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Sample records for lps core region

  1. The Glycosyltransferases of LPS Core: A Review of Four Heptosyltransferase Enzymes in Context

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joy M. Cote

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Bacterial antibiotic resistance is a rapidly expanding problem in the world today. Functionalization of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria provides protection from extracellular antimicrobials, and serves as an innate resistance mechanism. Lipopolysaccharides (LPS are a major cell-surface component of Gram-negative bacteria that contribute to protecting the bacterium from extracellular threats. LPS is biosynthesized by the sequential addition of sugar moieties by a number of glycosyltransferases (GTs. Heptosyltransferases catalyze the addition of multiple heptose sugars to form the core region of LPS; there are at most four heptosyltransferases found in all Gram-negative bacteria. The most studied of the four is HepI. Cells deficient in HepI display a truncated LPS on their cell surface, causing them to be more susceptible to hydrophobic antibiotics. HepI–IV are all structurally similar members of the GT-B structural family, a class of enzymes that have been found to be highly dynamic. Understanding conformational changes of heptosyltransferases are important to efficiently inhibiting them, but also contributing to the understanding of all GT-B enzymes. Finding new and smarter methods to inhibit bacterial growth is crucial, and the Heptosyltransferases may provide an important model for how to inhibit many GT-B enzymes.

  2. Structural Characterization of Core Region in Erwinia amylovora Lipopolysaccharide

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Angela Casillo

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Erwinia amylovora (E. amylovora is the first bacterial plant pathogen described and demonstrated to cause fire blight, a devastating plant disease affecting a wide range of species including a wide variety of Rosaceae. In this study, we reported the lipopolysaccharide (LPS core structure from E. amylovora strain CFBP1430, the first one for an E. amylovora highly pathogenic strain. The chemical characterization was performed on the mutants waaL (lacking only the O-antigen LPS with a complete LPS-core, wabH and wabG (outer-LPS core mutants. The LPSs were isolated from dry cells and analyzed by means of chemical and spectroscopic methods. In particular, they were subjected to a mild acid hydrolysis and/or a hydrazinolysis and investigated in detail by one and two dimensional Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR spectroscopy and ElectroSpray Ionization Fourier Transform-Ion Cyclotron Resonance (ESI FT-ICR mass spectrometry.

  3. Comparative conventional- and quantum dot-labelling strategies for LPS binding site detection in Arabidopsis thaliana mesophyll protoplasts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Londiwe Siphephise Mgcina

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Lipopolysaccharide (LPS from Gram-negative bacteria is recognized as a microbe-associated molecular pattern (MAMP and not only induces an innate immune response in plants, but also stimulates the development of characteristic defense responses. However, identification and characterization of a cell surface LPS-receptor/binding site, as described in mammals, remains elusive in plants. As an amphiphilic, macromolecular lipoglycan, intact LPS potentially contains three MAMP-active regions, represented by the O-polysaccharide chain, the core and the lipid A. Binding site studies with intact labelled LPS were conducted in Arabidopsis thaliana protoplasts and quantified using flow cytometry fluorescence changes. Qdots, which allow non-covalent, hydrophobic labelling were used as a novel strategy in this study and compared to covalent, hydrophilic labelling with Alexa 488. Affinity for LPS-binding sites was clearly demonstrated by concentration-, temperature- and time-dependent increases in protoplast fluorescence following treatment with the labelled LPS. Moreover, this induced fluorescence increase was convincingly reduced following pre-treatment with excess unlabeled LPS, thereby indicating reversibility of LPS binding. Inhibition of the binding process is also reported using endo- and exocytosis inhibitors. Here, we present evidence for the anticipated presence of LPS-specific binding sites in Arabidopsis protoplasts, and furthermore propose Qdots as a more sensitive LPS-labelling strategy in comparison to the conventional Alexa 488 hydrazide label for binding studies.

  4. The LPS trigger system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Benotto, F.; Costa, M.; Staiano, A.; Zampieri, A.; Bollito, M.; Isoardi, P.; Pernigotti, E.; Sacchi, R.; Trapani, P.P.; Larsen, H.; Massam, T.; Nemoz, C.

    1996-03-01

    The Leading Proton Spectrometer (LPS) has been equipped with microstrip silicon detectors specially designed to trigger events with high values of x L vertical stroke anti p' p vertical stroke / vertical stroke anti p p vertical stroke ≥0.95 where vertical stroke anti p' p vertical stroke and vertical stroke anti p p vertical stroke are respectively the momenta of outgoing and incoming protons. The LPS First Level Trigger can provide a clear tag for very high momentum protons in a kinematical region never explored before. In the following we discuss the physics motivation in tagging very forward protons and present a detailed description of the detector design, the front end electronics, the readout electronics, the Monte Carlo simulation and some preliminary results from 1995 data taking. (orig.)

  5. fLPS: Fast discovery of compositional biases for the protein universe.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harrison, Paul M

    2017-11-13

    Proteins often contain regions that are compositionally biased (CB), i.e., they are made from a small subset of amino-acid residue types. These CB regions can be functionally important, e.g., the prion-forming and prion-like regions that are rich in asparagine and glutamine residues. Here I report a new program fLPS that can rapidly annotate CB regions. It discovers both single-residue and multiple-residue biases. It works through a process of probability minimization. First, contigs are constructed for each amino-acid type out of sequence windows with a low degree of bias; second, these contigs are searched exhaustively for low-probability subsequences (LPSs); third, such LPSs are iteratively assessed for merger into possible multiple-residue biases. At each of these stages, efficiency measures are taken to avoid or delay probability calculations unless/until they are necessary. On a current desktop workstation, the fLPS algorithm can annotate the biased regions of the yeast proteome (>5700 sequences) in 65 million sequences) in as little as ~1 h, which is >2 times faster than the commonly used program SEG, using default parameters. fLPS discovers both shorter CB regions (of the sort that are often termed 'low-complexity sequence'), and milder biases that may only be detectable over long tracts of sequence. fLPS can readily handle very large protein data sets, such as might come from metagenomics projects. It is useful in searching for proteins with similar CB regions, and for making functional inferences about CB regions for a protein of interest. The fLPS package is available from: http://biology.mcgill.ca/faculty/harrison/flps.html , or https://github.com/pmharrison/flps , or is a supplement to this article.

  6. Piracetam Attenuates LPS-Induced Neuroinflammation and Cognitive Impairment in Rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tripathi, Alok; Paliwal, Pankaj; Krishnamurthy, Sairam

    2017-11-01

    The present study was performed to investigate the effect of piracetam on neuroinflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and resulting changes in cognitive behavior. Neuroinflammation was induced by a single dose of LPS solution infused into each of the lateral cerebral ventricles in concentrations of 1 μg/μl, at a rate of 1 μl/min over a 5-min period, with a 5-min waiting period between the two infusions. Piracetam in doses of 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg i.p. was administered 30 min before LPS infusion and continued for 9 days. On ninth day, the behavioral test for memory and anxiety was done followed by blood collection and microdissection of the hippocampus (HIP) and prefrontal cortex brain regions. Piracetam attenuated the LPS-induced decrease in coping strategy to novel environment indicating anxiolytic activity. It also reversed the LPS-induced changes in the known arm and novel arm entries in the Y-maze test indicating amelioration of spatial memory impairment. Further, piracetam moderated LPS-induced decrease in the mitochondrial complex enzyme activities (I, II, IV, and V) and mitochondrial membrane potential. It ameliorated changes in hippocampal lipid peroxidation and nitrite levels including the activity of superoxide dismutase. Piracetam region specifically ameliorated LPS-induced increase in the level of IL-6 in HIP indicating anti-neuroinflammatory effect. Further, piracetam reduced HIP Aβ (1-40) and increased blood Aβ level suggesting efflux of Aβ from HIP to blood. Therefore, the present study indicates preclinical evidence for the use of piracetam in the treatment of neuroinflammatory disorders.

  7. Repeated exposure to intra-amniotic LPS partially protects against adverse effects of intravenous LPS in preterm lambs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gisslen, Tate; Hillman, Noah H; Musk, Gabrielle C; Kemp, Matthew W; Kramer, Boris W; Senthamaraikannan, Paranthaman; Newnham, John P; Jobe, Alan H; Kallapur, Suhas G

    2014-02-01

    Histologic chorioamnionitis, frequently associated with preterm births and adverse outcomes, results in prolonged exposure of preterm fetuses to infectious agents and pro-inflammatory mediators, such as LPS. Endotoxin tolerance-type effects were demonstrated in fetal sheep following repetitive systemic or intra-amniotic (i.a.) exposures to LPS, suggesting that i.a. LPS exposure would cause endotoxin tolerance to a postnatal systemic dose of LPS in preterm sheep. In this study, randomized pregnant ewes received either two i.a. injections of LPS or saline prior to preterm delivery. Following operative delivery, the lambs were treated with surfactant, ventilated, and randomized to receive either i.v. LPS or saline at 30  min of age. Physiologic variables and indicators of systemic and lung inflammation were measured. Intravenous LPS decreased blood neutrophils and platelets values following i.a. saline compared to that after i.a. LPS. Intra-amniotic LPS prevented blood pressure from decreasing following the i.v. LPS, but also caused an increased oxygen index. Intra-amniotic LPS did not cause endotoxin tolerance as assessed by cytokine expression in the liver, lung or plasma, but increased myeloperoxidase-positive cells in the lung. The different compartments of exposure to LPS (i.a. vs i.v.) are unique to the fetal to newborn transition. Intra-amniotic LPS incompletely tolerized fetal lambs to postnatal i.v. LPS.

  8. Synthetic LPS-Binding Polymer Nanoparticles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Tian

    Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), one of the principal components of most gram-negative bacteria's outer membrane, is a type of contaminant that can be frequently found in recombinant DNA products. Because of its strong and even lethal biological effects, selective LPS removal from bioproducts solution is of particular importance in the pharmaceutical and health care industries. In this thesis, for the first time, a proof-of-concept study on preparing LPS-binding hydrogel-like NPs through facile one-step free-radical polymerization was presented. With the incorporation of various hydrophobic (TBAm), cationic (APM, GUA) monomers and cross-linkers (BIS, PEG), a small library of NPs was constructed. Their FITC-LPS binding behaviors were investigated and compared with those of commercially available LPS-binding products. Moreover, the LPS binding selectivity of the NPs was also explored by studying the NPs-BSA interactions. The results showed that all NPs obtained generally presented higher FITC-LPS binding capacity in lower ionic strength buffer than higher ionic strength. However, unlike commercial poly-lysine cellulose and polymyxin B agarose beads' nearly linear increase of FITC-LPS binding with particle concentration, NPs exhibited serious aggregation and the binding quickly saturated or even decreased at high particle concentration. Among various types of NPs, higher FITC-LPS binding capacity was observed for those containing more hydrophobic monomers (TBAm). However, surprisingly, more cationic NPs with higher content of APM exhibited decreased FITC-LPS binding in high ionic strength conditions. Additionally, when new cationic monomer and cross-linker, GUA and PEG, were applied to replace APM and BIS, the obtained NPs showed improved FITC-LPS binding capacity at low NP concentration. But compared with APM- and BIS-containing NPs, the FITC-LPS binding capacity of GUA- and PEG-containing NPs saturated earlier. To investigate the NPs' binding to proteins, we tested the NPs

  9. Compound list: LPS [Open TG-GATEs

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available LPS LPS 00A07 ftp://ftp.biosciencedbc.jp/archive/open-tggates/LATEST/Human/in_vitro.../LPS.Human.in_vitro.Liver.zip ftp://ftp.biosciencedbc.jp/archive/open-tggates/LATEST/Rat/in_vitro/LPS.Rat.in..._vitro.Liver.zip ftp://ftp.biosciencedbc.jp/archive/open-tggates/LATEST/Rat/in_vivo/Liver/Single/LPS.Rat.in_vivo.Liver.Single.zip ...

  10. Westinghouse loading pattern search methodology for complex core designs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chao, Y.A.; Alsop, B.H.; Johansen, B.J.; Morita, T.

    1991-01-01

    Pressurized water reactor core designs have become more complex and must meet a plethora of design constraints. Trends have been toward longer cycles with increased discharge burnup, increased burnable absorber (BA) number, mixed BA types, reduced radial leakage, axially blanketed fuel, and multiple-batch feed fuel regions. Obtaining economical reload core loading patterns (LPs) that meet design criteria is a difficult task to do manually. Automated LP search tools are needed. An LP search tool cannot possibly perform an exhaustive search because of the sheer size of the combinatorial problem. On the other hand, evolving complexity of the design features and constraints often invalidates expert rules based on past design experiences. Westinghouse has developed a sophisticated loading pattern search methodology. This methodology is embodied in the LPOP code, which Westinghouse nuclear designers use extensively. The LPOP code generates a variety of LPs meeting design constraints and performs a two-cycle economic evaluation of the generated LPs. The designer selects the most appropriate patterns for fine tuning and evaluation by the design codes. This paper describes the major features of the LPOP methodology that are relevant to fulfilling the aforementioned requirements. Data and examples are also provided to demonstrate the performance of LPOP in meeting the complex design needs

  11. Turbine component casting core with high resolution region

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kamel, Ahmed; Merrill, Gary B.

    2014-08-26

    A hollow turbine engine component with complex internal features can include a first region and a second, high resolution region. The first region can be defined by a first ceramic core piece formed by any conventional process, such as by injection molding or transfer molding. The second region can be defined by a second ceramic core piece formed separately by a method effective to produce high resolution features, such as tomo lithographic molding. The first core piece and the second core piece can be joined by interlocking engagement that once subjected to an intermediate thermal heat treatment process thermally deform to form a three dimensional interlocking joint between the first and second core pieces by allowing thermal creep to irreversibly interlock the first and second core pieces together such that the joint becomes physically locked together providing joint stability through thermal processing.

  12. A midgut lysate of the Riptortus pedestris has antibacterial activity against LPS O-antigen-deficient Burkholderia mutants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jang, Ho Am; Seo, Eun Sil; Seong, Min Young; Lee, Bok Luel

    2017-02-01

    Riptortus pedestris, a common pest in soybean fields, harbors a symbiont Burkholderia in a specialized posterior midgut region of insects. Every generation of second nymphs acquires new Burkholderia cells from the environment. We compared in vitro cultured Burkholderia with newly in vivo colonized Burkholderia in the host midgut using biochemical approaches. The bacterial cell envelope of in vitro cultured and in vivo Burkholderia differed in structure, as in vivo bacteria lacked lipopolysaccharide (LPS) O-antigen. The LPS O-antigen deficient bacteria had a reduced colonization rate in the host midgut compared with that of the wild-type Burkholderia. To determine why LPS O-antigen-deficient bacteria are less able to colonize the host midgut, we examined in vitro survival rates of three LPS O-antigen-deficient Burkholderia mutants and lysates of five different midgut regions. The LPS O-antigen-deficient mutants were highly susceptible when cultured with the lysate of a specific first midgut region (M1), indicating that the M1 lysate contains unidentified substance(s) capable of killing LPS O-antigen-deficient mutants. We identified a 17 kDa protein from the M1 lysate, which was enriched in the active fractions. The N-terminal sequence of the protein was determined to be a soybean Kunitz-type trypsin inhibitor. These data suggest that the 17 kDa protein, which was originated from a main soybean source of the R. pedestris host, has antibacterial activity against the LPS O-antigen deficient (rough-type) Burkholderia. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. LPS Catch and Effort Estimation

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Data collected from the LPS dockside (LPIS) and the LPS telephone (LPTS) surveys are combined to produce estimates of total recreational catch, landings, and fishing...

  14. Analysis of Irradiation Holes of In-Core Region

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    In, Won-ho; Lee, Yong-sub; Kim, Tae-hwan; Lim, Kyoung-hwan; Ahn, Hyung-jin [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-05-15

    Test fuels and materials are irradiated in the in-core region in side of the chimney. The inner chimney is composed of In-Core and Out-Core regions. The In-Core region has 23 hexagonal vertical irradiation holes named from R01 to R20, CT, IR1 and IR2 and 8 cylindrical irradiation holes named from CAR1 to CAR4 and SOR1 to SOR4. The Out-Core region is composed of 8 cylindrical irradiation holes named from OR1 to OR8 which are installed near the inner shell of the reflector tank. HANARO is the multi-purpose research reactor which utilizes in-core irradiation holes, which is being used in various field. Over the past 7 years we have used CT 8 times, IR once, IR2 and OR3 twice, OR4 three times and OR5 ten times. These irradiation holes are used to perform an evaluation of the neutron irradiation properties and the tests were all completed and done successfully. HANARO has been used successfully, and it still will be used continuously in various fields such as nuclear in-pile tests, the production of radioisotopes, neutron transmutation doping, neutron activation analysis, neutron beam research, radiography, environmental science.

