scholarly journals Understanding Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tushar Chopra ◽  
Kiran Kandukurti ◽  
Silvi Shah ◽  
Raheel Ahmed ◽  
Mandip Panesar

Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) is a rare and a debilitating disease noted uncommonly in patients with impaired renal function when exposed to low-stability gadolinium-based contrast agents (Gd-CAs). According to experimental studies, cytokines released by the stimulation of effector cells such as skin macrophages and peripheral blood monocytes activate circulating fibroblasts which play a major role in the development of NSF lesions. The presence of permissive factors, presumably, provides an environment conducive to facilitate the process of fibrosis. Multiple treatment modalities have been tried with variable success rates. More research is necessary to elucidate the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms which could potentially target the initial steps of fibrosis in these patients. This paper attempts to collate the inferences from the in vivo and in vitro experiments to the clinical observations to understand the pathogenesis of NSF. Schematic representations of receptor-mediated molecular pathways of activation of macrophages and fibroblasts by gadolinium and the final pathway to fibrosis are incorporated in the discussion.

1973 ◽  
Vol 137 (6) ◽  
pp. 1494-1510 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Michael Phillips ◽  
Burton Zweiman

The mechanism of suppression, of delayed hypersensitivity to tuberculoprotein by 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) was studied in guinea pigs. Under the conditions of the protocol, suppression of tuberculin delayed skin test reactivity was not associated with a significantly altered end-organ response to mediators of permeability. No significant alteration of in vivo lymphoid activity, as measured by reconstitution studies, was found. In addition, lymphoid cells from 6-MP-treated animals reacted in a fashion similar to those of placebo-treated animals with respect to (a) antigen-induced lymphocyte proliferation, (b) antigen-induced liberation of macrophage inhibitory factor activity, (c) direct inhibition by antigen of peritoneal exudate cell migration. Conversely, suppression was seen in levels of blood monocytes and in vitro function of macrophages from 6-MP-treated animals in several respects: (a) adherence to glass, (b) migratory rate, (c) phagocytic capacity. Therefore, it would appear that a ma]or mechanism of 6-MP-induced suppression of delayed hypersensitivity is through its action on effector cells.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. ii90-ii91
Author(s):  
Kaijun Di ◽  
Senjie Du ◽  
Javier Lepe ◽  
Nitesh Nandwana ◽  
Bhaskar Das ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUNDS Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive infiltrative brain tumor, and has an extremely poor prognosis despite the use of multiple treatment modalities, including surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Meanwhile, mitochondrial changes represent a significant part of cancer cell biology since cancer cells must survive and adapt to challenging microenvironments, specifically in conditions where tumor growth makes oxygen and glucose scarce. As GBM is characterized by extensive hypoxia-induced phenotypic changes such as abnormal vascular proliferation and necrosis, regulation of mitochondrial function could be a novel approach for treating GBM that currently lacks effective therapies. Magmas (mitochondria-associated protein involved in granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor signal transduction) is a nuclear gene that encodes for the mitochondrial import inner membrane translocase subunit Tim16. We previously demonstrated that a novel Magmas inhibitor, BT#9, significantly exerted anti-tumor effect in glioma in vitro, and may cross the blood brain barrier in vivo, indicating that Magmas inhibitor may be a new chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of GBM. METHODS In this study, the antitumor effect of Magmas inhibitor BT#9 was tested in an orthotopic xenograft model of human GBM. The molecular mechanism of BT#9 was investigated using glioma cell lines. RESULTS The mice were tolerated to BT#9, and there was no statistical difference in the weight of animals between the control and MTD (Maximum-tolerated Dose, 50mg/kg) groups. The immunocompromised mice, intracranially implanted with human D-54 GBM xenografts, survived significantly longer than the controls (P< 0.5) when treated with BT#9 at MTD. In vitro study showed that the MAP kinase pathways are involved in BT#9-induced tumor suppression. DISCUSSION This is the first study on the role of Magmas in glioma in vivo. Our findings suggested that Magmas plays a key role in glioma survival and targeting Magmas by Magmas inhibitor has the potential to become a therapeutic strategy in glioma patients.


