scholarly journals Long-term effects of honey solution on Th1/Th2 cytokine balance in military graduates with psychological symptoms of over-training

Background: Physical exercise in certain conditions can cause over-training syndrome in individuals, which is associated with inflammatory and anti-inflammatory responses by cytokines. The balance of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines can indicate the strength of the immune system against pathogens. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of 6 weeks of honey solution on the balance consumption of interferon-gamma and interleukin4. Materials and Methods: This semi-experimental study has been performed by pre-test-post-test with two groups of placebo and honey syrup. For investigation, 70 individuals from the available population, including military graduates, have been examined using an over-training psychological questionnaire and finally, using blood markers (cortisol and testosterone), an over-training test of 38 people with age range of (75/1±75/20) years, and body mass index of (19/4±1/7 kg/m2) have been selected and randomly divided into two groups of 19 individuals: placebo and honey syrup. In order to measure serum levels of interferon-gamma and interleukin-4, before and after 6 weeks of consuming honey solution, 5 cc of blood has been taken from the arm vein and measured by ELISA. Results: The changes in cytokines levels have been investigated using the independent t-test in the SPSS software version 22. Following the use of honey syrup, compared with the placebo group, an increase in interferon-gamma levels and a decrease in interleukin-4 have been observed, which was a significant difference (P <0.05). Conclusion: 6 weeks consumption of honey syrup promoted the balance of interferon-gamma and interleukin cytokines to reduce the side effects of over-training on the immune system.

2000 ◽  
Vol 9 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 193-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donato Torre ◽  
Roberto Tambini ◽  
Silvana Aristodemo ◽  
Giovanna Gavazzeni ◽  
Antonio Goglio ◽  
...  

The systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is an inflammatory process seen in association with a large number of clinical infective and noninfective conditions.The aim of this study was to investigate the role of anti-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin–4 (IL–4), interleukin–10 (IL–10), and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta). Serum levels of IL–4, IL–10 and TGF-β were determined in 45 patients with SIRS: 38 patients had SIRS of infectious origin, whereas seven patients had non-infectious SIRS. Twenty healthy subjects were used as controls.Serum levels of IL–4, IL–10 and TGFg were determined by an immunoenzyme assay. A significant increase of IL–4 was observed in these patients at the time of diagnosis and 5 days later. In contrast, serum levels of IL–10 were not increased at the time of diagnosis, but a slight decrease was noted after 5 days. Serum levels of TGF-β were not increased at time of diagnosis, and a slight increase was observed after 5 days. Serum levels of IL–4 were significantly higher in patients with infectious SIRS at the time of diagnosis, whereas no significant difference between infectious and non-infectious SIRS was noted for serum levels of IL–10 and TGF-β at the time of diagnosis and 5 days later.During SIRS, serum levels of IL–4 were significantly increased with a significant correlation between IL–4 and mortality, and only levels of IL–4 were significantly increased in the SIRS caused by infectious stimuli.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert W Malone ◽  
Kevin M Tomera ◽  
Leo Egbujiobi ◽  
Joseph K Kittah

Abstract We seek to rapidly identify, test and develop combinations of repurposed drugs to enable cost-effective treatments that reduce the risk of disease or death from SARS-CoV-2 infection. We hypothesize that the morbidity and mortality of COVID-19 reflects overactive host inflammatory responses to infection and is not principally due to the primary direct cellular, organ and tissue damage attributable to viral infection. Stepwise clinical development has identified the combination of High Dose (HD) famotidine and celecoxib (famcox) as a promising adjuvant anti-inflammatory protocol. We now report results from a retrospective observational comparative cohort study designed to provide an estimate of the potential benefits, risks, prognosis and diagnostic laboratory findings associated with administration of dexamethasone in addition to famcox for treatment of newly hospitalized COVID-19 disease in a community hospital setting. Study enrollment was restricted to patients at WHO 4–5. In the group receiving adjuvant treatment with famcox without dexamethasone (active control) there were no deaths during hospitalization (0/18 = 0% mortality). A total of six deaths occurred in the group receiving famcox + dexamethasone (6/21 = 29% mortality). There was a significant difference in mortality between the two groups, Χ2 (1, N = 43) = 7.305, p < 0.007. Median time to event for reaching WHO score of < 4 was 3.5 days in the control group (famcox (–) dex) versus 10 days for the experimental group (famcox (+) dex) P < 0.001. We conclude that use of the potent non-specific anti-inflammatory corticosteroid dexamethasone in addition to the specific anti-inflammatory famcox protocol should only be considered in late stage COVID-19 disease in patients less than 70 years of age. The effects of added dexamethasone on laboratory biomarkers, and particularly on neutrophil count, lymphocyte count, and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio raise concerns about the long-term effects of dexamethasone treatment with or without famcox during acute COVID-19 on the incidence and severity of chronic COVID (“long COVID” or PASC).


Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 615
Author(s):  
Shang-En Huang ◽  
Erna Sulistyowati ◽  
Yu-Ying Chao ◽  
Bin-Nan Wu ◽  
Zen-Kong Dai ◽  
...  

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative arthropathy that is mainly characterized by dysregulation of inflammatory responses. KMUP-1, a derived chemical synthetic of xanthine, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Here, we aimed to investigate the in vitro anti-inflammatory and in vivo anti-osteoarthritis effects of KMUP-1. Protein and gene expressions of inflammation markers were determined by ELISA, Western blotting and microarray, respectively. RAW264.7 mouse macrophages were cultured and pretreated with KMUP-1 (1, 5, 10 μM). The productions of TNF-α, IL-6, MMP-2 and MMP- 9 were reduced by KMUP-1 pretreatment in LPS-induced inflammation of RAW264.7 cells. The expressions of iNOS, TNF-α, COX-2, MMP-2 and MMP-9 were also inhibited by KMUP-1 pretreatment. The gene expression levels of TNF and COX families were also downregulated. In addition, KMUP-1 suppressed the activations of ERK, JNK and p38 as well as phosphorylation of IκBα/NF-κB signaling pathways. Furthermore, SIRT1 inhibitor attenuated the inhibitory effect of KMUP-1 in LPS-induced NF-κB activation. In vivo study showed that KMUP-1 reduced mechanical hyperalgesia in monoiodoacetic acid (MIA)-induced rats OA. Additionally, KMUP-1 pretreatment reduced the serum levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in MIA-injected rats. Moreover, macroscopic and histological observation showed that KMUP-1 reduced articular cartilage erosion in rats. Our results demonstrated that KMUP-1 inhibited the inflammatory responses and restored SIRT1 in vitro, alleviated joint-related pain and cartilage destruction in vivo. Taken together, KMUP-1 has the potential to improve MIA-induced articular cartilage degradation by inhibiting the levels and expression of inflammatory mediators suggesting that KMUP-1 might be a potential therapeutic agent for OA.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna H.E. Roukens ◽  
Marion König ◽  
Tim Dalebout ◽  
Tamar Tak ◽  
Shohreh Azimi ◽  
...  

AbstractThe immune system plays a major role in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pathogenesis, viral clearance and protection against re-infection. Immune cell dynamics during COVID-19 have been extensively documented in peripheral blood, but remain elusive in the respiratory tract. We performed minimally-invasive nasal curettage and mass cytometry to characterize nasal immune cells of COVID-19 patients during and 5-6 weeks after hospitalization. Contrary to observations in blood, no general T cell depletion at the nasal mucosa could be detected. Instead, we observed increased numbers of nasal granulocytes, monocytes, CD11c+ NK cells and exhausted CD4+ T effector memory cells during acute COVID-19 compared to age-matched healthy controls. These pro-inflammatory responses were found associated with viral load, while neutrophils also negatively correlated with oxygen saturation levels. Cell numbers mostly normalized following convalescence, except for persisting CD127+ granulocytes and activated T cells, including CD38+ CD8+ tissue-resident memory T cells. Moreover, we identified SARS-CoV-2 specific CD8+ T cells in the nasal mucosa in convalescent patients. Thus, COVID-19 has both transient and long-term effects on the immune system in the upper airway.


Author(s):  
Yufei Xie ◽  
Annemarie H. Meijer ◽  
Marcel J. M. Schaaf

Dysregulation of the inflammatory response in humans can lead to various inflammatory diseases, like asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. The innate branch of the immune system, including macrophage and neutrophil functions, plays a critical role in all inflammatory diseases. This part of the immune system is well-conserved between humans and the zebrafish, which has emerged as a powerful animal model for inflammation, because it offers the possibility to image and study inflammatory responses in vivo at the early life stages. This review focuses on different inflammation models established in zebrafish, and how they are being used for the development of novel anti-inflammatory drugs. The most commonly used model is the tail fin amputation model, in which part of the tail fin of a zebrafish larva is clipped. This model has been used to study fundamental aspects of the inflammatory response, like the role of specific signaling pathways, the migration of leukocytes, and the interaction between different immune cells, and has also been used to screen libraries of natural compounds, approved drugs, and well-characterized pathway inhibitors. In other models the inflammation is induced by chemical treatment, such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS), leukotriene B4 (LTB4), and copper, and some chemical-induced models, such as treatment with trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS), specifically model inflammation in the gastro-intestinal tract. Two mutant zebrafish lines, carrying a mutation in the hepatocyte growth factor activator inhibitor 1a gene (hai1a) and the cdp-diacylglycerolinositol 3-phosphatidyltransferase (cdipt) gene, show an inflammatory phenotype, and they provide interesting model systems for studying inflammation. These zebrafish inflammation models are often used to study the anti-inflammatory effects of glucocorticoids, to increase our understanding of the mechanism of action of this class of drugs and to develop novel glucocorticoid drugs. In this review, an overview is provided of the available inflammation models in zebrafish, and how they are used to unravel molecular mechanisms underlying the inflammatory response and to screen for novel anti-inflammatory drugs.


Author(s):  
Hussein Al-Hakeim ◽  
Ahmed Jasim Twayej ◽  
Arafat Hussein Al-Dujaili ◽  
Michael Maes

Major Depression Disorder (MDD) is accompanied by an immune response characterized by increased levels of pro-inflammatory and immune-regulatory cytokines and cytokine-induced stimulation of indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO). There is also some evidence that anti-inflammatory drugs may have a clinical efficacy in MDD.The aim of this study is to examine the clinical effects of an eight-week combinatorial treatment of ketoprofen (a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug) combined or not with sertraline, on serum levels of IDO, interferon (IFN)-&gamma;, interleukin (IL)-4 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-&beta;1 in association with changes in the Beck-Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). The study included 140 MDD patients and 40 normal controls. The pre-treatment serum levels of IDO, IFN-&gamma;, TGF-&beta;1 and IL-4 were significantly higher in MDD patients compared with the control group. Treatment with sertraline with or without ketoprofen significantly reduced the increased baseline production of all 4 biomarkers to levels which were similar as those of normal controls. Ketoprofen add-on had a significantly greater effect on IDO and BDI-II as compared with placebo. The reductions in IDO, IL-4 and TGF-&beta;1 during treatment were significantly associated with those in the BDI-II.In conclusion, the clinical efficacy of both sertraline + ketoprofen may be ascribed at least in part to attenuated IDO levels and immune-inflammatory responses in MDD. Moreover, add-on treatment with ketoprofen may augment the efficacy of sertraline by attenuating IDO. However, these treatments may also significantly reduce the more beneficial properties of T helper-2 and T regulatory (Treg) immune subsets. Future research should develop immune treatments that target the immune-inflammatory response in MDD, while enhancing the compensatory immune-regulatory system (CIRS).


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Jennifer Mae Williams-Spence

