antibodies indicate the presence of antigenic structures on DNA (DNA adducts) that can play an important role in the process of mutagenesis and/or carcinogenesis. They indicate the presence of increased genotoxic potential (hazard) prior to the formation of disease (primary prevention). The present study was focused on the serum level of benzo[a]pyrene 7,8-diol-9,10-epoxide-DNA adducts antibodies (anti-BPDE-DNA) in psoriatic patients (n = 55) dermally exposed to different levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). ⋯ Both variants of GT (CCT-3% and CCT-5%) induced higher expression of anti-BPDE-DNA in the group of nonsmokers. Significant relations between the level of anti-BPDE-DNA and PASI score, total duration of the therapy, or time of UVR exposure were not found. Further studies are needed to reduce interpretation uncertainty of this promising bioindicator.