Toxins ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriana Tomoko Nishiya ◽  
Marcia Kazumi Nagamine ◽  
Ivone Izabel Mackowiak da Fonseca ◽  
Andrea Caringi Miraldo ◽  
Nayra Villar Scattone ◽  
...  

Canine oral mucosal melanomas (OMM) are the most common oral malignancy in dogs and few treatments are available. Thus, new treatment modalities are needed for this disease. Bacillus anthracis (anthrax) toxin has been reengineered to target tumor cells that express urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and metalloproteinases (MMP-2), and has shown antineoplastic effects both, in vitro and in vivo. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a reengineered anthrax toxin on canine OMM. Five dogs bearing OMM without lung metastasis were included in the clinical study. Tumor tissue was analyzed by immunohistochemistry for expression of uPA, uPA receptor, MMP-2, MT1-MMP and TIMP-2. Animals received either three or six intratumoral injections of the reengineered anthrax toxin prior to surgical tumor excision. OMM samples from the five dogs were positive for all antibodies. After intratumoral treatment, all dogs showed stable disease according to the canine Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (cRECIST), and tumors had decreased bleeding. Histopathology has shown necrosis of tumor cells and blood vessel walls after treatment. No significant systemic side effects were noted. In conclusion, the reengineered anthrax toxin exerted inhibitory effects when administered intratumorally, and systemic administration of this toxin is a promising therapy for canine OMM.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 2530
Author(s):  
Bijean D. Ford ◽  
Diego Moncada Giraldo ◽  
Camilla Margaroli ◽  
Vincent D. Giacalone ◽  
Milton R. Brown ◽  
...  

Cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease is dominated by the recruitment of myeloid cells (neutrophils and monocytes) from the blood which fail to clear the lung of colonizing microbes. In prior in vitro studies, we showed that blood neutrophils migrated through the well-differentiated lung epithelium into the CF airway fluid supernatant (ASN) mimic the dysfunction of CF airway neutrophils in vivo, including decreased bactericidal activity despite an increased metabolism. Here, we hypothesized that, in a similar manner to neutrophils, blood monocytes undergo significant adaptations upon recruitment to CFASN. To test this hypothesis, primary human blood monocytes were transmigrated in our in vitro model into the ASN from healthy control (HC) or CF subjects to mimic in vivo recruitment to normal or CF airways, respectively. Surface phenotype, metabolic and bacterial killing activities, and transcriptomic profile by RNA sequencing were quantified post-transmigration. Unlike neutrophils, monocytes were not metabolically activated, nor did they show broad differences in activation and scavenger receptor expression upon recruitment to the CFASN compared to HCASN. However, monocytes recruited to CFASN showed decreased bactericidal activity. RNASeq analysis showed strong effects of transmigration on monocyte RNA profile, with differences between CFASN and HCASN conditions, notably in immune signaling, including lower expression in the former of the antimicrobial factor ISG15, defensin-like chemokine CXCL11, and nitric oxide-producing enzyme NOS3. While monocytes undergo qualitatively different adaptations from those seen in neutrophils upon recruitment to the CF airway microenvironment, their bactericidal activity is also dysregulated, which could explain why they also fail to protect CF airways from infection.


Sinusitis ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-89
Author(s):  
Ganesh Chandra Jagetia