<p>Remote ischaemic preconditioning (RIPC) describes the phenomenon where brief intermittent periods of limb ischaemia are used to protect the heart and other organs from subsequent prolonged ischaemic insults. RIPC has been identified as a promising intervention for use during cardiac surgery and has consistently shown a beneficial effect in animal models; however, the results of early clinical trials have not been as successful. The exact mechanisms involved in mediating RIPC have not yet been characterised and a better understanding of the pathways through which RIPC exerts its protective effects will be essential in order to progress the translation of this intervention into the clinical setting. There is increasing evidence that RIPC modifies the inflammatory response, therefore the central aim of the research presented in this thesis was to investigate how RIPC affects the human immune system.  We performed a double-blind randomised controlled trial of RIPC in 96 high-risk cardiac surgery patients and found no evidence that the intervention reduced myocardial injury or altered peri-operative expression levels of the key inflammatory cytokines, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and IL-10, during simple or more complex procedures. There was a trend towards higher levels of IL-6 and IL-8 in the preconditioned patients; however, confounding variables in the trial design and the heterogeneous patient population limited our ability to interpret the results.  We next conducted a paired-analysis trial with 10 healthy male volunteers to assess the direct effect of preconditioning on the early immune response, away from any form of ischaemic injury or comorbidities. We found that RIPC directly and significantly decreased serum levels of the chemokines MIP-1α and MIP-1β, but did not increase the serum concentrations of a range of key cytokines or alter the cytokine producing potential of peripheral blood leukocytes. These findings strongly suggest that a cytokine is not likely to be the humoral mediator associated with transmitting the RIPC protective signal.  RIPC did not alter the immunophenotype or extravasation of peripheral leukocyte populations, or the proliferative and cytokine responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) to pharmacological, physiological, and antigen-specific stimuli. However, preconditioning did appear to reduce the ability of monocytes and neutrophils to respond to activation signals, as indicated by lower levels of CD11b expression in stimulated cultures, and a significant increase in the basal production of IL-22 was also detected in PBMC cultured for 6 days following preconditioning. These alterations may reduce neutrophil and monocyte tissue infiltration and limit the inflammatory response during the early window of RIPC-induced protection and enhance tissue and wound repair several days later. A multivariate analysis confirmed that there was a significant difference in the response between the control and RIPC treatments and the main contributing factors were identified as changes in neutrophil and T cell activation, serum levels of MIP-1α and β, and production of IL-10 and IL-22 from PBMC cultured for 6 days.  Overall, our results suggest that RIPC has a subtle but direct effect on the systemic innate immune response during the early window of protection in healthy volunteers, whereas the effects on the adaptive immune system seem to be considerably delayed. The changes detected following RIPC are likely to contribute to protection against ischaemia-reperfusion injury but not solely account for the extent of the beneficial effects of RIPC detected in animals. Our findings reinforce the safety profile of this intervention and have defined a number of immune parameters that are altered by preconditioning for focusing future research.</p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Gutierrez ◽  
Isabel Gallardo ◽  
Lorena Ruiz ◽  
Yolanda Alvarez ◽  
Victoria Cachofeiro ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic demyelinating autoimmune disease affecting the CNS. Recent studies have indicated that intestinal alterations play key pathogenic roles in the development of autoimmune diseases, including MS. The triterpene oleanolic acid (OA), due to its anti-inflammatory properties, has shown to beneficially influence the severity of the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a preclinical model of MS. We herein investigate EAE-associated gut intestinal dysfunction and the effect of OA treatment. Methods Mice with MOG35–55-induced EAE were treated with OA or vehicle from immunization day and were daily analyzed for clinical deficit. We performed molecular and histological analysis in serum and intestinal tissues to measure oxidative and inflammatory responses. We used Caco-2 and HT29-MTX-E12 cells to elucidate OA in vitro effects. Results We found that OA protected from EAE-induced changes in intestinal permeability and preserved the mucin-containing goblet cells along the intestinal tract. Serum levels of the markers for intestinal barrier damage iFABP and monocyte activation sCD14 were consistently and significantly reduced in OA-treated EAE mice. Beneficial OA effects also included a decrease of pro-inflammatory mediators both in serum and colonic tissue of treated-EAE mice. Moreover, the levels of some immunoregulatory cytokines, the neurotrophic factor GDNF, and the gastrointestinal hormone motilin were preserved in OA-treated EAE mice. Regarding oxidative stress, OA treatment prevented lipid peroxidation and superoxide anion accumulation in intestinal tissue, while inducing the expression of the ROS scavenger Sestrin-3. Furthermore, short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) quantification in the cecal content showed that OA reduced the high iso-valeric acid concentrations detected in EAE-mice. Lastly, using in vitro cell models which mimic the intestinal epithelium, we verified that OA protected against intestinal barrier dysfunction induced by injurious agents produced in both EAE and MS. Conclusion These findings reveal that OA ameliorates the gut dysfunction found in EAE mice. OA normalizes the levels of gut mucosal dysfunction markers, as well as the pro- and anti-inflammatory immune bias during EAE, thus reinforcing the idea that OA is a beneficial compound for treating EAE and suggesting that OA may be an interesting candidate to be explored for the treatment of human MS.


ISRN AIDS ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise Mudzinge ◽  
Tinashe Kenny Nyazika ◽  
Tawanda Jonathan Chisango ◽  
Danai Tavonga Zhou

Antiretroviral therapy inhibits HIV replication, maintains health, and preserves life. However, both antiretroviral therapy and HIV infection have been reported to have short- and long-term effects on bone metabolism. A cross-sectional study was performed to compare serum bone profiles in HIV positive patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy and compare them to therapy-naïve patients. Serum levels of calcium, magnesium, phosphate, and albumin were measured in 40 female participants on highly active antiretroviral therapy, recruited sequentially from Parirenyatwa Opportunistic Infections Clinic, Harare, Zimbabwe. The 40 women were matched for age with 40 antiretroviral therapy-naïve women. Magnesium, phosphate, and albumin levels were significantly higher in the therapy-naïve than in therapy-experienced patients. There was no statistically significant difference in calcium levels of the two groups of women. Evidence from this study suggests that highly active antiretroviral therapy lowers levels of magnesium, phosphate, and albumin but has no effect on levels of serum calcium.


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