  15. Supramolecular structure of enterobacterial wild-type lipopolysaccharides (LPS), fractions thereof, and their neutralization by Pep19-2.5.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brandenburg, Klaus; Heinbockel, Lena; Correa, Wilmar; Fukuoka, Satoshi; Gutsmann, Thomas; Zähringer, Ulrich; Koch, Michel H J

    2016-04-01

    Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) belong to the strongest immune-modulating compounds known in nature, and are often described as pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). In particular, at higher concentrations they are responsible for sepsis and the septic shock syndrome associated with high lethality. Since most data are indicative that LPS aggregates are the bioactive units, their supramolecular structures are considered to be of outmost relevance for deciphering the molecular mechanisms of its bioactivity. So far, however, most of the data available addressing this issue, were published only for the lipid part (lipid A) and the core-oligosaccharide containing rough LPS, representing the bioactive unit. By contrast, it is well known that most of the LPS specimen identified in natural habitats contain the smooth-form (S-form) LPS, which carry additionally a high-molecular polysaccharide (O-chain). To fill this lacuna and going into a more natural system, here various wild-type (smooth form) LPS including also some LPS fractions were investigated by small-angle X-ray scattering with synchrotron radiation to analyze their aggregate structure. Furthermore, the influence of a recently designed synthetic anti-LPS peptide (SALP) Pep19-2.5 on the aggregate structure, on the binding thermodynamics, and on the cytokine-inducing activity of LPS were characterized, showing defined aggregate changes, high affinity binding and inhibition of cytokine secretion. The data obtained are suitable to refine our view on the preferences of LPS for non-lamellar structures, representing the highest bioactive forms which can be significantly influenced by the binding with neutralizing peptides such as Pep19-2.5. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. CORAL: aligning conserved core regions across domain families.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fong, Jessica H; Marchler-Bauer, Aron

    2009-08-01

    Homologous protein families share highly conserved sequence and structure regions that are frequent targets for comparative analysis of related proteins and families. Many protein families, such as the curated domain families in the Conserved Domain Database (CDD), exhibit similar structural cores. To improve accuracy in aligning such protein families, we propose a profile-profile method CORAL that aligns individual core regions as gap-free units. CORAL computes optimal local alignment of two profiles with heuristics to preserve continuity within core regions. We benchmarked its performance on curated domains in CDD, which have pre-defined core regions, against COMPASS, HHalign and PSI-BLAST, using structure superpositions and comprehensive curator-optimized alignments as standards of truth. CORAL improves alignment accuracy on core regions over general profile methods, returning a balanced score of 0.57 for over 80% of all domain families in CDD, compared with the highest balanced score of 0.45 from other methods. Further, CORAL provides E-values to aid in detecting homologous protein families and, by respecting block boundaries, produces alignments with improved 'readability' that facilitate manual refinement. CORAL will be included in future versions of the NCBI Cn3D/CDTree software, which can be downloaded at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Structure/cdtree/cdtree.shtml. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

  17. The anti-inflammatory effect of TR6 on LPS-induced mastitis in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Xiaoyu; Fu, Yunhe; Tian, Yuan; Zhang, Zecai; Zhang, Wenlong; Gao, Xuejiao; Lu, Xiaojie; Cao, Yongguo; Zhang, Naisheng

    2016-01-01

    [TRIAP]-derived decoy peptides have anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, we synthesized a TRIAP-derived decoy peptide (TR6) containing, the N-terminal portion of the third helical region of the [TIRAP] TIR domain (sequence "N"-RQIKIWFQNRRMKWK and -KPGFLRDPWCKYQML-"C"). We evaluated the effects of TR6 on lipopolysaccharide-induced mastitis in mice. In vivo, the mastitis model was induced by LPS administration for 24h, and TR6 treatment was initiated 1h before or after induction of LPS. In vitro, primary mouse mammary epithelial cells and neutrophils were used to investigate the effects of TR6 on LPS-induced inflammatory responses. The results showed that TR6 significantly inhibited mammary gland hisopathologic changes, MPO activity, and LPS-induced production of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6. In vitro, TR6 significantly inhibited LPS-induced TNF-α and IL-6 production and phosphorylation of NF-κB and MAPKs. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the anti-inflammatory effect of TR6 against LPS-induced mastitis may be due to its ability to inhibit TLR4-mediated NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways. TR6 may be a promising therapeutic reagent for mastitis treatment. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  18. The Deep-Sea Polyextremophile Halobacteroides lacunaris TB21 Rough-Type LPS: Structure and Inhibitory Activity towards Toxic LPS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Di Lorenzo, Flaviana; Palmigiano, Angelo; Paciello, Ida; Pallach, Mateusz; Garozzo, Domenico; Bernardini, Maria-Lina; La Cono, Violetta; Yakimov, Michail M.; Molinaro, Antonio; Silipo, Alba

    2017-01-01

    The structural characterization of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from extremophiles has important implications in several biomedical and therapeutic applications. The polyextremophile Gram-negative bacterium Halobacteroides lacunaris TB21, isolated from one of the most extreme habitats on our planet, the deep-sea hypersaline anoxic basin Thetis, represents a fascinating microorganism to investigate in terms of its LPS component. Here we report the elucidation of the full structure of the R-type LPS isolated from H. lacunaris TB21 that was attained through a multi-technique approach comprising chemical analyses, NMR spectroscopy, and Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry. Furthermore, cellular immunology studies were executed on the pure R-LPS revealing a very interesting effect on human innate immunity as an inhibitor of the toxic Escherichia coli LPS. PMID:28653982

  19. Structural organization of the quiescent core region in a turbulent channel flow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Jongmin; Hwang, Jinyul; Sung, Hyung Jin

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • The structural organization of the quiescent core region in a turbulent channel flow is explored. • The quiescent core region is the uniform momentum zone located at the center of the channel. • The boundary of the quiescent core region can be identified from the probability density function of the streamwise modal velocity. • The prograde and retrograde vortices form a counter-rotating vortex pair at the boundary of the core region. - Abstract: The structural organization of the quiescent core region in a turbulent channel flow was explored using direct numerical simulation data at Re_τ = 930. The quiescent core region is the uniform momentum zone located at the center of the channel, and contains the highest momentum with a low level of turbulence. The boundary of the quiescent core region can be identified from the probability density function of the streamwise modal velocity. The streamwise velocity changes abruptly near the boundary of the core region. The abrupt jump leads the increase of the velocity gradient, which is similar to the vorticity thickness of the laminar superlayer at the turbulent/non-turbulent interface. The strong shear induced from the abrupt change is originated from the vortical structure lying on the boundary of the core region. The spanwise population densities of the prograde and retrograde vortices have a local maximum near the boundary of the core region. The prograde vortex dominantly contributes to the total mean shear near the core boundary and the contribution to the total mean shear rapidly decreases within the core region. The prograde and retrograde vortices form a counter-rotating vortex pair at the boundary of the core region associated with the nibbling mechanism. The boundary of the core region contains large-scale concave and convex features. The concave (convex) core interface is organized by the negative-u (positive-u) regions which induce the ejections (sweeps) around the core boundary.

  20. New Sodium Cooled Long-Life Cores with Axially Multi-Driver Regions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hyun, Hae Ri; Hong, Ser Gi

    2014-01-01

    In this concept of long-life core (they are sometimes called B-B (Breed and Burn)), tall blanket is placed above the relatively short driver fuel. In the initial stage of burning, the power by fission is mostly generated in the driver region and it moves into the blanket region. The power and flux distributions that are highly peaked in the axial direction propagates slowly from the driver into the blanket region. This concept of long-life core fully utilizes the breeding of blanket in the fast spectra and it can achieve very high burnup of fuel. In this work, we introduce new sodium cooled longlife cores rating 600MWe (1800MWt). In these cores, the driver regions are heterogeneously placed into blanket region so as to achieve stabilized and less peaked axial power distribution as depletion proceeds. At present, our study is focused on only two axial driver regions but this concept can be easily extended onto the multi-driver region concept. The cores designed in this paper have two axial driver regions so as to have stabilized and less peaked axial power distributions as depletion proceeds. The results of the core design and analyses show that the cores have very long-lives longer than -49EFPYs and high discharge burnup higher than 200GWD/kg. Additionally, we considered a long-life core having no blanket. As expected, it was shown that these cores have stabilized and less peaked axial power distribution as the fuel depletes. However, the study shows that the cores having two driver regions still show high initial peaking of the axial power distributions and the core can be optimized by changing the driver fuel height

  1. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation of fungal secondary metabolism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khalil, Zeinab G.; Kalansuriya, Pabasara; Capon, Robert J.

    2014-01-01

    We report on a preliminary investigation of the use the Gram-negative bacterial cell wall constituent lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as a natural chemical cue to stimulate and alter the expression of fungal secondary metabolism. Integrated high-throughput micro-cultivation and micro-analysis methods determined that 6 of 40 (15%) of fungi tested responded to an optimal exposure to LPS (0.6 ng/mL) by activating, enhancing or accelerating secondary metabolite production. To explore the possible mechanisms behind this effect, we employed light and fluorescent microscopy in conjunction with a nitric oxide (NO)-sensitive fluorescent dye and an NO scavenger to provide evidence that LPS stimulation of fungal secondary metabolism coincided with LPS activation of NO. Several case studies demonstrated that LPS stimulation can be scaled from single microplate well (1.5 mL) to preparative (>400 mL) scale cultures. For example, LPS treatment of Penicillium sp. (ACM-4616) enhanced pseurotin A and activated pseurotin A1 and pseurotin A2 biosynthesis, whereas LPS treatment of Aspergillus sp. (CMB-M81F) substantially accelerated and enhanced the biosynthesis of shornephine A and a series of biosynthetically related ardeemins and activated production of neoasterriquinone. As an indication of broader potential, we provide evidence that cultures of Penicillium sp. (CMB-TF0411), Aspergillus niger (ACM-4993F), Rhizopus oryzae (ACM-165F) and Thanatephorus cucumeris (ACM-194F) were responsive to LPS stimulation, the latter two examples being particular noteworthy as neither are known to produce secondary metabolites. Our results encourage the view that LPS stimulation can be used as a valuable tool to expand the molecular discovery potential of fungal strains that either have been exhaustively studied by or are unresponsive to traditional culture methodology. PMID:25379339

  2. Thalidomide protects mice against LPS-induced shock

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Moreira A.L.

    1997-01-01

    Full Text Available Thalidomide has been shown to selectively inhibit TNF-a production in vitro by lipopolysaccharide (LPS-stimulated monocytes. TNF-a has been shown to play a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of endotoxic shock. Using a mouse model of LPS-induced shock, we investigated the effects of thalidomide on the production of TNF-a and other cytokines and on animal survival. After injection of 100-350 µg LPS into mice, cytokines including TNF-a, IL-6, IL-10, IL-1ß, GM-CSF and IFN-g were measured in the serum. Administration of 200 mg/kg thalidomide to mice before LPS challenge modified the profile of LPS-induced cytokine secretion. Serum TNF-a levels were reduced by 93%, in a dose-dependent manner, and TNF-a mRNA expression in the spleens of mice was reduced by 70%. Serum IL-6 levels were also inhibited by 50%. Thalidomide induced a two-fold increase in serum IL-10 levels. Thalidomide treatment did not interfere with the production of GM-CSF, IL-1ß or IFN-g. The LD50 of LPS in this model was increased by thalidomide pre-treatment from 150 µg to 300 µg in 72 h. Thus, at otherwise lethal doses of LPS, thalidomide treatment was found to protect animals from death

  3. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-binding protein stimulates CD14-dependent Toll-like receptor 4 internalization and LPS-induced TBK1-IKKϵ-IRF3 axis activation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsukamoto, Hiroki; Takeuchi, Shino; Kubota, Kanae; Kobayashi, Yohei; Kozakai, Sao; Ukai, Ippo; Shichiku, Ayumi; Okubo, Misaki; Numasaki, Muneo; Kanemitsu, Yoshitomi; Matsumoto, Yotaro; Nochi, Tomonori; Watanabe, Kouichi; Aso, Hisashi; Tomioka, Yoshihisa

    2018-05-14

    Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is an indispensable immune receptor for lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a major component of the Gram-negative bacterial cell wall. Following LPS stimulation, TLR4 transmits the signal from the cell surface and becomes internalized in an endosome. However, the spatial regulation of TLR4 signaling is not fully understood. Here, we investigated the mechanisms of LPS-induced TLR4 internalization and clarified the roles of the extracellular LPS-binding molecules, LPS-binding protein (LBP), and glycerophosphatidylinositol-anchored protein (CD14). LPS stimulation of CD14-expressing cells induced TLR4 internalization in the presence of serum, and an inhibitory anti-LBP mAb blocked its internalization. Addition of LBP to serum-free cultures restored LPS-induced TLR4 internalization to comparable levels of serum. The secretory form of the CD14 (sCD14) induced internalization but required a much higher concentration than LBP. An inhibitory anti-sCD14 mAb was ineffective for serum-mediated internalization. LBP lacking the domain for LPS transfer to CD14 and a CD14 mutant with reduced LPS binding both attenuated TLR4 internalization. Accordingly, LBP is an essential serum molecule for TLR4 internalization, and its LPS transfer to membrane-anchored CD14 (mCD14) is a prerequisite. LBP induced the LPS-stimulated phosphorylation of TBK1, IKKϵ, and IRF3, leading to IFN-β expression. However, LPS-stimulated late activation of NFκB or necroptosis were not affected. Collectively, our results indicate that LBP controls LPS-induced TLR4 internalization, which induces TLR adaptor molecule 1 (TRIF)-dependent activation of the TBK1-IKKϵ-IRF3-IFN-β pathway. In summary, we showed that LBP-mediated LPS transfer to mCD14 is required for serum-dependent TLR4 internalization and activation of the TRIF pathway. Copyright © 2018, The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

  4. Differential responsiveness of Holstein and Angus dermal fibroblasts to LPS challenge occurs without major differences in the methylome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benjamin, Aimee L; Green, Benjamin B; Crooker, Brian A; McKay, Stephanie D; Kerr, David E

    2016-03-24

    We have previously found substantial animal-to-animal and age-dependent variation in the response of Holstein fibroblast cultures challenged with LPS. To expand on this finding, fibroblast cultures were established from dairy (Holstein) and beef (Angus) cattle and challenged with LPS to examine breed-dependent differences in the innate immune response. Global gene expression was measured by RNA-Seq, while an epigenetic basis for expression differences was examined by methylated CpG island recovery assay sequencing (MIRA-Seq) analysis. The Holstein breed displayed a more robust response to LPS than the Angus breed based on RNA-Seq analysis of cultures challenged with LPS for 0, 2, and 8 h. Several immune-associated genes were expressed at greater levels (FDR Angus fibroblasts, and two of these regions fell within the promoter region (-2500 to +500 bp of the transcription start site) of the genes NTRK2 and ADAMTS5. Fibroblasts isolated from Holstein cattle display a more robust response to LPS in comparison to cultures from Angus cattle. Different selection strategies and management practices exist between these two breeds that likely give rise to genetic and epigenetic factors contributing to the different immune response phenotypes.

  5. DMPD: Function of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-binding protein (LBP) and CD14, thereceptor for LPS/LBP complexes: a short review. [Dynamic Macrophage Pathway CSML Database

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available eptor for LPS/LBP complexes: a short review. Schumann RR. Res Immunol. 1992 Jan;143(1):11-5. (.png) (.svg) (...ride (LPS)-binding protein (LBP) and CD14, thereceptor for LPS/LBP complexes: a short review. Authors Schuma.../LBP complexes: a short review. PubmedID 1373512 Title Function of lipopolysaccha....html) (.csml) Show Function of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-binding protein (LBP) and CD14, thereceptor for LPS

  6. Do protostellar fountains shape the regional core mass function?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Jin-Zeng; Huang Ya-Fang; Carlos Mallamaci Claudio; César Podestà Ricardo; Actis Vicente Eloy; Maria Pacheco Ana

    2013-01-01

    The emerging massive binary system associated with AFGL 961 signifies the latest generation of massive star and cluster formation in the Rosette Molecular Complex. We present the detection of a compact cluster of dusty cores toward the AFGL 961 region based on continuum imaging at 1.3 mm by the Submillimeter Array. The binary components of AFGL 961 are associated with the most intensive millimeter emission cores or envelopes, confirming that they are indeed in an early stage of evolution. The other massive cores, however, are found to congregate in the close vicinity of the central high-mass protostellar binary. They have no apparent infrared counterparts and are, in particular, well aligned transverse to the bipolar molecular outflows originating from AFGL 961. This provides evidence for a likely triggered origin of the massive cores. All 40 individual cores with masses ranging between 0.6 and 15 Msun were detected above a 3 σ level of 3.6 mJy beam −1 (or 0.4 Msun), based on which we derive a total core mass of 107 Msun in the AFGL 961 region. As compared to the stellar initial mass function, a shallow slope of 1.8 is, however, derived from the best fit to the mass spectrum of the millimeter cores with a prestellar and/or protostellar origin. The flatter core mass distribution in the AFGL 961 region is attributed here to dynamic perturbations from the massive molecular outflows that originated from the massive protostellar binary, which may have altered the otherwise more quiescent conditions of core or star formation, enhanced the formation of more massive cores and, as a result, influenced the core mass distribution in its close vicinity.

  7. LPS: a rule-based, schema-oriented knowledge representation system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Anzai, Y; Mitsuya, Y; Nakajima, S; Ura, S

    1981-01-01

    A new knowledge representation system called LPS is presented. The global control structure of LPS is rule-based, but the local representational structure is schema-oriented. The present version of LPS was designed to increase the understandability of representation while keeping time efficiency reasonable. Pattern matching through slot-networks and meta-actions from among the implemented facilities of LPS, are especially described in detail. 7 references.

  8. LYATK1 potently inhibits LPS-mediated pro-inflammatory response

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xi, Feng [Department of Intensive Care Unit, Taixing People" ' s Hospital, Taixing, Jiangsu Province, 225400 (China); Liu, Yuan [Department of Ophthalmology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing (China); Wang, Xiujuan; Kong, Wei [Department of Intensive Care Unit, Taixing People" ' s Hospital, Taixing, Jiangsu Province, 225400 (China); Zhao, Feng, E-mail: taixingzhaofeng163@163.com [Department of Intensive Care Unit, Taixing People" ' s Hospital, Taixing, Jiangsu Province, 225400 (China)

    2016-01-29

    Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-primed monocytes/macrophages produce pro-inflammatory cytokines, which could lead to endotoxin shock. TGF-β-activated kinase1 (TAK1) activation is involved in the process. In the current study, we studied the potential effect of a selective TAK1 inhibitor, LYTAK1, on LPS-stimulated response both in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrated that LYTAK1 inhibited LPS-induced mRNA expression and production of several pro-inflammatory cytokines [interleukin 1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) and interleukin-6 (IL-6)] in RAW 264.7 macrophages. LYTAK1's activity was almost nullified with TAK1 shRNA-knockdown. Meanwhile, in both primary mouse bone marrow derived macrophages (BMDMs) and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine production was again attenuated with LYTAK1 co-treatment. Molecularly, LYTAK1 dramatically inhibited LPS-induced TAK1-nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (Erk, Jnk and p38) activation in RAW 264.7 cells, mouse BMDMs and human PBMCs. In vivo, oral administration of LYTAK1 inhibited LPS-induced activation of TAK1-NFκB-p38 in ex-vivo cultured PBMCs, and cytokine production and endotoxin shock in mice. Together, these results demonstrate that LYTAK1 inhibits LPS-induced production of several pro-inflammatory cytokines and endotoxin shock probably through blocking TAK1-regulated signalings. - Highlights: • LYTAK1 inhibits LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine production in RAW 264.7 cells. • The effect by LYTAK1 is more potent than other known TAK1 inhibitors. • LYTAK1 inhibits LPS-induced cytokine production in primary macrophages/monocytes. • LYTAK1 inhibits LPS-induced TAK1-NFκB and MAPK activation in macrophages/monocytes. • LYTAK1 gavage inhibits LPS-induced endotoxin shock and cytokine production in mice.

  9. LYATK1 potently inhibits LPS-mediated pro-inflammatory response

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xi, Feng; Liu, Yuan; Wang, Xiujuan; Kong, Wei; Zhao, Feng

    2016-01-01

    Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-primed monocytes/macrophages produce pro-inflammatory cytokines, which could lead to endotoxin shock. TGF-β-activated kinase1 (TAK1) activation is involved in the process. In the current study, we studied the potential effect of a selective TAK1 inhibitor, LYTAK1, on LPS-stimulated response both in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrated that LYTAK1 inhibited LPS-induced mRNA expression and production of several pro-inflammatory cytokines [interleukin 1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) and interleukin-6 (IL-6)] in RAW 264.7 macrophages. LYTAK1's activity was almost nullified with TAK1 shRNA-knockdown. Meanwhile, in both primary mouse bone marrow derived macrophages (BMDMs) and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine production was again attenuated with LYTAK1 co-treatment. Molecularly, LYTAK1 dramatically inhibited LPS-induced TAK1-nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (Erk, Jnk and p38) activation in RAW 264.7 cells, mouse BMDMs and human PBMCs. In vivo, oral administration of LYTAK1 inhibited LPS-induced activation of TAK1-NFκB-p38 in ex-vivo cultured PBMCs, and cytokine production and endotoxin shock in mice. Together, these results demonstrate that LYTAK1 inhibits LPS-induced production of several pro-inflammatory cytokines and endotoxin shock probably through blocking TAK1-regulated signalings. - Highlights: • LYTAK1 inhibits LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine production in RAW 264.7 cells. • The effect by LYTAK1 is more potent than other known TAK1 inhibitors. • LYTAK1 inhibits LPS-induced cytokine production in primary macrophages/monocytes. • LYTAK1 inhibits LPS-induced TAK1-NFκB and MAPK activation in macrophages/monocytes. • LYTAK1 gavage inhibits LPS-induced endotoxin shock and cytokine production in mice.

  10. GSK621 activates AMPK signaling to inhibit LPS-induced TNFα production

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Yong-hong; Li, Quan; Li, Ping; Liu, Bei

    2016-01-01

    LPS stimulation in macrophages/monocytes induces TNFα production. We here tested the potential effect of GSK621, a novel AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activator, against the process. In RAW264.7 macrophages, murine bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients' monocytes, GSK621 significantly inhibited LPS-induced TNFα protein secretion and mRNA synthesis. Inhibition of AMPK, through AMPKα shRNA knockdown or dominant negative mutation (T172A), almost abolished GSK621's suppression on TNFα in RAW264.7 cells. Reversely, forced-expression of a constitutively-active AMPKα (T172D) mimicked GSK621 actions and reduced LPS-induced TNFα production. Molecularly, GSK621 suppressed LPS-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) activation. In vivo, GSK621 oral administration inhibited LPS-induced TNFα production and endotoxin shock in mice. In summary, GSK621 activates AMPK signaling to inhibit LPS-induced TNFα production in macrophages/monocytes. - Highlights: • GSK621 inhibits LPS-induced TNFα production/expression in RAW264.7 cells and BMDMs. • GSK621 inhibits LPS-induced TNFα production/expression in COPD patients' PBMCs. • GSK621's inhibition on TNFα production by LPS requires AMPK activation. • GSK621 inhibits LPS-induced ROS production and NFκB activation, dependent on AMPK. • GSK621 oral administration inhibits LPS-induced TNFα production and endotoxin shock in mice.

  11. LPS infusion suppresses serum FGF21 levels in healthy adult volunteers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lauritzen, Esben Stistrup; Rittig, Nikolaj; Bach, Ermina

    2017-01-01

    circulating levels of FGF21 after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) infusion. DESIGN: Two randomized, single blinded, placebo-controlled crossover trials were used. SETTING: The studies were performed at a university hospital clinical research center. PATIENTS AND INTERVENTIONS: Study 1 (LPS bolus): Eight young......, healthy, lean males were investigated two times: 1) after isotonic saline injection, and 2) after LPS injection (bolus of 1 ng/kg). Each study day lasted 4 hours. Study 2 (continuous LPS infusion): Eight, healthy males were investigated two times: 1) during continuously isotonic saline infusion, and 2......) during continuously LPS infusion (0.06 ng/kg/h). Each study day lasted 4 hours. Circulating FGF21 levels were quantified every second hour by an immunoassay. RESULTS: A LPS bolus resulted in a late suppression (t = 240 minutes) of serum FGF21 (P=0.035). Continuous LPS infusion revealed no significant...

  12. Edaravone abrogates LPS-induced behavioral anomalies, neuroinflammation and PARP-1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sriram, Chandra Shaker; Jangra, Ashok; Gurjar, Satendra Singh; Mohan, Pritam; Bezbaruah, Babul Kumar

    2016-02-01

    Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) is a DNA nick-sensor enzyme that functions at the center of cellular stress response and affects the immune system at several key points, and thus modulates inflammatory diseases. Our previous study demonstrated that lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced depressive-like behavior in mice can be ameliorated by 3-aminobenzamide, which is a PARP-1 inhibitor. In the present study we've examined the effect of a free radical scavenger, edaravone pretreatment against LPS-induced anxiety and depressive-like behavior as well as various hippocampal biochemical parameters including PARP-1. Male Swiss albino mice were treated with edaravone (3 & 10mg/kgi.p.) once daily for 14days. On the 14th day 30min after edaravone treatment mice were challenged with LPS (1mg/kgi.p.). After 3h and 24h of LPS administration we've tested mice for anxiety and depressive-like behaviors respectively. Western blotting analysis of PARP-1 in hippocampus was carried out after 12h of LPS administration. Moreover, after 24h of LPS administration serum corticosterone, hippocampal BDNF, oxido-nitrosative stress and pro-inflammatory cytokines were estimated by ELISA. Results showed that pretreatment of edaravone (10mg/kg) ameliorates LPS-induced anxiety and depressive-like behavior. Western blotting analysis showed that LPS-induced anomalous expression of PARP-1 significantly reverses by the pretreatment of edaravone (10mg/kg). Biochemical analyses revealed that LPS significantly diminishes BDNF, increases pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxido-nitrosative stress in the hippocampus. However, pretreatment with edaravone (10mg/kg) prominently reversed all these biochemical alterations. Our study emphasized that edaravone pretreatment prevents LPS-induced anxiety and depressive-like behavior, mainly by impeding the inflammation, oxido-nitrosative stress and PARP-1 overexpression. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  13. SILAC-MS Based Characterization of LPS and Resveratrol Induced Changes in Adipocyte Proteomics - Resveratrol as Ameliorating Factor on LPS Induced Changes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mark K Nøhr

    Full Text Available Adipose tissue inflammation is believed to play a pivotal role in the development obesity-related morbidities such as insulin resistance. However, it is not known how this (low-grade inflammatory state develops. It has been proposed that the leakage of lipopolysaccharides (LPS, originating from the gut microbiota, through the gut epithelium could drive initiation of inflammation. To get a better understanding of which proteins and intracellular pathways are affected by LPS in adipocytes, we performed SILAC proteomic analysis and identified proteins that were altered in expression. Furthermore, we tested the anti-inflammatory compound resveratrol. A total of 927 proteins were quantified by the SILAC method and of these 57- and 64 were significantly up- and downregulated by LPS, respectively. Bioinformatic analysis (GO analysis revealed that the upregulated proteins were especially involved in the pathways of respiratory electron transport chain and inflammation. The downregulated proteins were especially involved in protein glycosylation. One of the latter proteins, GALNT2, has previously been described to regulate the expression of liver lipases such as ANGPTL3 and apoC-III affecting lipid metabolism. Furthermore, LPS treatment reduced the protein levels of the insulin sensitizing adipokine, adiponectin, and proteins participating in the final steps of triglyceride- and cholesterol synthesis. Generally, resveratrol opposed the effect induced by LPS and, as such, functioning as an ameliorating factor in disease state. Using an unbiased proteomic approach, we present novel insight of how the proteome is altered in adipocytes in response to LPS as seen in obesity. We suggest that LPS partly exerts its detrimental effects by altering glycosylation processes of the cell, which is starting to emerge as important posttranscriptional regulators of protein expression. Furthermore, resveratrol could be a prime candidate in ameliorating dysfunctioning

  14. Awareness of the Installation the Lightning Protection System (LPS by Using Structural Bonding Method in Malaysia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdul Rahim Mustaqqim

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Structural Bonding Method (SBM is one type of Lightning Protection System (LPS, design to protect human, structures, contents inside structures, electrical equipment, transmission lines and other from the lightning flash. Besides, SBM is a standard LPS that comply with technical standards or codes of practice or called as conventional Lightning Protection System. In order to know the level of the Awareness of the Installation LPS by using SBM in the building among Civil Engineering Consultants, conducting survey need to be done. This paper presents the Research Design and Research Strategy in conducting the survey. It is explaining about the way before conducting the survey which are determine the population of sample (Consultant Company at Northern Region Area, samples of respondents (Civil Engineer at Consultant Office with the number of sample is 40, data collecting process, structure of the questionnaire form and the way in analysis the data. After the analysis the data, the result of the level of awareness in the Installation of LPS by using SBM are consider as moderate level.

  15. Induction of IL-1 during hemodialysis: Transmembrane passage of intact endotoxins (LPS)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Laude-Sharp, M.; Caroff, M.; Simard, L.; Pusineri, C.; Kazatchkine, M.D.; Haeffner-Cavaillon, N. (INSERM U 28, Hopital Broussais, Paris (France))

    1990-12-01

    Circulating monocytes of patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis are triggered to produce interleukin-1 (IL-1) in vivo. Intradialytic induction of IL-1 is associated with complement activation in patients dialyzed with first-use cellulose membranes. Chronic stimulation of IL-1 production occurs because of an yet unidentified mechanism in patients dialyzed with high permeability membranes. The present study demonstrates that intact bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) molecules may cross cuprophan, AN69 and polysulfone membranes under in vitro conditions simulating in vivo hemodialysis. The experiments used purified LPS from Neisseria meningitidis and LPS from Pseudomonas testosteroni, a bacterial strain grown out from a clinically used dialysate. LPS were purified to homogeneity and radiolabeled. Transmembrane passage of 3H-labeled LPS was observed within the first five minutes of dialysis. A total of 0.1 to 1% of 3H-labeled LPS were recovered in the dialysate compartment after one hour of dialysis. High amounts of LPS, representing 40 to 70% of the amount originally present in the dialysate, were absorbed onto high permeability membranes. Low amounts of LPS were absorbed onto cuprophan membranes. The amount of LPS absorbed decreased with the concentration of LPS in the dialysate. LPS recovered from the blood compartment exhibited the same molecular weight as that used to contaminate the dialysate. Biochemically detectable transmembrane passage of LPS was not associated with that of material detectable using the limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) assay. An IL-1-inducing activity was, however, detected in the blood compartment upon dialysis with high permeability membranes, as previously found by others with cuprophan membranes.

  16. Induction of IL-1 during hemodialysis: Transmembrane passage of intact endotoxins (LPS)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laude-Sharp, M.; Caroff, M.; Simard, L.; Pusineri, C.; Kazatchkine, M.D.; Haeffner-Cavaillon, N.

    1990-01-01

    Circulating monocytes of patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis are triggered to produce interleukin-1 (IL-1) in vivo. Intradialytic induction of IL-1 is associated with complement activation in patients dialyzed with first-use cellulose membranes. Chronic stimulation of IL-1 production occurs because of an yet unidentified mechanism in patients dialyzed with high permeability membranes. The present study demonstrates that intact bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) molecules may cross cuprophan, AN69 and polysulfone membranes under in vitro conditions simulating in vivo hemodialysis. The experiments used purified LPS from Neisseria meningitidis and LPS from Pseudomonas testosteroni, a bacterial strain grown out from a clinically used dialysate. LPS were purified to homogeneity and radiolabeled. Transmembrane passage of 3H-labeled LPS was observed within the first five minutes of dialysis. A total of 0.1 to 1% of 3H-labeled LPS were recovered in the dialysate compartment after one hour of dialysis. High amounts of LPS, representing 40 to 70% of the amount originally present in the dialysate, were absorbed onto high permeability membranes. Low amounts of LPS were absorbed onto cuprophan membranes. The amount of LPS absorbed decreased with the concentration of LPS in the dialysate. LPS recovered from the blood compartment exhibited the same molecular weight as that used to contaminate the dialysate. Biochemically detectable transmembrane passage of LPS was not associated with that of material detectable using the limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) assay. An IL-1-inducing activity was, however, detected in the blood compartment upon dialysis with high permeability membranes, as previously found by others with cuprophan membranes

  17. Soluble β-(1,3)-glucans enhance LPS-induced response in the monocyte activation test, but inhibit LPS-mediated febrile response in rabbits: Implications for pyrogenicity tests.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pardo-Ruiz, Zenia; Menéndez-Sardiñas, Dalia E; Pacios-Michelena, Anabel; Gabilondo-Ramírez, Tatiana; Montero-Alejo, Vivian; Perdomo-Morales, Rolando

    2016-01-01

    In the present study, we aimed to determine the influence of β-(1,3)-d-glucans on the LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine response in the Monocyte Activation Test (MAT) for pyrogens, and on the LPS-induced febrile response in the Rabbit Pyrogen Test (RPT), thus evaluating the resulting effect in the outcome of each test. It was found that β-(1,3)-d-glucans elicited the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α, also known as endogenous pyrogens, but not enough to classify them as pyrogenic according to MAT. The same β-(1,3)-d-glucans samples were non-pyrogenic by RPT. However, β-(1,3)-d-glucans significantly enhanced the LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines response in MAT, insomuch that samples containing non-pyrogenic concentrations of LPS become pyrogenic. On the other hand, β-(1,3)-d-glucans had no effect on sub-pyrogenic LPS doses in the RPT, but surprisingly, inhibited the LPS-induced febrile response of pyrogenic LPS concentrations. Thus, while β-(1,3)-d-glucans could mask the LPS pyrogenic activity in the RPT, they exerted an overstimulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the MAT. Hence, MAT provides higher safety since it evidences an unwanted biological response, which is not completely controlled and is overlooked by the RPT. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Aqueous Extract of Oldenlandia diffusa Suppresses LPS-Induced ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... potential transcriptional factor for regulating the expression of iNOS, COX-2 and TNF-α. As expected, AEOD suppressed the LPS-induced degradation and phosphorylation of IκBα and sustained the expression of p65 in the cytosol. Furthermore, AEOD substantially inhibited the LPS-induced DNA binding activity of NF-κB.

  19. Molecular basis for endotoxin neutralization by amphipathic peptides derived from the alpha-helical cationic core-region of NK-lysin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brandenburg, Klaus; Garidel, Patrick; Fukuoka, Satoshi; Howe, Jörg; Koch, Michel H J; Gutsmann, Thomas; Andrä, Jörg

    2010-08-01

    An analysis of the interaction of the NK-lysin derived peptide NK-2 and of analogs thereof with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS, endotoxin) was performed to determine the most important biophysical parameters for an effective LPS neutralization. We used microcalorimetry, FTIR spectroscopy, Zeta potential measurements, and small-angle X-ray scattering to analyze the peptide:LPS binding enthalpy, the accessible LPS surface charge, the fluidity of the LPS hydrocarbon chains, their phase transition enthalpy change, the aggregate structure of LPS, and how these parameters are modulated by the peptides. We conclude that (i) a high peptide:LPS binding affinity, which is facilitated by electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions and which leads to a positive Zeta potential, (ii) the formation of peptide-enriched domains, which destabilize the lipid packing, demonstrated by a drastic decrease of phase transition enthalpy change of LPS, and (iii) the multilamellarization of the LPS aggregate structure are crucial for an effective endotoxin neutralization by cationic peptides.

  20. Tanshinone IIA Sodium Sulfonate Attenuates LPS-Induced Intestinal Injury in Mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xin-Jing Yang

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Tanshinone IIA sodium sulfonate (TSS is known to possess anti-inflammatory effects and has exhibited protective effects in various inflammatory conditions; however, its role in lipopolysaccharide- (LPS- induced intestinal injury is still unknown. Objective. The present study is designed to explore the role and possible mechanism of TSS in LPS-induced intestinal injury. Methods. Male C57BL/6J mice, challenged with intraperitoneal LPS injection, were treated with or without TSS 0.5 h prior to LPS exposure. At 1, 6, and 12 h after LPS injection, mice were sacrificed, and the small intestine was excised. The intestinal tissue injury was analyzed by HE staining. Inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in the intestinal tissue were examined by ELISA and RT-PCR. In addition, expressions of autophagy markers (microtubule-associated light chain 3 (LC3 and Beclin-1 were detected by western blot and RT-PCR. A number of autophagosomes were also observed under electron microscopy. Results. TSS treatment significantly attenuated small intestinal epithelium injury induced by LPS. LPS-induced release of inflammatory mediators, including TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, were markedly inhibited by TSS. Furthermore, TSS treatment could effectively upregulate LPS-induced decrease of autophagy levels, as evidenced by the increased expression of LC3 and Beclin-1, and more autophagosomes. Conclusion. The protective effect of TSS on LPS-induced small intestinal injury may be attributed to the inhibition of inflammatory factors and promotion of autophagy levels. The present study may provide novel insight into the molecular mechanisms of TSS on the treatment of intestinal injury.

  1. Effects and mechanisms of cavidine protecting mice against LPS-induced endotoxic shock

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Weifeng, E-mail: liwf@mail.xjtu.edu.cn; Zhang, Hailin; Niu, Xiaofeng, E-mail: niuxf@mail.xjtu.edu.cn; Wang, Xiumei; Wang, Yu; He, Zehong; Yao, Huan

    2016-08-15

    LPS sensitized mice are usually considered as an experimental model of endotoxin shock. The present study aims to evaluate effects of cavidine on LPS-induced endotoxin shock. Mice were intraperitoneally administrated with cavidine (1, 3 and 10 mg/kg) or DEX (5 mg/kg) at 1 and 12 h before injecting LPS (30 mg/kg) intraperitoneally. Blood samples, liver, lung and kidney tissues were harvested after LPS injection. The study demonstrated that pretreatment with cavidine reduced the mortality of mice during 72 h after endotoxin injection. In addition, cavidine administration significantly attenuated histological pathophysiology features of LPS-induced injury in lung, liver and kidney. Furthermore, cavidine administration inhibited endotoxin-induced production of pro-inflammatory cytokines including TNF-α, IL-6 and HMGB1. Moreover, cavidine pretreatment attenuated the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase primed by LPS. In summary, cavidine protects mice against LPS-induced endotoxic shock via inhibiting early pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α, IL-6 and late-phase cytokine HMGB1, and the modulation of HMGB1 may be related with MAPK signal pathway. - Highlights: • Cavidine significantly reduced mortality in mice during 72 h after LPS injection. • Cavidine attenuated histopathological changes in lung, liver and kidney. • Cavidine decreased the level of early inflammatory cytokine TNF-α, IL-6 in LPS- stimulated mice. • Cavidine inhibited late inflammatory cytokine HMGB1 through MAPK pathway.

  2. Complement C1q regulates LPS-induced cytokine production in bone marrow-derived dendritic cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamada, Masahide; Oritani, Kenji; Kaisho, Tsuneyasu; Ishikawa, Jun; Yoshida, Hitoshi; Takahashi, Isao; Kawamoto, Shinichirou; Ishida, Naoko; Ujiie, Hidetoshi; Masaie, Hiroaki; Botto, Marina; Tomiyama, Yoshiaki; Matsuzawa, Yuji

    2004-01-01

    We show here that C1q suppresses IL-12p40 production in LPS-stimulated murine bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDC). Serum IL-12p40 concentration of C1q-deficient mice was higher than that of wild-type mice after intraperitoneal LPS-injection. Because neither globular head of C1q (gC1q) nor collagen-like region of C1q (cC1q) failed to suppress LPS-induced IL-12p40 production, both gC1q and cC1q, and/or some specialized conformation of native C1q may be required for the inhibition. While C1q did not affect mRNA expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), MD-2, and myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), BMDC treated with C1q showed the reduced activity of NF-kappaB and the delayed phosphorylation of p38, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase after LPS-stimulation. CpG oligodeoxynucleotide-induced IL-12p40 and TNF-alpha production, another MyD88-dependent TLR-mediated signal, was also suppressed by C1q treatment. Therefore, C1q is likely to suppress MyD88-dependent pathway in TLR-mediated signals. In contrast, C1q failed to suppress colony formation of B cells responding to LPS or LPS-induced CD40 and CD86 expression on BMDC in MyD88-deficient mice, indicating that inhibitory effects of C1q on MyD88-independent pathways may be limited. Taken together, C1q may regulate innate and adaptive immune systems via modification of signals mediated by interactions between invading pathogens and TLR.

  3. DMPD: LPS-binding proteins and receptors. [Dynamic Macrophage Pathway CSML Database

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available 9665271 LPS-binding proteins and receptors. Fenton MJ, Golenbock DT. J Leukoc Biol.... 1998 Jul;64(1):25-32. (.png) (.svg) (.html) (.csml) Show LPS-binding proteins and receptors. PubmedID 9665271 Title LPS-binding prot...eins and receptors. Authors Fenton MJ, Golenbock DT. Publication J Leukoc Biol. 199

  4. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Porphyromonas gingivalis induces IL-1beta, TNF-alpha and IL-6 production by THP-1 cells in a way different from that of Escherichia coli LPS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diya Zhang; Lili Chen; Shenglai Li; Zhiyuan Gu; Jie Yan

    2008-04-01

    Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) derived from the periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis has been shown to differ from enterobacterial LPS in structure and function; therefore, the Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and the intracellular inflammatory signaling pathways are accordingly different. To elucidate the signal transduction pathway of P. gingivalis, LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine production in the human monocytic cell line THP-1 was measured by ELISA, and the TLRs were determined by the blocking test using anti-TLRs antibodies. In addition, specific inhibitors as well as Phospho-ELISA kits were used to analyze the intracellular signaling pathways. Escherichia coli LPS was used as the control. In this study, P. gingivalis LPS showed the ability to induce cytokine production in THP-1 cells and its induction was significantly (P THP-1 cells, and that the TLR2-JNK pathway might play a significant role in P. gingivalis LPS-induced chronic inflammatory periodontal disease.

  5. LPS-Enhanced Glucose-Stimulated Insulin Secretion Is Normalized by Resveratrol

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nøhr, Mark K; Dudele, Anete; Poulsen, Morten M

    2016-01-01

    we test the effect of LPS and the anti-inflammatory compound resveratrol on glucose homeostasis, insulin levels and inflammation. Mice were subcutaneously implanted with osmotic mini pumps infusing either low-dose LPS or saline for 28 days. Half of the mice were treated with resveratrol delivered...... through the diet. LPS caused increased inflammation of the liver and adipose tissue (epididymal and subcutaneous) together with enlarged spleens and increased number of leukocytes in the blood. Resveratrol specifically reduced the inflammatory status in epididymal fat (reduced expression of TNFa and Il1b......, whereas the increased macrophage infiltration was unaltered) without affecting the other tissues investigated. By LC-MS, we were able to quantitate resveratrol metabolites in epididymal but not subcutaneous adipose tissue. LPS induced insulin resistance as the glucose-stimulated insulin secretion during...

  6. Endogenous brain IL-1 mediates LPS-induced anorexia and hypothalamic cytokine expression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Layé, S; Gheusi, G; Cremona, S; Combe, C; Kelley, K; Dantzer, R; Parnet, P

    2000-07-01

    The present study was designed to determine the role of endogenous brain interleukin (IL)-1 in the anorexic response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Intraperitoneal administration of LPS (5-10 microgram/mouse) induced a dramatic, but transient, decrease in food intake, associated with an enhanced expression of proinflammatory cytokine mRNA (IL-1beta, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha) in the hypothalamus. This dose of LPS also increased plasma levels of IL-1beta. Intracerebroventricular pretreatment with IL-1 receptor antagonist (4 microgram/mouse) attenuated LPS-induced depression of food intake and totally blocked the LPS-induced enhanced expression of proinflammatory cytokine mRNA measured in the hypothalamus 1 h after treatment. In contrast, LPS-induced increases in plasma levels of IL-1beta were not altered. These findings indicate that endogenous brain IL-1 plays a pivotal role in the development of the hypothalamic cytokine response to a systemic inflammatory stimulus.

  7. Compound edaravone alleviates lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Zhengping; Luo, Zhaowen; Bi, Aijing; Yang, Weidong; An, Wenji; Dong, Xiaoliang; Chen, Rong; Yang, Shibao; Tang, Huifang; Han, Xiaodong; Luo, Lan

    2017-09-15

    Acute lung injury (ALI) represents an unmet medical need with an urgency to develop effective pharmacotherapies. Compound edaravone, a combination of edaravone and borneol, has been developed for treatment of ischemia stroke in clinical phase III study. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of compound edaravone on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory response in RAW264.7 cells and the therapeutic efficacy on LPS-induced ALI in mice. Edaravone and compound edaravone concentration-dependently decreased LPS-induced interleukin-6 (IL-6) production and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression in RAW264.7 cells. The efficiency of compound edaravone was stronger than edaravone alone. In the animal study, compound edaravone was injected intravenously to mice after intratracheal instillation of LPS. It remarkably alleviated LPS-induced lung injury including pulmonary histological abnormalities, polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) infiltration and extravasation. Further study demonstrated that compound edaravone suppressed LPS-induced TNF-α and IL-6 increase in mouse serum and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, and inhibited LPS-induced nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation and COX-2 expression in mice lung tissues. Importantly, our findings demonstrated that the compound edaravone showed a stronger protective effect against mouse ALI than edaravone alone, which suggested the synergies between edaravone and borneol. In conclusion, compound edaravone could be a potential novel therapeutic drug for ALI treatment and borneol might produce a synergism with edaravone. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Coupled core criticality calculations with control rods located in the central reflector region

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sobhy, M [Reactor depatrment, nuclear research center, Inshaas (Egypt)

    1995-10-01

    The reactivity of a coupled core is controlled by a set of control rods distributed in the central reflector region. The reactor contains two compact cores cooled and moderated by light water. Control rods are designed to have reactivity worths sufficient to start, control and shutdown the coupled system. Each core in a coupled system is in subcritical conditions without any absorber then each core needs to the other core to fulfill nuclear chain reaction and to approach the criticality. In this case, each core is considered clean which is suitable for research reactor with low flux disturbance and better neutron economy, in addition to the advantage of disappearing the cut corner fuel baskets. This facilitate the in core fuel management with identical fuel baskets. Hot spots will disappear. This leads to a good heat transfer process. the excess reactivity and the shutdown margin are calculated for some of reflector as coupling region gives sufficient area for coupled core are calculated cost. The fluctuations of reactivity for coupled core are calculated by noise analysis technique and compared with that for rode core. The results show low reactivity perturbation associated with coupled core.

  9. Soybean-derived Bowman-Birk inhibitor inhibits neurotoxicity of LPS-activated macrophages

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Persidsky Yuri

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Lipopolysaccharide (LPS, the major component of the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria, can activate immune cells including macrophages. Activation of macrophages in the central nervous system (CNS contributes to neuronal injury. Bowman-Birk inhibitor (BBI, a soybean-derived protease inhibitor, has anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, we examined whether BBI has the ability to inhibit LPS-mediated macrophage activation, reducing the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and subsequent neurotoxicity in primary cortical neural cultures. Methods Mixed cortical neural cultures from rat were used as target cells for testing neurotoxicity induced by LPS-treated macrophage supernatant. Neuronal survival was measured using a cell-based ELISA method for expression of the neuronal marker MAP-2. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS production in macrophages was measured via 2', 7'-dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCFH2DA oxidation. Cytokine expression was determined by quantitative real-time PCR. Results LPS treatment of macrophages induced expression of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α and of ROS. In contrast, BBI pretreatment (1-100 μg/ml of macrophages significantly inhibited LPS-mediated induction of these cytokines and ROS. Further, supernatant from BBI-pretreated and LPS-activated macrophage cultures was found to be less cytotoxic to neurons than that from non-BBI-pretreated and LPS-activated macrophage cultures. BBI, when directly added to the neuronal cultures (1-100 μg/ml, had no protective effect on neurons with or without LPS-activated macrophage supernatant treatment. In addition, BBI (100 μg/ml had no effect on N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA-mediated neurotoxicity. Conclusions These findings demonstrate that BBI, through its anti-inflammatory properties, protects neurons from neurotoxicity mediated by activated macrophages.

  10. Sialylation of Porphyromonas gingivalis LPS and its effect on bacterial-host interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaric, Svetislav S; Lappin, Mark J; Fulton, Catherine R; Lundy, Fionnuala T; Coulter, Wilson A; Irwin, Christopher R

    2017-04-01

    Porphyromonas gingivalis produces different LPS isoforms with significant structural variations of their lipid A and O-antigen moieties that can affect its pro-inflammatory and bone-resorbing potential. We show here, for the first time, that P. gingivalis LPS isolated from W83 strain is highly sialylated and possesses significantly reduced inflammatory potential compared with less sialylated ATCC 33277 strain LPS. Nevertheless, the reduction in the endotoxin activity is not mediated by the presence of sialic acid LPS moieties as the sialic acid-free LPS produced by the mutant W83 strain exhibits a similar inflammatory potential to the wild type strain. Furthermore, our findings suggest that the interaction between the sialic acid LPS moieties and the inhibitory CD33 receptor is prevented by endogenously expressed sialic acid on the surface of THP-1 cells that cannot be out-competed by sialic acid containing P. gingivalis LPS. The present study also highlights the importance of endogenous sialic acid as a 'self-associated molecular pattern' and CD33 receptors in modulation of innate immune response as human gingival fibroblasts, which do not express CD33 receptors, and desialylated THP-1 cells have both been found to have much higher spontaneous IL-8 production than naïve THP-1 cells.

  11. Numerical analysis of temperature fluctuation in core outlet region of China experimental fast reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu Huanjun; Xu Yijun

    2014-01-01

    The temperature fluctuation in core outlet region of China Experimental Fast Reactor (CEFR) was numerically simulated by the CFD software Star CCM+. With the core outlet temperatures, flows etc. under rated conditions given as boundary conditions, a 1/4 region model of the reactor core outlet region was established and calculated using LES method for this problem. The analysis results show that while CEFR operates under rated conditions, the temperature fluctuation in lower part of core outlet region is mainly concentrated in area over the edge components (steel components, control rod assembly), and one in upper part is remarkable in area above all the components. The largest fluctuation amplitude is 19 K and the remarkable frequency is below 5 Hz, and it belongs to typically low frequency fluctuation. The conclusion is useful for further experimental work. (authors)

  12. Effect of 60Co γ-rays on PWM and LPS induced lymphocytes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Su Liaoyuan; Liu Keliang; Liu Fenju

    1987-01-01

    The relationship between lymphocytes induced by PWM (pokeweed mitogen) and LPS (lipopolysaccharide) was investigated by means of 3 H-TdR incorporation. The study showed that, in vitro, PWM-induced cells were able to promote the stimulating effect of LPS to B lymphocytes. The stimulating effect of PWM-induced cells was obviously weakened after PWM cells being irradiated with γ-rays. When PWM-induced cells and LPS-induced cells were incubated together, with one kind of cells exposed to 60 Co γ-ray, incorporation value of 3 H-TdR became much smaller and the synergetic function disappeared, especially, when PWM-induced cells were irradiated. For patients suffering from carcinoma of nasopharynx, while treated with 60 Co γ-rays, the incorporation value in LPS-induced cells approached normal level, meanwhile, the incorporation value in PEM-induced cells reduced significantly and the stimulating effect of PWM-induced cells on LPS-induced cells became much weaker. The facts described above demonstrated that PWM-induced cells have the function of T-helper cells and play more important role in the synergy than LPS-induced cells

  13. Sildenafil (Viagra(®)) prevents and restores LPS-induced inflammation in astrocytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Santana Nunes, Ana Karolina; Rapôso, Catarina; Björklund, Ulrika; da Cruz-Höfling, Maria Alice; Peixoto, Christina Alves; Hansson, Elisabeth

    2016-09-06

    Astrocytes are effectively involved in the pathophysiological processes in the central nervous system (CNS) and may contribute to or protect against development of inflammatory and degenerative diseases. Sildenafil is a potent and selective phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) inhibitor, which induces cyclic GMP accumulation. However, the mechanisms of actions on glial cells are not clear. The aim of the present work is to evaluate the role of sildenafil in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated astrocytes. The cytoskeleton integrity and Ca(2+) waves were assessed as indicators of inflammatory state. Two main groups were done: (A) one prevention and (B) one restoration. Each of these groups: A1: control; A2: LPS for 24h; A3: sildenafil 1 or 10μM for 4h and then sildenafil 1 or 10μM+LPS for 24h. B1: control; B2: LPS for 24h; B3: LPS for 24h and then LPS+sildenafil 1 or 10μM for 24h. Cytoskeleton integrity was analyzed through GFAP immunolabeling and actin labeling with an Alexa 488-conjugated phalloidin probe. Calcium responses were assessed through a Ca(2+)-sensitive fluorophore Fura-2/AM. The results show that both preventive and restorative treatments with sildenafil (in both concentrations) reduced the Ca(2+) responses in intensity and induced a more organized actin fiber pattern, compared to LPS treated cells. This work demonstrated for the first time that astrocytes are a key part of the sildenafil protective effects in the CNS. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Melittin on Porphyromonas Gingivalis LPS-Stimulated Human Keratinocytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Woon-Hae; An, Hyun-Jin; Kim, Jung-Yeon; Gwon, Mi-Gyeong; Gu, Hyemin; Jeon, Minji; Kim, Min-Kyung; Han, Sang-Mi; Park, Kwan-Kyu

    2018-02-05

    Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that contributes to the destruction of the gingiva. Porphyromonas gingivalis ( P. gingivalis ) can cause periodontitis via its pathogenic lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Melittin, a major component of bee venom, is known to have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects. However, the role of melittin in the inflammatory response has not been elucidated in periodontitis-like human keratinocytes. Therefore, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of melittin on a P. gingivalis LPS (PgLPS)-treated HaCaT human keratinocyte cell line. The cytotoxicity of melittin was measured using a human keratinocyte cell line, HaCaT, and a Cell Counting Kit-8. The effect of melittin on PgLPS-induced inflammation was determined with Western blot, real-time quantitative PCT, and immunofluorescence. PgLPS increased the expression of toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 and proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and interferon-γ (IFN-γ). Moreover, PgLPS induced activation of the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and protein kinase B/Akt. Melittin also inhibited the expression of proinflammatory cytokines by suppressing the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway, ERK, and Akt. Melittin attenuates the PgLPS-induced inflammatory response and could therefore be applied in the treatment of periodontitis for anti-inflammatory effects.

  15. Exacerbation of CNS inflammation and neurodegeneration by systemic LPS treatment is independent of circulating IL-1 beta and IL-6

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Murray, Carol L

    2011-05-17

    Abstract Background Chronic neurodegeneration comprises an inflammatory response but its contribution to the progression of disease remains unclear. We have previously shown that microglial cells are primed by chronic neurodegeneration, induced by the ME7 strain of prion disease, to synthesize limited pro-inflammatory cytokines but to produce exaggerated responses to subsequent systemic inflammatory insults. The consequences of this primed response include exaggerated hypothermic and sickness behavioural responses, acute neuronal death and accelerated progression of disease. Here we investigated whether inhibition of systemic cytokine synthesis using the anti-inflammatory steroid dexamethasone-21-phosphate was sufficient to block any or all of these responses. Methods ME7 animals, at 18-19 weeks post-inoculation, were challenged with LPS (500 μg\\/kg) in the presence or absence of dexamethasone-21-phosphate (2 mg\\/kg) and effects on core-body temperature and systemic and CNS cytokine production and apoptosis were examined. Results LPS induced hypothermia and decreased exploratory activity. Dexamethasone-21-phosphate prevented this hypothermia, markedly suppressed systemic IL-1β and IL-6 secretion but did not prevent decreased exploration. Furthermore, robust transcription of cytokine mRNA occurred in the hippocampus of both ME7 and NBH (normal brain homogenate) control animals despite the effective blocking of systemic cytokine synthesis. Microglia primed by neurodegeneration were not blocked from the robust synthesis of IL-1β protein and endothelial COX-2 was also robustly synthesized. We injected biotinylated LPS at 100 μg\\/kg and even at this lower dose this could be detected in blood plasma. Apoptosis was acutely induced by LPS, despite the inhibition of the systemic cytokine response. Conclusions These data suggest that LPS can directly activate the brain endothelium even at relatively low doses, obviating the need for systemic cytokine stimulation to

  16. Hydrogel-embedded endothelial progenitor cells evade LPS and mitigate endotoxemia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghaly, Tammer; Rabadi, May M; Weber, Mia; Rabadi, Seham M; Bank, Michael; Grom, John M; Fallon, John T; Goligorsky, Michael S; Ratliff, Brian B

    2011-10-01

    Sepsis and its complications are associated with poor clinical outcomes. The circulatory system is a well-known target of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Recently, several clinical studies documented mobilization of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) during endotoxemia, with the probability of patients' survival correlating with the rise in circulating EPCs. This fact combined with endotoxemia-induced vascular injury led us to hypothesize that the developing functional EPC incompetence could impede vascular repair and that adoptive transfer of EPCs could improve hemodynamics in endotoxemia. We used LPS injection to model endotoxemia. EPCs isolated from endotoxemic mice exhibited impaired clonogenic potential and LPS exerted Toll-like receptor 4-mediated cytotoxic effects toward EPCs, which was mitigated by embedding them in hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogels. Therefore, intact EPCs were either delivered intravenously or embedded within pronectin-coated HA hydrogels. Adoptive transfer of EPCs in LPS-injected mice improved control of blood pressure and reduced hepatocellular and renal dysfunction. Specifically, EPC treatment was associated with the restoration of renal microcirculation and improved renal function. EPC therapy was most efficient when cells were delivered embedded in HA hydrogel. These findings establish major therapeutic benefits of adoptive transfer of EPCs, especially when embedded in HA hydrogels, in mice with LPS-induced endotoxemia, and they argue that hemodynamic and renal abnormalities of endotoxemia are in significant part due to developing incompetence of endogenous EPCs.

  17. Deubiquitinase USP12 promotes LPS induced macrophage responses through inhibition of IκBα

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nayak, Tapan Kumar Singh; Alamuru-Yellapragada, Neeraja P.; Parsa, Kishore V.L.

    2017-01-01

    Post translational modifications, ubiquitination and its reversal by deubiquitination play an important role in regulating innate immune system. USP12 is a poorly studied deubiquitinase reported to regulate T-cell receptor signalling however the functional role of USP12 in macrophages, the principal architects of inflammation, is unknown. Thus, in this study we probed the involvement of USP12 in macrophage mediated inflammatory responses using bacterial endotoxin, LPS, as the model system. Here, we observed that the expression of USP12 was altered in time dependent manner in LPS stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages at both mRNA and protein levels as revealed by qPCR and western blot analysis, respectively. Further analysis showed that LPS reduced the levels of Sp1 which enhanced the transcriptional levels of USP12. We observed that siRNA mediated ablation of USP12 expression in mouse macrophages suppressed the induction of LPS-induced iNOS and IL-6 expression but failed to alter IFN-β synthesis, oxidative stress and phagocytic ability of macrophages. Mechanistic analysis suggest that USP12 may be required for the activation of NFκB pathway as knockdown of USP12 reduced the inhibitory phosphorylation of IκBα, a well characterized inhibitor of NFκB nuclear translocation. Further, USP12 was observed to be required for LPS elicited phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and p38. Collectively, our data suggest that USP12 may be a key mediator of LPS stimulated macrophage responses. - Highlights: • USP12 levels are significantly altered in LPS stimulated macrophages. • USP12 is required for LPS induced iNOS and IL6 expression. • USP12 is crucial for LPS induced phosphorylation of IκBα, ERK1/2, p38.

  18. A central role for the mammalian target of rapamycin in LPS-induced anorexia in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yue, Yunshuang; Wang, Yi; Li, Dan; Song, Zhigang; Jiao, Hongchao; Lin, Hai

    2015-01-01

    Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), also known as endotoxin, induces profound anorexia. However, the LPS-provoked pro-inflammatory signaling cascades and the neural mechanisms underlying the development of anorexia are not clear. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a key regulator of metabolism, cell growth, and protein synthesis. This study aimed to determine whether the mTOR pathway is involved in LPS-induced anorexia. Effects of LPS on hypothalamic gene/protein expression in mice were measured by RT-PCR or western blotting analysis. To determine whether inhibition of mTOR signaling could attenuate LPS-induced anorexia, we administered an i.c.v. injection of rapamycin, an mTOR inhibitor, on LPS-treated male mice. In this study, we showed that LPS stimulates the mTOR signaling pathway through the enhanced phosphorylation of mTOR(Ser2448) and p70S6K(Thr389). We also showed that LPS administration increased the phosphorylation of FOXO1(Ser256), the p65 subunit of nuclear factor kappa B (Panorexia by decreasing the phosphorylation of p70S6K(Thr389), FOXO1(Ser256), and FOXO1/3a(Thr) (24) (/) (32). These results suggest promising approaches for the prevention and treatment of LPS-induced anorexia. © 2015 Society for Endocrinology.

  19. Hemin binding by Porphyromonas gingivalis strains is dependent on the presence of A-LPS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rangarajan, M; Aduse-Opoku, J; Paramonov, N A; Hashim, A; Curtis, M A

    2017-10-01

    Porphyromonas gingivalis is a Gram-negative black pigmenting anaerobe that is unable to synthesize heme [Fe(II)-protoporphyrin IX] or hemin [Fe(III)-protoporphyrin IX-Cl], which are important growth/virulence factors, and must therefore derive them from the host. Porphyromonas gingivalis expresses several proteinaceous hemin-binding sites, which are important in the binding/transport of heme/hemin from the host. It also synthesizes several virulence factors, namely cysteine-proteases Arg- and Lys-gingipains and two lipopolysaccharides (LPS), O-LPS and A-LPS. The gingipains are required for the production of the black pigment, μ-oxo-bisheme {[Fe(III)PPIX] 2 O}, which is derived from hemoglobin and deposited on the bacterial cell-surface leading to the characteristic black colonies when grown on blood agar. In this study we investigated the role of LPS in the deposition of μ-oxo-bisheme on the cell-surface. A P. gingivalis mutant defective in the biosynthesis of Arg-gingipains, namely rgpA/rgpB, produces brown colonies on blood agar and mutants defective in Lys-gingipain (kgp) and LPS biosynthesis namely porR, waaL, wzy, and pg0129 (α-1, 3-mannosyltransferase) produce non-pigmented colonies. However, only those mutants lacking A-LPS showed reduced hemin-binding when cells in suspension were incubated with hemin. Using native, de-O-phosphorylated and de-lipidated LPS from P. gingivalis W50 and porR strains, we demonstrated that hemin-binding to O-polysaccharide (PS) and to the lipid A moiety of LPS was reduced compared with hemin-binding to A-PS. We conclude that A-LPS in the outer-membrane of P. gingivalis serves as a scaffold/anchor for the retention of μ-oxo-bisheme on the cell surface and pigmentation is dependent on the presence of A-LPS. © 2017 The Authors. Molecular Oral Microbiology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  20. Modeling the LPS Neutralization Activity of Anti-Endotoxins

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Virapong Prachayasittikul

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available Bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS, also known as endotoxins, are major structural components of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria that serve as a barrier and protective shield between them and their surrounding environment. LPS is considered to be a major virulence factor as it strongly stimulates the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines which mediate the host immune response and culminating in septic shock. Quantitative structure-activity relationship studies of the LPS neutralization activities of anti-endotoxins were performed using charge and quantum chemical descriptors. Artificial neural network implementing the back-propagation algorithm was selected for the multivariate analysis. The predicted activities from leave-one-out cross-validation were well correlated with the experimental values as observed from the correlation coefficient and root mean square error of 0.930 and 0.162, respectively. Similarly, the external testing set also yielded good predictivity with correlation coefficient and root mean square error of 0.983 and 0.130. The model holds great potential for the rational design of novel and robust compounds with enhanced neutralization activity.

  1. Prevention of LPS-Induced Acute Lung Injury in Mice by Progranulin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhongliang Guo

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS, a clinical complication of severe acute lung injury (ALI in humans, is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. Despite decades of research, few therapeutic strategies for clinical ARDS have emerged. Here we carefully evaluated the effect of progranulin (PGRN in treatment of ARDS using the murine model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS-induced ALI. We reported that administration of PGRN maintained the body weight and survival of ALI mice. We revealed that administration of PGRN significantly reduced LPS-induced pulmonary inflammation, as reflected by reductions in total cell and neutrophil counts, proinflammatory cytokines, as well as chemokines in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL fluid. Furthermore, administration of PGRN resulted in remarkable reversal of LPS-induced increases in lung permeability as assessed by reductions in total protein, albumin, and IgM in BAL fluid. Consistently, we revealed a significant reduction of histopathology changes of lung in mice received PGRN treatment. Finally, we showed that PGRN/TNFR2 interaction was crucial for the protective effect of PGRN on the LPS-induced ALI. Our findings strongly demonstrated that PGRN could effectively ameliorate the LPS-induced ALI in mice, suggesting a potential application for PGRN-based therapy to treat clinical ARDS.

  2. Stability region for a prompt power variation of a coupled-core system with positive prompt feedback

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watanabe, S.; Nishina, K.

    1984-01-01

    A stability analysis using a one-group model is presented for a coupled-core system. Positive prompt feedback of a γp /SUB j/ form is assumed, where p /SUB j/ is the fractional power variation of core j. Prompt power variations over a range of a few milliseconds after a disturbance are analyzed. The analysis combines Lapunov's method, prompt jump approximation, and the eigenfunction expansion of coupling region response flux. The last is treated as a pseudo-delayed neutron precursor. An asymptotic stability region is found for p /SUB j/. For an asymmetric flux variation over a system of two coupled cores, either p /SUB I/ or p /SUB II/ can slightly exceed, by virtue of the coupling effect, the critical value (β/γ-1) of a single-core case. Such a stability region is increased by additional inclusion of the coupling region fundamental mode in the treatment. The coupling region contributes to stability through its delayed response and coupling. An optimum core separation distance for stability is found

  3. Differential Cell Sensitivity between OTA and LPS upon Releasing TNF-α

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lauy Al-Anati

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available The release of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α by ochratoxin A (OTA was studied in various macrophage and non-macrophage cell lines and compared with E. coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS as a standard TNF-α release agent. Cells were exposed either to 0, 2.5 or 12.5 µmol/L OTA, or to 0.1 µg/mL LPS, for up to 24 h. OTA at 2.5 µmol/L and LPS at 0.1 µg/mL were not toxic to the tested cells as indicated by viability markers. TNF-a was detected in the incubated cell medium of rat Kupffer cells, peritoneal rat macrophages, and the mouse monocyte macrophage cell line J774A.1: TNF-a concentrations were 1,000 pg/mL, 1,560 pg/mL, and 650 pg/mL, respectively, for 2.5 µmol/L OTA exposure and 3,000 pg/mL, 2,600 pg/mL, and 2,115 pg/mL, respectively, for LPS exposure. Rat liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, rat hepatocytes, human HepG2 cells, and mouse L929 cells lacked any cytokine response to OTA, but showed a significant release of TNF-a after LPS exposure, with the exception of HepG2 cells. In non-responsive cell lines, OTA lacked both any activation of NF-κB or the translocation of activated NF-κB to the cell nucleus, i.e., in mouse L929 cells. In J774A.1 cells, OTA mediated TNF-a release via the pRaf/MEK 1/2–NF-κB and p38-NF-κB pathways, whereas LPS used pRaf/MEK 1/2-NF-κB, but not p38-NF-κB pathways. In contrast, in L929 cells, LPS used other pathways to activate NF-κB. Our data indicate that only macrophages and macrophage derived cells respond to OTA and are considered as sources for TNF-a release upon OTA exposure.

  4. Dual effect of LPS on murine myeloid leukemia cells: Pro-proliferation and anti-proliferation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu, Lingling; Zhao, Yingmin; Gu, Xin; Wang, Jijun; Pang, Lei; Zhang, Yanqing; Li, Yaoyao; Jia, Xiaoqin; Wang, Xin; Gu, Jian; Yu, Duonan

    2016-01-01

    Modification of the bone marrow microenvironment is considered as a promising strategy to control leukemic cell proliferation, diseases progression and relapse after treatment. However, due to the diversity and complexity of the cellular and molecular compartments in the leukemic microenvironment, it is extremely difficult to dissect the role of each individual molecule or cell type in vivo. Here we established an in vitro system to dissect the role of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), stromal cells and endothelial cells in the growth of mouse myeloid tumor cells and B-lymphoma cells. We found that either LPS or bone marrow stromal cells as a feeder layer in culture is required for the proliferation of myeloid tumor cells. Surprisingly, the growth of myeloid leukemic cells on stromal cells is strongly inhibited when coupled with LPS in culture. This opposing effect of LPS, a complete switch from pro-proliferation to antitumor growth is due, at least in part, to the rapidly increased production of interleukin 12, Fas ligand and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2 from stromal cells stimulated by LPS. These results demonstrate that LPS can either facilitate or attenuate tumor cell proliferation, thus changing the disease course of myeloid leukemias through its direct effect or modulation of the tumor microenvironment. - Highlights: • LPS alone in culture is required for the proliferation of murine myeloid tumor cells. • Bone marrow stromal cells as a feeder layer is also required for the proliferation of myeloid tumor cells. • However, the growth of myeloid tumor cells is inhibited when LPS and stromal cells are both available in culture. • Thus LPS can either facilitate or attenuate tumor growth through its direct effect or modulation of tumor microenvironment.

  5. Dual effect of LPS on murine myeloid leukemia cells: Pro-proliferation and anti-proliferation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yu, Lingling [Department of Pediatrics, Jingjiang People' s Hospital, Yangzhou University, Jingjiang 214500 (China); Noncoding RNA Center, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225001 (China); Zhao, Yingmin [Department of Pediatrics, Jingjiang People' s Hospital, Yangzhou University, Jingjiang 214500 (China); Gu, Xin; Wang, Jijun; Pang, Lei; Zhang, Yanqing; Li, Yaoyao; Jia, Xiaoqin; Wang, Xin [Noncoding RNA Center, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225001 (China); Gu, Jian [Department of Hematology, Yangzhou University School of Clinical Medicine, Yangzhou 225001 (China); Yu, Duonan, E-mail: duonan@yahoo.com [Department of Pediatrics, Jingjiang People' s Hospital, Yangzhou University, Jingjiang 214500 (China); Noncoding RNA Center, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225001 (China); Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine for Prevention and Treatment of Senile Disease, Yangzhou 225001 (China); Institute of Comparative Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225001 (China); Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Disease and Zoonosis, Yangzhou 225001 (China)

    2016-06-10

    Modification of the bone marrow microenvironment is considered as a promising strategy to control leukemic cell proliferation, diseases progression and relapse after treatment. However, due to the diversity and complexity of the cellular and molecular compartments in the leukemic microenvironment, it is extremely difficult to dissect the role of each individual molecule or cell type in vivo. Here we established an in vitro system to dissect the role of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), stromal cells and endothelial cells in the growth of mouse myeloid tumor cells and B-lymphoma cells. We found that either LPS or bone marrow stromal cells as a feeder layer in culture is required for the proliferation of myeloid tumor cells. Surprisingly, the growth of myeloid leukemic cells on stromal cells is strongly inhibited when coupled with LPS in culture. This opposing effect of LPS, a complete switch from pro-proliferation to antitumor growth is due, at least in part, to the rapidly increased production of interleukin 12, Fas ligand and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2 from stromal cells stimulated by LPS. These results demonstrate that LPS can either facilitate or attenuate tumor cell proliferation, thus changing the disease course of myeloid leukemias through its direct effect or modulation of the tumor microenvironment. - Highlights: • LPS alone in culture is required for the proliferation of murine myeloid tumor cells. • Bone marrow stromal cells as a feeder layer is also required for the proliferation of myeloid tumor cells. • However, the growth of myeloid tumor cells is inhibited when LPS and stromal cells are both available in culture. • Thus LPS can either facilitate or attenuate tumor growth through its direct effect or modulation of tumor microenvironment.

  6. The effect of 60Co γ-rays on con A and LPS induced lymphocytes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Su Liaoyuan; Liu Keliang; Ma Xiangrui

    1987-01-01

    The effect of 60 Co γ-rays on lymphocytes induced by Con A and LPS and the relationship between these two groups of cells were investigated by means of 3 H-TdR incorporation. The study showed that in vitro, Con A cells were able to promote the inducing effect of LPS to B cells. When Con A cells were irradiated by 10 Gy γ-rays, the 3 H-TdR incorporation value reduced significantly and the stimulating effect of Con A cells on LPS cells disappeared. Having been irradiated by γ-rays, LPS cells were not be able to be stimulated by normal Con A cells. When the groups of cells were incubated together after irradiation, the synergistic function disappeared, furthermore the suppressive effect of Con A cells on LPS cells emerged. When these two groups of cells were investigated by means of agar culture, the suppressive effect of 10 Gy γ-rays on lymphocytes colony formation was more obvious. Tests on 7 patients who were suffering from carcinoma of nasoparynx showed that after a course of treatment with 60 Co γ-rays, the incorporation value in Con A cells became much smaller, the stimulating effect of Con A cells on LPS cells disappeared. LPS cells could not be stimulated by normal Con A cells. The study demonstrated that the radiosensitivity of Con A cells is higher than that of LPS cells

  7. Preservation of renal blood flow by the antioxidant EUK-134 in LPS-treated pigs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magder, Sheldon; Parthenis, Dimitrios G; Ghouleh, Imad Al

    2015-03-25

    Sepsis is associated with an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS), however, the precise role of ROS in the septic process remains unknown. We hypothesized that treatment with EUK-134 (manganese-3-methoxy N,N'-bis(salicyclidene)ethylene-diamine chloride), a compound with superoxide dismutase and catalase activity, attenuates the vascular manifestations of sepsis in vivo. Pigs were instrumented to measure cardiac output and blood flow in renal, superior mesenteric and femoral arteries, and portal vein. Animals were treated with saline (control), lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 10 µg·kg-1·h-1), EUK-134, or EUK-134 plus LPS. Results show that an LPS-induced increase in pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) as well as a trend towards lower blood pressure (BP) were both attenuated by EUK-134. Renal blood flow decreased with LPS whereas superior mesenteric, portal and femoral flows did not change. Importantly, EUK-134 decreased the LPS-induced fall in renal blood flow and this was associated with a corresponding decrease in LPS-induced protein nitrotyrosinylation in the kidney. PO2, pH, base excess and systemic vascular resistance fell with LPS and were unaltered by EUK-134. EUK-134 also had no effect on LPS-associated increase in CO. Interestingly, EUK-134 alone resulted in higher CO, BP, PAP, mean circulatory filling pressure, and portal flow than controls. Taken together, these data support a protective role for EUK-134 in the renal circulation in sepsis.

  8. Role of xanthine oxidase and reactive oxygen intermediates in LPS- and TNF-induced pulmonary edema.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faggioni, R; Gatti, S; Demitri, M T; Delgado, R; Echtenacher, B; Gnocchi, P; Heremans, H; Ghezzi, P

    1994-03-01

    We studied the role of reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced pulmonary edema. LPS treatment (600 micrograms/mouse, IP) was associated with a marked induction of the superoxide-generating enzyme xanthine oxidase (XO) in serum and lung. Pretreatment with the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC)--1 gm/kg orally, 45 minutes before LPS--or with the XO inhibitor allopurinol (AP)--50 mg/kg orally at -1 hour and +3 hours--was protective. On the other hand nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, indomethacin, and nordihydroguaiaretic acid) were ineffective. These data suggested that XO might be involved in the induction of pulmonary damage by LPS. However, treatment with the interferon inducer polyriboinosylic-polyribocytidylic acid, although inducing XO to the same extent as LPS, did not cause any pulmonary edema, indicating that XO is not sufficient for this toxicity of LPS. To define the possible role of cytokines, we studied the effect of direct administration of LPS (600 micrograms/mouse, IP), tumor necrosis factor (TNF, 2.5 or 50 micrograms/mouse, IV), interleukin-1 (IL-1 beta, 2.5 micrograms/mouse, IV), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma, 2.5 micrograms/mouse, IV), or their combination at 2.5 micrograms each. In addition to LPS, only TNF at the highest dose induced pulmonary edema 24 hours later. LPS-induced pulmonary edema was partially inhibited by anti-IFN-gamma antibodies but not by anti-TNF antibodies, anti-IL-1 beta antibodies, or IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra).

  9. DMPD: LPS induction of gene expression in human monocytes. [Dynamic Macrophage Pathway CSML Database

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available 11257452 LPS induction of gene expression in human monocytes. Guha M, Mackman N. Ce...ll Signal. 2001 Feb;13(2):85-94. (.png) (.svg) (.html) (.csml) Show LPS induction of gene expression in human... monocytes. PubmedID 11257452 Title LPS induction of gene expression in human monocytes. Authors Guha M, Ma

  10. OUTFLOWS AND DARK BANDS AT ARCADE-LIKE ACTIVE REGION CORE BOUNDARIES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Scott, J. T.; Martens, P. C. H.; Tarr, L. [Department of Physics, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 (United States)

    2013-03-10

    Observations from the EUV Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) on board Hinode have revealed outflows and non-thermal line broadening in low intensity regions at the edges of active regions (ARs). We use data from Hinode's EIS, Solar Dynamic Observatory's Atmospheric Imaging Assembly and Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager, and the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer instrument to investigate the boundaries of arcade-like AR cores for NOAA ARs 11112, 10978, and 9077. A narrow, low intensity region that is observed at the core's periphery as a dark band shows outflows and increased spectral line broadening. This dark band is found to exist for days and appears between the bright coronal loop structures of different coronal topologies. We find a case where the dark band region is formed between the magnetic field from emerging flux and the field of the pre-existing flux. A magnetic field extrapolation indicates that this dark band is coincident with the spine lines or magnetic separatrices in the extrapolated field. This occurs over unipolar regions where the brightened coronal field is separated in connectivity and topology. This separation does not appear to be infinitesimal and an initial estimate of the minimum distance of separation is found to be Almost-Equal-To 1.5-3.5 Mm.

  11. Modulation of immune response by bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS): cellular basis of stimulatory and inhibitory effects of LPS on the in vitro IGM antibody response to a T-dependent antigen

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uchiyama, T.; Jacobs, D.M.

    1978-01-01

    The role of thymus-derived lymphocytes (T cells) in LPS modulation of T cell-development antibody responses has been investigated. We have assessed the effect of LPS on the primary anti-TNP response to TNP-SRBC of cultures of whole spleen cells or T cell-depleted spleen cells that were supplemented with various subpopulations of carrier-primed (SRBC) spleen cells. The TNP-PFC response was enhanced in the presence of irradiated SRBC-primed spleen cells by addition of 0.16 to 20 μg/ml LPS, but inhibition was observed when irradiation of primed cells was omitted. Enhancement but no inhibition occurred when added primed cells were first passed through a nylon wool column. LPS-mediated enhancement was dependent on a T cell in the primed population. These results suggest that LPS modulation of antibody synthesis is dependent on two populations of antigen-specific cells that have opposing effects on B cell responses to a T-dependent antigen: a helper cell that is irradiation resistant, nonadherent to nylon wool, and sensitive to anti-T cell serum, and a suppressor cell that is irradiation sensitive and adherent to nylon wool

  12. Role of wall-attached structures in the interface of the quiescent core region in turbulent pipe flow

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Jongmin; Hwang, Jinyul; Sung, Hyung Jin

    2017-11-01

    The effects of low- and high-speed structures on the interface of the quiescent core region are explored using direct numerical simulation data of turbulent pipe flow. The quiescent core region is a uniform momentum zone located at the center of the pipe flow, which contains the highest streamwise momentum with a low level of turbulence. The interface of the quiescent core region can be identified from the probability density function of the streamwise modal velocity. In the vicinity of the interface of the quiescent core region, the streamwise velocity changes abruptly. The abrupt jump in velocity causes an increase of the velocity gradient. The interface of the quiescent core region is similar to the laminar superlayer in turbulent/non-turbulent interface. The interface of the quiescent core region contains the low- and high-speed structures. They can be classified into wall-attached and detached structures depending on the distance between the structures and the wall. The influence of the detached structures accounted for most of the number of detected structures is negligible due to its small volume. Conversely, the wall-attached structures adjacent to the interface have a huge influence on the statistical amount of the interface, such as entrainment characteristics. This work was supported by the Creative Research Initiatives (No. 2017-013369) program of the National Research Foundation of Korea (MSIP).

  13. Impaired production of proinflammatory cytokines in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation in elderly humans

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bruunsgaard, H.; Pedersen, Agnes Nadelmann; Schroll, M.

    1999-01-01

    following LPS stimulation, representing an ex vivo model of sepsis. Levels of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), IL-1 beta and IL-6 in whole blood supernatants were measured after in vitro LPS stimulation for 24 h in 168 elderly humans aged 81 years from the 1914 cohort in Glostrup, Denmark and in 91...... of proinflammatory cytokines compared with young men, but this difference was blurred by ageing. No relation was found between circulating plasma levels of TNF-alpha and levels after in vitro LPS stimulation. In conclusion, decreased production of TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta after exposure to LPS may reflect impaired...

  14. Does core stability exercise improve lumbopelvic stability (through endurance tests) more than general exercise in chronic low back pain? A quasi-randomized controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shamsi, Mohammad Bagher; Rezaei, Mandana; Zamanlou, Mehdi; Sadeghi, Mehdi; Pourahmadi, Mohammad Reza

    2016-01-01

    The aim was to compare core stability and general exercises (GEs) in chronic low back pain (LBP) patients based on lumbopelvic stability (LPS) assessment through three endurance core stability tests. There is a controversy about preference of core stability exercise (CSE) over other types of exercise for chronic LBP. Studies which have compared these exercises used other outcomes than those related to LPS. As it is claimed that CSE enhances back stability, endurance tests for LPS were used. A 16-session CSE program and a GE program with the same duration were conducted for two groups of participants. Frequency of interventions for both groups was three times a week. Forty-three people (aged 18-60 years) with chronic non-specific LBP were alternately allocated to core stability (n = 22) or GE group (n = 21) when admitted. The primary outcomes were three endurance core stability tests including: (1) trunk flexor; (2) trunk extensor; and (3) side bridge tests. Secondary outcomes were disability and pain. Measurements were taken at baseline and the end of the intervention. After the intervention, test times increased and disability and pain decreased within groups. There was no significant difference between two groups in increasing test times (p = 0.23 to p = 0.36) or decreasing disability (p = 0.16) and pain (p = 0.73). CSE is not more effective than GE for improving endurance core stability tests and reducing disability and pain in chronic non-specific LBP patients.

  15. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes and CD4 epitope mutations in the pre-core/core region of hepatitis B virus in chronic hepatitis B carriers in Northeast Iran.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhand, Sareh; Tabarraei, Alijan; Nazari, Amineh; Moradi, Abdolvahab

    2017-07-01

    Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is vulnerable to many various mutations. Those within epitopes recognized by sensitized T cells may influence the re-emergence of the virus. This study was designed to investigate the mutation in immune epitope regions of HBV pre-core/core among chronic HBV patients of Golestan province, Northeast Iran. In 120 chronic HBV carriers, HBV DNA was extracted from blood plasma samples and PCR was done using specific primers. Direct sequencing and alignment of the pre-core/core region were applied using reference sequence from Gene Bank database (Accession Number AB033559). The study showed 27 inferred amino acid substitutions, 9 of which (33.3%) were in CD4 and 2 (7.4%) in cytotoxic T lymphocytes' (CTL) epitopes and 16 other mutations (59.2%) were observed in other regions. CTL escape mutations were not commonly observed in pre-core/core sequences of chronic HBV carriers in the locale of study. It can be concluded that most of the inferred amino acid substitutions occur in different immune epitopes other than CTL and CD4.

  16. Regional overpower protection system analysis for a DUPIC fuel CANDU core

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeong, Chang Joon; Choi, Hang Bok; Park, Jee Won

    2003-06-01

    The regional overpower protection (ROP) system was assessed a CANDU 6 reactor with the DUPIC fuel, including the validation of the WIMS/RFSP/ROVER-F code system used for the estimation of ROP trip setpoint. The validation calculation has shown that it is valid to use the WIMS/RFSP/ROVER-F code system for ROP system analysis of the CANDU 6 core. For the DUPIC core, the ROP trip setpoint was estimated to be 125.7%, which is almost the same as that of the standard natural uranium core. This study has shown that the DUPIC fuel does not hurt the current ROP trip setpoint designed for the natural uranium CANDU 6 reactor

  17. Protective Effect of Phillyrin on Lethal LPS-Induced Neutrophil Inflammation in Zebrafish

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liling Yang

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Background/Aims: Forsythia suspensa Vahl. (Oleaceae fruits are widely used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat pneumonia, typhoid, dysentery, ulcers and oedema. Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities have been reported for phillyrin (PHN, the main ingredient in Forsythia suspensa Vahl fruits, in vitro. However, the underlying mechanisms in vivo remain poorly defined. In this study, we discovered that PHN exerted potent anti-inflammatory effects in lethal LPS-induced neutrophil inflammation by suppressing the MyD88-dependent signalling pathway in zebrafish. Methods: LPS-yolk microinjection was used to induce a lethal LPS-infected zebrafish model. The effect of PHN on the survival of zebrafish challenged with lethal LPS was evaluated using survival analysis. The effect of PHN on neutrophil inflammation grading in vivo was assessed by tracking neutrophils with a transgenic line. The effects of PHN on neutrophil production and migration were analysed by SB+ cell counts during consecutive hours after modelling. Additionally, key cytokines and members of the MyD88 signalling pathway that are involved in inflammatory response were detected using quantitative RT-PCR. To assess gene expression changes during consecutive hours after modelling, the IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, MyD88, TRIF, ERK1/2, JNK, IκBa and NF-κB expression levels were measured. Results: PHN could protect zebrafish against a lethal LPS challenge in a dose-dependent manner, as indicated by decreased neutrophil infltration, reduced tissue necrosis and increased survival rates. Up-regulated IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α expression also showed the same tendencies of depression by PHN. Critically, PHN significantly inhibited the LPS-induced activation of MyD88, IκBa, and NF-κB but did not affect the expression of ERK1/2 MAPKs or JNK MAPKs in LPS-stimulated zebrafish. Additionally, PHN regulated the MyD88/IκBα/NF-κB signalling pathway by controlling IκBα, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF

  18. IGF-1 attenuates LPS induced pro-inflammatory cytokines expression in buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) granulosa cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Onnureddy, K; Ravinder; Onteru, Suneel Kumar; Singh, Dheer

    2015-03-01

    Interaction between immune and endocrine system is a diverse process influencing cellular function and homeostasis in animals. Negative energy balance (NEB) during postpartum period in dairy animals usually suppresses these systems resulting in reproductive tract infection and infertility. These negative effects could be due to competition among endocrine and immune signaling pathways for common signaling molecules. The present work studied the effect of IGF-1 (50 ng/ml) on LPS (1 μg/ml) mediated pro-inflammatory cytokine expression (IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6) and aromatase (CYP19A1) genes' expressions as well as proliferation of buffalo granulosa cells. The crosstalk between LPS and IGF-1 was also demonstrated through studying the activities of downstream signaling molecules (ERK1/2, Akt, NF-κB) by western blot and immunostaining. Gene expression analysis showed that IGF-1 significantly reduced the LPS induced expression of IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6. LPS alone inhibited the CYP19A1 expression. However, co-treatment with IGF-1 reversed the inhibitory effect of LPS on CYP19A1 expression. LPS alone did not affect granulosa cell proliferation, but co-treatment with IGF-1, and IGF-1 alone enhanced the proliferation. Western blot results demonstrated that LPS caused the nuclear translocation of the NF-κB and increased the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and Akt maximum at 15 min and 60 min, respectively. Nonetheless, co-treatment with IGF-1 delayed LPS induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 (peak at 120 min), while promoting early Akt phosphorylation (peak at 5 min) with no effect on NF-κB translocation. Overall, IGF-1 delayed and reversed the effects of LPS, suggesting that high IGF-1 levels may combat infection during critical periods like NEB in postpartum dairy animals. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. SOX6 and PDCD4 enhance cardiomyocyte apoptosis through LPS-induced miR-499 inhibition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jia, Zhuqing; Wang, Jiaji; Shi, Qiong; Liu, Siyu; Wang, Weiping; Tian, Yuyao; Lu, Qin; Chen, Ping; Ma, Kangtao; Zhou, Chunyan

    2016-02-01

    Sepsis-induced cardiac apoptosis is one of the major pathogenic factors in myocardial dysfunction. As it enhances numerous proinflammatory factors, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is considered the principal mediator in this pathological process. However, the detailed mechanisms involved are unclear. In this study, we attempted to explore the mechanisms involved in LPS-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis. We found that LPS stimulation inhibited microRNA (miR)-499 expression and thereby upregulated the expression of SOX6 and PDCD4 in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. We demonstrate that SOX6 and PDCD4 are target genes of miR-499, and they enhance LPS-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis by activating the BCL-2 family pathway. The apoptosis process enhanced by overexpression of SOX6 or PDCD4, was rescued by the cardiac-abundant miR-499. Overexpression of miR-499 protected the cardiomyocytes against LPS-induced apoptosis. In brief, our results demonstrate the existence of a miR-499-SOX6/PDCD4-BCL-2 family pathway in cardiomyocytes in response to LPS stimulation.

  20. Long non-coding RNA TUG1 inhibits apoptosis and inflammatory response in LPS-treated H9c2 cells by down-regulation of miR-29b.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Haifang; Li, Hui; Ge, Ang; Guo, Enyu; Liu, Shuxia; Zhang, Lijuan

    2018-05-01

    Myocarditis is an important cause for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in children and adults. The lncRNA taurine up-regulated gene 1 (TUG1) plays important roles in cell apoptosis and inflammation in tumor and liver injury. The present study aimed to investigate the role of TUG1 in LPS-injured H9c2 cells and explore the underlying molecular mechanism. H9c2 cells were stimulated with LPS to induce inflammatory injury. The expression of TUG1 was altered by transient transfections. Cell viability and apoptotic cell rates were detected by CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry assay, respectively. Inflammatory response was determined by detecting levels of inflammatory cytokines using qRT-PCR and ELISA. Furthermore, western blot analysis was conducted to assess the expression levels of core factors related with apoptosis and activations of NF-κB and JAK/STAT signaling pathways. LPS exposure reduced cell viability but enhanced cell apoptosis and inflammation in H9c2 cells. Moreover, TUG1 expression was down-regulated in LPS-injured H9c2 cells. TUG1 overexpression attenuated LPS-induced injuries in H9c2 cells, evidenced by augmented cell viability, declined apoptotic cell rates and decreased levels of pro-apoptotic factors and inflammatory cytokines. Inversely, TUG1 inhibition exerted the opposite effects. More importantly, TUG1 negatively modulated the expression of miR-29b and miR-29b mimic blocked the effect of TUG1 overexpression on cell viability, apoptosis, inflammation and inactivation of NF-κB and JAK/STAT signaling pathways in LPS-stimulated H9c2 cells. This study demonstrated that TUG1 played the anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory roles in LPS-injured H9c2 cells via down-regulating miR-29b and inhibiting NF-κB and JAK/STAT pathways. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  1. An LPS based method to stimulate the inflammatory response in growing rabbits

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Knudsen

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Reliable indicators are needed to study the relationship between the inflammatory response of the growing rabbit and breeding factors such as feeding practices. A lipopolysaccharide (LPS stimulation of the inflammatory response is a valid model of bacterial infection in laboratory animals, but no data on the growing rabbit has yet been obtained. The aim of our study was to determine an adequate dose of LPS to inject in growing rabbits in order to elicit a measurable inflammatory response in terms of plasmatic TNF-α and rise in rectal temperature. Three trials were carried out in this study: 2 development trials, the first (n=18 testing 3 doses of LPS (2, 10, 50 μg/kg on the plasmatic TNF-α concentration at 90 and 180 min post injection, and the second trial (n=36 testing 4 doses of LPS (50, 75, 100 and 150 μg/kg on the TNF-α concentration 90 min post injection and the rectal temperature. The third trial was designed as an application of the method in a large number of animals (n=32 to study the effect of feed restriction and dietary increase in digestible fibre to starch ratio on the LPS inflammatory challenge response of growing rabbits. In development trials 1 and 2, animals had measurable TNF-α responses for doses higher than 10 μg/kg at 90 min post injection, with an increase in the number of responsive animals along with the dose. High variability was observed in TNF-α concentrations in responsive animals (coefficient of variation from 44 to 94%. Animals demonstrated an increase in rectal temperature for all doses injected in the range of 50-150 μg/kg from 90 min post injection with a peak at 180 min (ΔTr =1.9±0.7°C. Our observations led us to choose a dose of 100 μg/kg of LPS for our following studies, as the responses in terms of temperature and TNF-α were the most satisfactory. The application of our LPS injection protocol to our nutritional study enabled us to validate our protocol (ΔTr =1.1±0.7°C at 180 min and 15

  2. Increase in hypothalamic AMPK phosphorylation induced by prolonged exposure to LPS involves ghrelin and CB1R signaling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rivas, Priscila M S; Vechiato, Fernanda M V; Borges, Beatriz C; Rorato, Rodrigo; Antunes-Rodrigues, Jose; Elias, Lucila L K

    2017-07-01

    Acute administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Gram-negative bacteria induces hypophagia. However, the repeated administration of LPS leads to desensitization of hypophagia, which is associated with increased hypothalamic p-AMPK expression. Because ghrelin and endocannabinoids modulate AMPK activity in the hypothalamus, we hypothesized that these neuromodulators play a role in the reversal of tolerance to hypophagia in rats under long-term exposure to LPS. Male Wistar rats were treated with single (1 LPS, 100μg/kg body weight, ip) or repeated injections of LPS over 6days (6 LPS). Food intake was reduced in the 1 LPS, but not in the 6 LPS group. 6 LPS rats showed an increased serum concentration of acylated ghrelin and reduced ghrelin receptor mRNA expression in the hypothalamus. Ghrelin injection (40μg/kg body weight, ip) increased food intake, body weight gain, p-AMPK hypothalamic expression, neuropeptide Y (NPY) and Agouti related peptide (AgRP) mRNA expression in control animals (Saline). However, in 6 LPS rats, ghrelin did not alter these parameters. Central administration of a CB1R antagonist (AM251, 200ng/μl in 5μl/rat) induced hypophagia in 6 LPS animals, suggesting that the endocannabinoid system contributes to preserved food intake during LPS tolerance. In the presence of AM251, the ability of ghrelin to phosphorylate AMPK in the hypothalamus of 6 LPS group was restored, but not its orexigenic effect. Our data highlight that the orexigenic effects of ghrelin require CB1R signaling downstream of AMPK activation. Moreover, CB1R-mediated pathways contribute to the absence of hypophagia during repeated exposure to endotoxin. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Natural selection in a population of Drosophila melanogaster explained by changes in gene expression caused by sequence variation in core promoter regions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sato, Mitsuhiko P; Makino, Takashi; Kawata, Masakado

    2016-02-09

    Understanding the evolutionary forces that influence variation in gene regulatory regions in natural populations is an important challenge for evolutionary biology because natural selection for such variations could promote adaptive phenotypic evolution. Recently, whole-genome sequence analyses have identified regulatory regions subject to natural selection. However, these studies could not identify the relationship between sequence variation in the detected regions and change in gene expression levels. We analyzed sequence variations in core promoter regions, which are critical regions for gene regulation in higher eukaryotes, in a natural population of Drosophila melanogaster, and identified core promoter sequence variations associated with differences in gene expression levels subjected to natural selection. Among the core promoter regions whose sequence variation could change transcription factor binding sites and explain differences in expression levels, three core promoter regions were detected as candidates associated with purifying selection or selective sweep and seven as candidates associated with balancing selection, excluding the possibility of linkage between these regions and core promoter regions. CHKov1, which confers resistance to the sigma virus and related insecticides, was identified as core promoter regions that has been subject to selective sweep, although it could not be denied that selection for variation in core promoter regions was due to linked single nucleotide polymorphisms in the regulatory region outside core promoter regions. Nucleotide changes in core promoter regions of CHKov1 caused the loss of two basal transcription factor binding sites and acquisition of one transcription factor binding site, resulting in decreased gene expression levels. Of nine core promoter regions regions associated with balancing selection, brat, and CG9044 are associated with neuromuscular junction development, and Nmda1 are associated with learning

  4. A Study of THT Cold Cores Population in the Star-Forming Region in Serpens

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fiorellino, Eleonora

    2017-11-01

    The purpose of this work is to produce the Core Mass Function (CMF) of the Serpens star-forming region and confront it with the Initial Mass Function (IMF), the statistical distribution of initial star mass. As Testi & Sergent (1998) discovered, the power-law index of the slope of the CMF is very close to the one of the Salpeter's IMF (Salpeter, 1955): dN/dM / M2.35. This strongly suggests that the stellar IMF results from the fragmentation process in turbulent cloud cores rather than from stellar accretion mechanisms and gives a huge contribute to undestanding the star formation. For this work, we started from the data delivered by the European satellite Herschel and produced the maps of the Serpens with Unimap code (Piazzo et al, 2015). Hence we obtained a core catalogue with two different softwares getsources (Men'shchikov et al, 2012) and CuTEx (Molinari et al, 2011) and we eliminated from it any source that is not a core. A full discussion of the cores physical propreties as well as the whole region is under preparation.

  5. Structure of the protein core of the glypican Dally-like and localization of a region important for hedgehog signaling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Min-Sung; Saunders, Adam M.; Hamaoka, Brent Y.; Beachy, Philip A.; Leahy, Daniel J. (Stanford-MED); (JHU)

    2011-09-20

    Glypicans are heparan sulfate proteoglycans that modulate the signaling of multiple growth factors active during animal development, and loss of glypican function is associated with widespread developmental abnormalities. Glypicans consist of a conserved, approximately 45-kDa N-terminal protein core region followed by a stalk region that is tethered to the cell membrane by a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol anchor. The stalk regions are predicted to be random coil but contain a variable number of attachment sites for heparan sulfate chains. Both the N-terminal protein core and the heparan sulfate attachments are important for glypican function. We report here the 2.4-{angstrom} crystal structure of the N-terminal protein core region of the Drosophila glypican Dally-like (Dlp). This structure reveals an elongated, {alpha}-helical fold for glypican core regions that does not appear homologous to any known structure. The Dlp core protein is required for normal responsiveness to Hedgehog (Hh) signals, and we identify a localized region on the Dlp surface important for mediating its function in Hh signaling. Purified Dlp protein core does not, however, interact appreciably with either Hh or an Hh:Ihog complex.

  6. Improvement of Core Performance by Introduction of Moderators in a Blanket Region of Fast Reactors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Toshio Wakabayashi

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available An application of deuteride moderator for fast reactor cores is proposed for power flattening that can mitigate thermal spikes and alleviate the decrease in breeding ratio, which sometimes occurs when hydrogen moderator is applied as a moderator. Zirconium deuteride is employed in a form of pin arrays at the inner most rows of radial blanket fuel assemblies, which works as a reflector in order to flatten the radial power distribution in the outer core region of MONJU. The power flattening can be utilized to increase core average burn-up by increasing operational time. The core characteristics have been evaluated with a continuous-energy model Monte Carlo code MVP and the JENDL-3.3 cross-section library. The result indicates that the discharged fuel burn-up can be increased by about 7% relative to that of no moderator in the blanket region due to the power flattening when the number of deuteride moderator pins is 61. The core characteristics and core safety such as void reactivity, Doppler coefficient, and reactivity insertion that occurred at dissolution of deuteron were evaluated. It was clear that the serious drawback did not appear from the viewpoints of the core characteristics and core safety.