Oroxylum indicum, Sonapatha is traditionally used to treat asthma, biliousness, bronchitis, diarrhea, dysentery, fevers, vomiting, inflammation, leukoderma, skin diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, wound injury, and deworm intestine. This review has been written by collecting the relevant information from published material on various ethnomedicinal and pharmacological aspects of Sonapatha by making an internet, PubMed, SciFinder, Science direct, and Google Scholar search. Various experimental studies have shown that Sonapatha scavenges different free radicals and possesses alkaloids, flavonoids, cardio glycosides, tannins, sterols, phenols, saponins, and other phytochemicals. Numerous active principles including oroxylin A, chrysin, scutellarin, baicalein, and many more have been isolated from the different parts of Sonapatha. Sonapatha acts against microbial infection, cancer, hepatic, gastrointestinal, cardiac, and diabetic disorders. It is useful in the treatment of obesity and wound healing in in vitro and in vivo preclinical models. Sonapatha elevates glutathione, glutathione-s-transferase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase levels and reduces aspartate transaminase alanine aminotransaminase, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, and lipid peroxidation levels in various tissues. Sonapatha activates the expression of p53, pRb, Fas, FasL, IL-12, and caspases and inhibited nuclear factor kappa (NF-κB), cyclooxygenase (COX-2), tumor necrosis factor (TNFα), interleukin (IL6), P38 activated mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK), fatty acid synthetase (FAS), sterol regulatory element-binding proteins 1c (SREBP-1c), proliferator-activated receptor γ2 (PPARγ2), glucose transporter (GLUT4), leptin, and HPV18 oncoproteins E6 and E7 at the molecular level, which may be responsible for its medicinal properties. The phytoconstituents of Sonapatha including oroxylin A, chrysin, and baicalein inhibit the replication of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) in in vitro and in vivo experimental models, indicating its potential to contain COVID-19 infection in humans. The experimental studies in various preclinical models validate the use of Sonapatha in ethnomedicine and Ayurveda.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (9) ◽  
pp. 2506
Author(s):  
Wamidh H. Talib ◽  
Ahmad Riyad Alsayed ◽  
Alaa Abuawad ◽  
Safa Daoud ◽  
Asma Ismail Mahmod

Melatonin is a pleotropic molecule with numerous biological activities. Epidemiological and experimental studies have documented that melatonin could inhibit different types of cancer in vitro and in vivo. Results showed the involvement of melatonin in different anticancer mechanisms including apoptosis induction, cell proliferation inhibition, reduction in tumor growth and metastases, reduction in the side effects associated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, decreasing drug resistance in cancer therapy, and augmentation of the therapeutic effects of conventional anticancer therapies. Clinical trials revealed that melatonin is an effective adjuvant drug to all conventional therapies. This review summarized melatonin biosynthesis, availability from natural sources, metabolism, bioavailability, anticancer mechanisms of melatonin, its use in clinical trials, and pharmaceutical formulation. Studies discussed in this review will provide a solid foundation for researchers and physicians to design and develop new therapies to treat and prevent cancer using melatonin.


Pharmaceutics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 216
Author(s):  
Rossana Terracciano ◽  
Aobo Zhang ◽  
E. Brian Butler ◽  
Danilo Demarchi ◽  
Jason H. Hafner ◽  
...  

The heterogeneous distribution of delivery or treatment modalities within the tumor mass is a crucial limiting factor for a vast range of theranostic applications. Understanding the interactions between a nanomaterial and the tumor microenvironment will help to overcome challenges associated with tumor heterogeneity, as well as the clinical translation of nanotheranostic materials. This study aims to evaluate the influence of protein surface adsorption on gold nanoparticle (GNP) biodistribution using high-resolution computed tomography (CT) preclinical imaging in C57BL/6 mice harboring Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) tumors. LLC provides a valuable model for study due to its highly heterogenous nature, which makes drug delivery to the tumor challenging. By controlling the adsorption of proteins on the GNP surface, we hypothesize that we can influence the intratumoral distribution pattern and particle retention. We performed an in vitro study to evaluate the uptake of GNPs by LLC cells and an in vivo study to assess and quantify the GNP biodistribution by injecting concentrated GNPs citrate-stabilized or passivated with bovine serum albumin (BSA) intratumorally into LLC solid tumors. Quantitative CT and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) results both confirm the presence of particles in the tumor 9 days post-injection (n = 8 mice/group). A significant difference is highlighted between citrate-GNP and BSA-GNP groups (** p < 0.005, Tukey’s multiple comparisons test), confirming that the protein corona of GNPs modifies intratumoral distribution and retention of the particles. In conclusion, our investigations show that the surface passivation of GNPs influences the mechanism of cellular uptake and intratumoral distribution in vivo, highlighting the spatial heterogeneity of the solid tumor.


