International immunopharmacology
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Int. Immunopharmacol. · May 2013
The imbalance of Th17/Treg in Chinese children with Henoch-Schonlein purpura.
Interleukin 17 (IL-17)-producing T helper (Th17) cells and CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T (Treg) cells are two new T-cell subsets that are thought to be critically involved in mediating and regulating autoimmune responses. The imbalance of Th17/Treg cells has been implicated in a wide range of autoimmune disorders. The aim of our study was to determine whether the Th17/Treg balance was abnormal in children with Henoch-Schonlein Purpura (HSP). ⋯ The Th17/Treg ratio was positively correlated with the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), kidney lesions and the clinical symptom of the presence of more than two organ systems with lesions. However, the ratio had no correlation with anti-streptolysin O (ASO) or complement 3 (C3) levels. These results indicate that a Th17/Treg imbalance exists in HSP, and it appears to be closely related to the disease onset.
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Int. Immunopharmacol. · May 2013
α-Lipoic acid attenuates LPS-induced cardiac dysfunction through a PI3K/Akt-dependent mechanism.
Myocardial dysfunction is an important manifestation of sepsis/septic shock. Activation of Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway has been shown to improve cardiac performance during sepsis/septic shock. We have reported previously that α-lipoic acid (LA) activates PI3K/Akt pathway in neuronal cells. ⋯ More importantly, inhibition of PI3K/Akt signaling by Wortmannin (WM) completely abrogated the LA-induced protection in cardiac dysfunction following LPS challenge. Collectively, our results demonstrated that LA improved cardiac function during endotoxemia. The mechanism was through, at least in part, preserved activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling.