New insights into neuropeptides regulation of immune system and hemopoiesis: effects on hematologic malignancies

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Allegra ◽  
Emanuela Sant'Antonio ◽  
Caterina Musolino ◽  
Roberta Ettari

: Several neurotransmitters and neuropeptides were reported to join to or to cooperate with different cells of the immune system, bone marrow, and peripheral cells and numerous data support that neuroactive molecules might control immune system activity and hemopoiesis operating on lymphoid organs, and the primary hematopoietic unit, the hematopoietic niche. Furthermore, many compounds seem to be able to take part to the leukemogenesis and lymphomagenesis process, and in the onset of multiple myeloma. In this review, we will assess the possibility that neurotransmitters and neuropeptides may have a role in the onset of haematological neoplasms, may affect the response to treatment or may represent a useful starting point for a new therapeutic approach. More in vivo investigations are needed to evaluate neuropeptide’s role in haematological malignancies and the possible utilization as an antitumor therapeutic target. Comprehending the effect of the pharmacological administration of neuropeptide modulators on hematologic malignancies opens up new possibilities in curing clonal hematologic diseases to achieve more satisfactory outcomes.

Hematology ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 2004 (1) ◽  
pp. 337-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Caligiuri ◽  
Andrea Velardi ◽  
David A. Scheinberg ◽  
Ivan M. Borrello

Abstract The immune system has two complementary arms: one is older and seemingly more primitive, called the innate immune system, found in both plants and animals. The second (already many millions of years old!) is the adaptive or antigen-specific immune system, limited to vertebrate animals. The human innate immune system has many cellular elements that include granulocytes, monocytes, macrophages, natural killer (NK) cells, mast cells, eosinophils, and basophils. Receptors for these cells are non-clonal, fixed in the genome, requiring no rearrangement, and recognize conserved molecular patterns that are specific to pathogens. The adaptive immune system (B cells and T cells) have receptors with great variation, able to recognize an almost an unlimited number of highly specific pathogens through rearrangement of receptor gene segments, and can also provide immunological memory so critical for vaccination. As the immune system has evolved to recognize non-self, malignant transformation of self can likely escape immune surveillance with relative ease. Contributors to this chapter are utilizing distinct components of either the innate or adaptive immune system that recognize non-self, in combination with what we know about differences between malignant and normal self, in an effort to develop novel and effective immunologic approaches against hematologic malignancies. In Section I, Dr. Andrea Velardi reviews the benefits of NK cell alloreactivity in mismatched hematopoietic transplantation, provides updates on current clinical trials, and discusses further therapeutic perspectives emerging from murine bone marrow transplant models. In Section II, Dr. David Scheinberg reviews novel leukemic antigens being targeted by humanized monoclonal antibodies as well as mechanisms by which antibody-mediated cytotoxicity occurs in vivo. In Section III, Dr. Ivan Borrello reviews vaccine and adoptive T cell immunotherapy in the treatment of hematologic malignancies. Specifically, he discusses the various vaccine approaches used as well as strategies aimed at augmenting the tumor specificity of T cell therapies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 110
Author(s):  
Nathalie Meijerink ◽  
Jean E. de Oliveira ◽  
Daphne A. van Haarlem ◽  
Guilherme Hosotani ◽  
David M. Lamot ◽  
...  

Restrictions on the use of antibiotics in the poultry industry stimulate the development of alternative nutritional solutions to maintain or improve poultry health. This requires more insight in the modulatory effects of feed additives on the immune system and microbiota composition. Compounds known to influence the innate immune system and microbiota composition were selected and screened in vitro, in ovo, and in vivo. Among all compounds, 57 enhanced NK cell activation, 56 increased phagocytosis, and 22 increased NO production of the macrophage cell line HD11 in vitro. Based on these results, availability and regulatory status, six compounds were selected for further analysis. None of these compounds showed negative effects on growth, hatchability, and feed conversion in in ovo and in vivo studies. Based on the most interesting numerical results and highest future potential feasibility, two compounds were analyzed further. Administration of glucose oligosaccharide and long-chain glucomannan in vivo both enhanced activation of intraepithelial NK cells and led to increased relative abundance of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) amongst ileum and ceca microbiota after seven days of supplementation. Positive correlations between NK cell subsets and activation, and relative abundance of LAB suggest the involvement of microbiota in the modulation of the function of intraepithelial NK cells. This study identifies glucose oligosaccharide and long-chain glucomannan supplementation as effective nutritional strategies to modulate the intestinal microbiota composition and strengthen the intraepithelial innate immune system.


Author(s):  
Johanna Rokka ◽  
Eva Schlein ◽  
Jonas Eriksson

Abstract Introduction [11C]UCB-J is a tracer developed for PET (positron emission tomography) that has high affinity towards synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A (SV2A), a protein believed to participate in the regulation of neurotransmitter release in neurons and endocrine cells. The localisation of SV2A in the synaptic terminals makes it a viable target for in vivo imaging of synaptic density in the brain. Several SV2A targeting compounds have been evaluated as PET tracers, including [11C]UCB-J, with the aim to facilitate studies of synaptic density in neurological diseases. The original two-step synthesis method failed in our hands to produce sufficient amounts of [11C]UCB-J, but served as an excellent starting point for further optimizations towards a high yielding and simplified one-step method. [11C]Methyl iodide was trapped in a clear THF-water solution containing the trifluoroborate substituted precursor, potassium carbonate and palladium complex. The resulting reaction mixture was heated at 70 °C for 4 min to produce [11C]UCB-J. Results After semi-preparative HPLC purification and reformulation in 10% ethanol/phosphate buffered saline, the product was obtained in 39 ± 5% radiochemical yield based on [11C]methyl iodide, corresponding to 1.8 ± 0.5 GBq at EOS. The radiochemical purity was > 99% and the molar activity was 390 ± 180 GBq/μmol at EOS. The product solution contained < 2 ppb palladium. Conclusions A robust and high yielding production method has been developed for [11C]UCB-J, suitable for both preclinical and clinical PET applications.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Poushali Chakraborty ◽  
Sapna Bajeli ◽  
Deepak Kaushal ◽  
Bishan Dass Radotra ◽  
Ashwani Kumar

AbstractTuberculosis is a chronic disease that displays several features commonly associated with biofilm-associated infections: immune system evasion, antibiotic treatment failures, and recurrence of infection. However, although Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) can form cellulose-containing biofilms in vitro, it remains unclear whether biofilms are formed during infection in vivo. Here, we demonstrate the formation of Mtb biofilms in animal models of infection and in patients, and that biofilm formation can contribute to drug tolerance. First, we show that cellulose is also a structural component of the extracellular matrix of in vitro biofilms of fast and slow-growing nontuberculous mycobacteria. Then, we use cellulose as a biomarker to detect Mtb biofilms in the lungs of experimentally infected mice and non-human primates, as well as in lung tissue sections obtained from patients with tuberculosis. Mtb strains defective in biofilm formation are attenuated for survival in mice, suggesting that biofilms protect bacilli from the host immune system. Furthermore, the administration of nebulized cellulase enhances the antimycobacterial activity of isoniazid and rifampicin in infected mice, supporting a role for biofilms in phenotypic drug tolerance. Our findings thus indicate that Mtb biofilms are relevant to human tuberculosis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gheed Al-Hity ◽  
FengWei Yang ◽  
Eduard Campillo-Funollet ◽  
Andrew E. Greenstein ◽  
Hazel Hunt ◽  
...  

AbstractInvestigational in vitro models that reflect the complexity of the interaction between the immune system and tumours are limited and difficult to establish. Herein, we present a platform to study the tumour-immune interaction using a co-culture between cancer spheroids and activated immune cells. An algorithm was developed for analysis of confocal images of the co-culture to evaluate the following quantitatively; immune cell infiltration, spheroid roundness and spheroid growth. As a proof of concept, the effect of the glucocorticoid stress hormone, cortisol was tested on 66CL4 co-culture model. Results were comparable to 66CL4 syngeneic in vivo mouse model undergoing psychological stress. Furthermore, administration of glucocorticoid receptor antagonists demonstrated the use of this model to determine the effect of treatments on the immune-tumour interplay. In conclusion, we provide a method of quantifying the interaction between the immune system and cancer, which can become a screening tool in immunotherapy design.


Author(s):  
Vladimir P. Zhdanov

AbstractOne of the suggested ways of the use of nanoparticles in virology implies their association with and subsequent deactivation of virions. The conditions determining the efficiency of this approach in vivo are now not clear. Herein, I propose the first kinetic model describing the corresponding processes and clarifying these conditions. My analysis indicates that nanoparticles can decrease concentration of infected cells by a factor of one order of magnitude, but this decrease itself (without feedback of the immune system) is insufficient for full eradication of infection. It can, however, induce delay in the progress of infection, and this delay can help to form sufficient feedback of the immune system.


2013 ◽  
Vol 168 (6) ◽  
pp. R85-R93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix Beuschlein

Arterial hypertension is a major cardiovascular risk factor that affects between 10 and 40% of the population in industrialized countries. Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the most common form of secondary hypertension with an estimated prevalence of around 10% in referral centers and 4% in a primary care setting. Despite its high prevalence until recently, the underlying genetic and molecular basis of this common disease had remained largely obscure. Over the past decade, a number of insights have been achieved that have relied onin vitrocellular systems, wild-type and genetically modifiedin vivomodels, as well as clinical studies in well-characterized patient populations. This progress has been made possible by a number of independent technical developments including that of specific hormone assays that allow measurement in small sample volumes as well as genetic techniques that enable high-throughput sequencing of a large number of samples. Furthermore, animal models have provided important insights into the physiology of aldosterone regulation that have served as a starting point for investigation of mechanisms involved in autonomous aldosterone secretion. Finally, national and international networks that have built up registries and biobanks have been instrumental in fostering translational research endeavors in PA. Therefore, it is to be expected that in the near future, further pathophysiological mechanisms that result in autonomous aldosterone secretion will be unraveled.


2006 ◽  
Vol 26 (14) ◽  
pp. 5249-5258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Coppola ◽  
Colleen A. Barrick ◽  
Sara Bobisse ◽  
Maria Cecilia Rodriguez-Galan ◽  
Michela Pivetta ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Trafficking and cell adhesion are key properties of cells of the immune system. However, the molecular pathways that control these cellular behaviors are still poorly understood. Cybr is a scaffold protein highly expressed in the hematopoietic/immune system whose physiological role is still unknown. In vitro studies have shown it regulates LFA-1, a crucial molecule in lymphocyte attachment and migration. Cybr also binds cytohesin-1, a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for the ARF GTPases, which affects actin cytoskeleton remodeling during cell migration. Here we show that expression of Cybr in vivo is differentially modulated by type 1 cytokines during lymphocyte maturation. In mice, Cybr deficiency negatively affects leukocytes circulating in blood and lymphocytes present in the lymph nodes. Moreover, in a Th1-polarized mouse model, lymphocyte trafficking is impaired by loss of Cybr, and Cybr-deficient mice with aseptic peritonitis have fewer cells than controls present in the peritoneal cavity, as well as fewer leukocytes leaving the bloodstream. Mutant mice injected with Moloney murine sarcoma/leukemia virus develop significantly larger tumors than wild-type mice and have reduced lymph node enlargement, suggesting reduced cytotoxic T-lymphocyte migration. Taken together, these data support a role for Cybr in leukocyte trafficking, especially in response to proinflammatory cytokines in stress conditions.


1993 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 590-597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephane Mottin ◽  
Canh Tran-Minh ◽  
Pierre Laporte ◽  
Raymond Cespuglio ◽  
Michel Jouvet

At pH 7 and with the excitation at wavelengths above 315 nm, previously unreported fluorescence of 5-HT (5-hydroxytryptamine) is observed. Two fluorescence bands were observed for 5-HT; the first emits at around 390 nm with an associated lifetime near 1 ns, and the other (well known) emits at 340 nm with an associated lifetime of 2.7 ns. With both static and time-resolved fluorescences, the spectral and temporal effects of the excitation wavelength were studied between 285 and 340 nm. With these basic spectroscopic properties as a starting point, a fiber-optic chemical sensor (FOCS) was developed in order to measure 5-HT with a single-fiber configuration, nitrogen laser excitation, and fast digitizing techniques. Temporal effects including fluorescence of the optical fiber were studied and compared with measurements both directly in cuvette and through the fiber-optic sensor. Less than thirty seconds are required for each measurement. A detection limit of 5-HT is reached in the range of 5 μM. Our system, with an improved sensitivity, could therefore be a possible and convenient “tool” for in vivo determination of 5-HT.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document