Blood ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 92 (11) ◽  
pp. 3997-4002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk Meyer ◽  
Carsten Schiller ◽  
Jürgen Westermann ◽  
Shozo Izui ◽  
Wouter L. W. Hazenbos ◽  
...  

Abstract In autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA), there is accumulating evidence for an involvement of FcγR expressed by phagocytic effector cells, but demonstration of a causal relationship between individual FcγRs and IgG isotypes for disease development is lacking. Although the relevance of IgG isotypes to human AIHA is limited, we could show a clear IgG isotype dependency in murine AIHA using pathogenic IgG1 (105-2H) and IgG2a (34-3C) autoreactive anti–red blood cell antibodies in mice defective for FcγRIII, and comparing the clinical outcome to those in wild-type mice. FcγRIII-deficient mice were completely resistent to the pathogenic effects of 105-2H monoclonal antibody, as shown by a lack of IgG1-mediated erythrophagocytosis in vitro and in vivo. In addition, the IgG2a response by 34-3C induced a less severe but persistent AIHA in FcγRIII knock-out mice, as documented by a decrease in hematocrit. Blocking studies indicated that the residual anemic phenotype induced by 34-3C in the absence of FcγRIII reflects an activation of FcγRI that is normally coexpressed with FcγRIII on macrophages. Together these results show that the pathogenesis of AIHA through IgG1-dependent erythrophagocytosis is exclusively mediated by FcγRIII and further suggest that FcγRI, in addition to FcγRIII, contributes to this autoimmune disease when other IgG isotypes such as IgG2a are involved.


Blood ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 119 (11) ◽  
pp. 2443-2451 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatiana Akimova ◽  
Ulf H. Beier ◽  
Yujie Liu ◽  
Liqing Wang ◽  
Wayne W. Hancock

Abstract Clinical and experimental studies show that inhibition of histone/protein deacetylases (HDAC) can have important anti-neoplastic effects through cytotoxic and proapoptotic mechanisms. There are also increasing data from nononcologic settings that HDAC inhibitors (HDACi) can exhibit useful anti-inflammatory effects in vitro and in vivo, unrelated to cytotoxicity or apoptosis. These effects can be cell-, tissue-, or context-dependent and can involve modulation of specific inflammatory signaling pathways as well as epigenetic mechanisms. We review recent advances in the understanding of how HDACi alter immune and inflammatory processes, with a particular focus on the effects of HDACi on T-cell biology, including the activation and functions of conventional T cells and the unique T-cell subset, composed of Foxp3+ T-regulatory cells. Although studies are still needed to tease out details of the various biologic roles of individual HDAC isoforms and their corresponding selective inhibitors, the anti-inflammatory effects of HDACi are already promising and may lead to new therapeutic avenues in transplantation and autoimmune diseases.


2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Pollreisz ◽  
Ursula Schmidt-Erfurth

Cataract in diabetic patients is a major cause of blindness in developed and developing countries. The pathogenesis of diabetic cataract development is still not fully understood. Recent basic research studies have emphasized the role of the polyol pathway in the initiation of the disease process. Population-based studies have greatly increased our knowledge concerning the association between diabetes and cataract formation and have defined risk factors for the development of cataract. Diabetic patients also have a higher risk of complications after phacoemulsification cataract surgery compared to nondiabetics. Aldose-reductase inhibitors and antioxidants have been proven beneficial in the prevention or treatment of this sightthreatening condition in in vitro and in vivo experimental studies. This paper provides an overview of the pathogenesis of diabetic cataract, clinical studies investigating the association between diabetes and cataract development, and current treatment of cataract in diabetics.


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