  7. Functional Toll-like receptor 4 expressed in lactotrophs mediates LPS-induced proliferation in experimental pituitary hyperplasia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sabatino, María Eugenia; Sosa, Liliana del Valle; Petiti, Juan Pablo; Mukdsi, Jorge Humberto; Mascanfroni, Iván Darío; Pellizas, Claudia Gabriela; Gutiérrez, Silvina; Torres, Alicia Inés; De Paul, Ana Lucía

    2013-01-01

    Toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) has been characterized for its ability to recognize bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Considering that infections or inflammatory processes might contribute to the progression of pituitary tumors, we analyzed the TLR4 functional role by evaluating the LPS effect on lactotroph proliferation in primary cultures from experimental pituitary tumors, and examined the involvement of PI3K-Akt and NF-κB activation in this effect. In addition, the role of 17β-estradiol as a possible modulator of LPS-induced PRL cell proliferation was further investigated. In estrogen-induced hyperplasic pituitaries, LPS triggered lactotroph cell proliferation. However, endotoxin failed to increase the number of lactotrophs taking up BrdU in normal pituitaries. Moreover, incubation with anti-TLR4 antibody significantly reduced LPS-induced lactotroph proliferation, suggesting a functional role of this receptor. As a sign of TLR4 activation, an LPS challenge increased IL-6 release in normal and tumoral cells. By flow cytometry, TLR4 baseline expression was revealed at the plasma membrane of tumoral lactotrophs, without changes noted in the percentage of double PRL/TLR4 positive cells after LPS stimulus. Increases in TLR4 intracellular expression were detected as well as rises in CD14, p-Akt and NF-κB after an LPS challenge, as assessed by western blotting. The TLR4/PRL and PRL/NF-κB co-localization was also corroborated by immunofluorescence and the involvement of PI3K/Akt signaling in lactotroph proliferation and IL-6 release was revealed through the PI3K inhibitor Ly-294002. In addition, 17β-estradiol attenuated the LPS-evoked increase in tumoral lactotroph proliferation and IL-6 release. Collectively these results demonstrate the presence of functional TLR4 in lactotrophs from estrogen-induced hyperplasic pituitaries, which responded to the proliferative stimulation and IL-6 release induced by LPS through TLR4/CD14, with a contribution of the PI3K

  8. Functional Toll-like receptor 4 expressed in lactotrophs mediates LPS-induced proliferation in experimental pituitary hyperplasia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sabatino, María Eugenia; Sosa, Liliana del Valle; Petiti, Juan Pablo; Mukdsi, Jorge Humberto [Centro de Microscopía Electrónica, Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud (INICSA-CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Enrique Barros y Enfermera Gordillo, Ciudad Universitaria, CP 5000, Córdoba (Argentina); Mascanfroni, Iván Darío; Pellizas, Claudia Gabriela [Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología (CIBICI-CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Haya de la Torre y Medina Allende, Ciudad Universitaria, CP 5000, Córdoba (Argentina); Gutiérrez, Silvina; Torres, Alicia Inés [Centro de Microscopía Electrónica, Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud (INICSA-CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Enrique Barros y Enfermera Gordillo, Ciudad Universitaria, CP 5000, Córdoba (Argentina); De Paul, Ana Lucía, E-mail: adepaul@cmefcm.uncor.edu [Centro de Microscopía Electrónica, Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud (INICSA-CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Enrique Barros y Enfermera Gordillo, Ciudad Universitaria, CP 5000, Córdoba (Argentina)

    2013-11-15

    Toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) has been characterized for its ability to recognize bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Considering that infections or inflammatory processes might contribute to the progression of pituitary tumors, we analyzed the TLR4 functional role by evaluating the LPS effect on lactotroph proliferation in primary cultures from experimental pituitary tumors, and examined the involvement of PI3K-Akt and NF-κB activation in this effect. In addition, the role of 17β-estradiol as a possible modulator of LPS-induced PRL cell proliferation was further investigated. In estrogen-induced hyperplasic pituitaries, LPS triggered lactotroph cell proliferation. However, endotoxin failed to increase the number of lactotrophs taking up BrdU in normal pituitaries. Moreover, incubation with anti-TLR4 antibody significantly reduced LPS-induced lactotroph proliferation, suggesting a functional role of this receptor. As a sign of TLR4 activation, an LPS challenge increased IL-6 release in normal and tumoral cells. By flow cytometry, TLR4 baseline expression was revealed at the plasma membrane of tumoral lactotrophs, without changes noted in the percentage of double PRL/TLR4 positive cells after LPS stimulus. Increases in TLR4 intracellular expression were detected as well as rises in CD14, p-Akt and NF-κB after an LPS challenge, as assessed by western blotting. The TLR4/PRL and PRL/NF-κB co-localization was also corroborated by immunofluorescence and the involvement of PI3K/Akt signaling in lactotroph proliferation and IL-6 release was revealed through the PI3K inhibitor Ly-294002. In addition, 17β-estradiol attenuated the LPS-evoked increase in tumoral lactotroph proliferation and IL-6 release. Collectively these results demonstrate the presence of functional TLR4 in lactotrophs from estrogen-induced hyperplasic pituitaries, which responded to the proliferative stimulation and IL-6 release induced by LPS through TLR4/CD14, with a contribution of the PI3K

  9. The LPS-induced neutrophil recruitment into rat air pouches is mediated by TNFα: likely macrophage origin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C-D. Arreto

    1997-01-01

    Full Text Available The role of resident cells during the lipopolysaccharide (LPS-induced neutrophil recruitment into rat air pouches was investigated. In this model, LPS (Escherichia coli, O55: B5 strain; 2–2000 ng induced a dose– and time-dependent neutrophil recruitment accompanied by the generation of a tumour necrosis factor-α (TNFα-like activity. Dexamethasone (0.05–5 mug and cycloheximide (6 ng, injected 2 h before LPS into the pouches, inhibited the neutrophil recruitment and the generation of the TNFα-like activity, while the H1-receptor antagonist mepyramine (1 and 4 mg/kg, i.p., 0.5 h before LPS and the PAF-receptor antagonist WEB 2170 (0.05 and 1 mg/kg, i.p., 0.5 h before LPS had no effect. Purified alveolar macrophages (AM were used to replenish the pouches of cycloheximide-treated recipient rats. AM provided by PBS-treated animals led to the recovery of the LPS-induced neutrophil recruitment and of the TNFα-like formation contrasting with those from cycloheximide-treated animals (1 mg/kg, i.p.. When delivered in situ, liposome-encapsulated clodronate, a macrophage depletor, significantly impaired both the LPSinduced neutrophil recruitment and the TNFα-like activity. An anti-murine TNFα polyclonal antibody (0.5 h before LPS was also effective. These results emphasize the pivotal role of macrophages for LPS-induced neutrophil recruitment via the formation of TNFα.

  10. Overnutrition Determines LPS Regulation of Mycotoxin Induced Neurotoxicity in Neurodegenerative Diseases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ian James Martins

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Chronic neurodegenerative diseases are now associated with obesity and diabetes and linked to the developing and developed world. Interests in healthy diets have escalated that may prevent neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. The global metabolic syndrome involves lipoprotein abnormalities and insulin resistance and is the major disorder for induction of neurological disease. The effects of bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS on dyslipidemia and NAFLD indicate that the clearance and metabolism of fungal mycotoxins are linked to hypercholesterolemia and amyloid beta oligomers. LPS and mycotoxins are associated with membrane lipid disturbances with effects on cholesterol interacting proteins, lipoprotein metabolism, and membrane apo E/amyloid beta interactions relevant to hypercholesterolemia with close connections to neurological diseases. The influence of diet on mycotoxin metabolism has accelerated with the close association between mycotoxin contamination from agricultural products such as apple juice, grains, alcohol, and coffee. Cholesterol efflux in lipoproteins and membrane cholesterol are determined by LPS with involvement of mycotoxin on amyloid beta metabolism. Nutritional interventions such as diets low in fat/carbohydrate/cholesterol have become of interest with relevance to low absorption of lipophilic LPS and mycotoxin into lipoproteins with rapid metabolism of mycotoxin to the liver with the prevention of neurodegeneration.

  11. Bee Venom Decreases LPS-Induced Inflammatory Responses in Bovine Mammary Epithelial Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeong, Chang Hee; Cheng, Wei Nee; Bae, Hyojin; Lee, Kyung Woo; Han, Sang Mi; Petriello, Michael C; Lee, Hong Gu; Seo, Han Geuk; Han, Sung Gu

    2017-10-28

    The world dairy industry has long been challenged by bovine mastitis, an inflammatory disease, which causes economic loss due to decreased milk production and quality. Attempts have been made to prevent or treat this disease with multiple approaches, primarily through increased abuse of antibiotics, but effective natural solutions remain elusive. Bee venom (BV) contains a variety of peptides ( e.g. , melittin) and shows multiple bioactivities, including prevention of inflammation. Thus, in the current study, it was hypothesized that BV can reduce inflammation in bovine mammary epithelial cells (MAC-T). To examine the hypothesis, cells were treated with LPS (1 μg/ml) to induce an inflammatory response and the anti-inflammatory effects of BV (2.5 and 5 μg/ml) were investigated. The cellular mechanisms of BV against LPS-induced inflammation were also investigated. Results showed that BV can attenuate expression of an inflammatory protein, COX2, and pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 and TNF-α. Activation of NF-κB, an inflammatory transcription factor, was significantly downregulated by BV in cells treated with LPS, through dephosphorylation of ERK1/2. Moreover, pretreatment of cells with BV attenuated LPS-induced production of intracellular reactive oxygen species ( e.g. , superoxide anion). These results support our hypothesis that BV can decrease LPS-induced inflammatory responses in bovine mammary epithelial cells through inhibition of oxidative stress, NF-κB, ERK1/2, and COX-2 signaling.

  12. Leptomeningeal Cells Transduce Peripheral Macrophages Inflammatory Signal to Microglia in Reponse to Porphyromonas gingivalis LPS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yicong Liu

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available We report here that the leptomeningeal cells transduce inflammatory signals from peripheral macrophages to brain-resident microglia in response to Porphyromonas gingivalis (P.g. LPS. The expression of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2, TLR4, TNF-α, and inducible NO synthase was mainly detected in the gingival macrophages of chronic periodontitis patients. In in vitro studies, P.g. LPS induced the secretion of TNF-α and IL-1β from THP-1 human monocyte-like cell line and RAW264.7 mouse macrophages. Surprisingly, the mean mRNA levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in leptomeningeal cells after treatment with the conditioned medium from P.g. LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages were significantly higher than those after treatment with P.g. LPS alone. Furthermore, the mean mRNA levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in microglia after treatment with the conditioned medium from P.g. LPS-stimulated leptomeningeal cells were significantly higher than those after P.g. LPS alone. These observations suggest that leptomeninges serve as an important route for transducing inflammatory signals from macrophages to microglia by secretion of proinflammatory mediators during chronic periodontitis. Moreover, propolis significantly reduced the P.g. LPS-induced TNF-α and IL-1 β production by leptomeningeal cells through inhibiting the nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway. Together with the inhibitory effect on microglial activation, propolis may be beneficial in preventing neuroinflammation during chronic periodontitis.

  13. Inhibition of TNF-alpha production contributes to the attenuation of LPS-induced hypophagia by pentoxifylline.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Porter, M H; Hrupka, B J; Altreuther, G; Arnold, M; Langhans, W

    2000-12-01

    Cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) are assumed to mediate anorexia during bacterial infections. To improve our understanding of the role that these two cytokines serve in mediating infection during anorexia, we investigated the ability of pentoxifylline (PTX), a potent inhibitor of TNF-alpha production, to block the anorectic effects of the bacterial products lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and muramyl dipeptide (MDP) in rats. Intraperitoneally injected PTX (100 mg/kg body wt) completely eliminated the anorectic effect of intraperitoneally injected LPS (100 microg/kg body wt) and attenuated the anorectic effect of a higher dose of intraperitoneally injected LPS (250 microg/kg body wt). Concurrently, PTX pretreatment suppressed low-dose LPS-induced TNF-alpha production by more than 95% and IL-1beta production 39%, as measured by ELISA. Similarly, high-dose LPS-induced TNF-alpha production was reduced by approximately 90%. PTX administration also attenuated the tolerance that is normally observed with a second injection of LPS. In addition, PTX pretreatment attenuated the hypophagic effect of intraperitoneally injected MDP (2 mg/kg body wt) but had no effect on the anorectic response to intraperitoneally injected recombinant human TNF-alpha (150 ug/kg body wt). The results suggest that suppression of TNF-alpha production is sufficient to attenuate LPS- and MDP-induced anorexia. This is consistent with the hypothesis that TNF-alpha plays a major role in the anorexia associated with bacterial infection.

  14. High permeability cores to optimize the stimulation of deeply located brain regions using transcranial magnetic stimulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salvador, R; Miranda, P C; Roth, Y; Zangen, A

    2009-01-01

    Efficient stimulation of deeply located brain regions with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) poses many challenges, arising from the fact that the induced field decays rapidly and becomes less focal with depth. We propose a new method to improve the efficiency of TMS of deep brain regions that combines high permeability cores, to increase focality and field intensity, with a coil specifically designed to induce a field that decays slowly with increasing depth. The performance of the proposed design was investigated using the finite element method to determine the total electric field induced by this coil/core arrangement on a realistically shaped homogeneous head model. The calculations show that the inclusion of the cores increases the field's magnitude by as much as 25% while also decreasing the field's decay with depth along specific directions. The focality, as measured by the area where the field's norm is greater than 1/√2 of its maximum value, is also improved by as much as 15% with some core arrangements. The coil's inductance is not significantly increased by the cores. These results show that the presence of the cores might make this specially designed coil even more suited for the effective stimulation of deep brain regions.

  15. High permeability cores to optimize the stimulation of deeply located brain regions using transcranial magnetic stimulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salvador, R.; Miranda, P. C.; Roth, Y.; Zangen, A.

    2009-05-01

    Efficient stimulation of deeply located brain regions with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) poses many challenges, arising from the fact that the induced field decays rapidly and becomes less focal with depth. We propose a new method to improve the efficiency of TMS of deep brain regions that combines high permeability cores, to increase focality and field intensity, with a coil specifically designed to induce a field that decays slowly with increasing depth. The performance of the proposed design was investigated using the finite element method to determine the total electric field induced by this coil/core arrangement on a realistically shaped homogeneous head model. The calculations show that the inclusion of the cores increases the field's magnitude by as much as 25% while also decreasing the field's decay with depth along specific directions. The focality, as measured by the area where the field's norm is greater than 1/\\sqrt 2 of its maximum value, is also improved by as much as 15% with some core arrangements. The coil's inductance is not significantly increased by the cores. These results show that the presence of the cores might make this specially designed coil even more suited for the effective stimulation of deep brain regions.

  16. High permeability cores to optimize the stimulation of deeply located brain regions using transcranial magnetic stimulation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Salvador, R; Miranda, P C [Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, 1749-016 Lisbon (Portugal); Roth, Y [Advanced Technology Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer (Israel); Zangen, A [Neurobiology Department, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100 (Israel)], E-mail: rnsalvador@fc.ul.pt

    2009-05-21

    Efficient stimulation of deeply located brain regions with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) poses many challenges, arising from the fact that the induced field decays rapidly and becomes less focal with depth. We propose a new method to improve the efficiency of TMS of deep brain regions that combines high permeability cores, to increase focality and field intensity, with a coil specifically designed to induce a field that decays slowly with increasing depth. The performance of the proposed design was investigated using the finite element method to determine the total electric field induced by this coil/core arrangement on a realistically shaped homogeneous head model. The calculations show that the inclusion of the cores increases the field's magnitude by as much as 25% while also decreasing the field's decay with depth along specific directions. The focality, as measured by the area where the field's norm is greater than 1/{radical}2 of its maximum value, is also improved by as much as 15% with some core arrangements. The coil's inductance is not significantly increased by the cores. These results show that the presence of the cores might make this specially designed coil even more suited for the effective stimulation of deep brain regions.

  17. EOSINOPHIL INFLUX TO THE NASAL AIRWAY FOLLOWING LOCAL, LOW-LEVEL LPS CHALLENGE IN HUMANS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Background: Recent obervations show that atopic asthmatic subjects have increased sensitivity to respirable endotoxin (or LPS) compared with normal persons. In vitro studies demonstrate that LPS enchances eosinophil survival. These obervations suggest that the effects of inhal...

  18. Suppression of LPS-induced inflammatory responses in macrophages infected with Leishmania

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kelly Ben L

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Chronic inflammation activated by macrophage innate pathogen recognition receptors such as TLR4 can lead to a range of inflammatory diseases, including atherosclerosis, Crohn's disease, arthritis and cancer. Unlike many microbes, the kinetoplastid protozoan pathogen Leishmania has been shown to avoid and even actively suppress host inflammatory cytokine responses, such as LPS-induced IL-12 production. The nature and scope of Leishmania-mediated inflammatory cytokine suppression, however, is not well characterized. Advancing our knowledge of such microbe-mediated cytokine suppression may provide new avenues for therapeutic intervention in inflammatory disease. Methods We explored the kinetics of a range of cytokine and chemokine responses in primary murine macrophages stimulated with LPS in the presence versus absence of two clinically distinct species of Leishmania using sensitive multiplex cytokine analyses. To confirm that these effects were parasite-specific, we compared the effects of Leishmania uptake on LPS-induced cytokine expression with uptake of inert latex beads. Results Whilst Leishmania uptake alone did not induce significant levels of any cytokine analysed in this study, Leishmania uptake in the presence of LPS caused parasite-specific suppression of certain LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-12, IL-17 and IL-6. Interestingly, L. amazonensis was generally more suppressive than L. major. We also found that other LPS-induced proinflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1α, TNF-α and the chemokines MIP-1α and MCP-1 and also the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, were augmented during Leishmania uptake, in a parasite-specific manner. Conclusions During uptake by macrophages, Leishmania evades the activation of a broad range of cytokines and chemokines. Further, in the presence of a strong inflammatory stimulus, Leishmania suppresses certain proinflammatory cytokine responses in a parasite

  19. Long-term nicotine exposure dampens LPS-induced nerve-mediated airway hyperreactivity in murine airways.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Yuan; Cardell, Lars-Olaf

    2017-09-01

    Nicotine is a major component of cigarette smoke. It causes addiction and is used clinically to aid smoke cessation. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of nicotine on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced airway hyperreactivity (AHR) and to explore the potential involvement of neuronal mechanisms behind nicotine's effects in murine models in vivo and in vitro. BALB/c mice were exposed to nicotine in vivo via subcutaneous Alzet osmotic minipumps containing nicotine tartate salt solution (24 mg·kg -1 ·day -1 ) for 28 days. LPS (0.1 mg/ml, 20 µl) was administered intranasally for 3 consecutive days during the end of this period. Lung functions were measured with flexiVent. For the in vitro experiments, mice tracheae were organcultured with either nicotine (10 μM) or vehicle (DMSO, 0.1%) for 4 days. Contractile responses of the tracheal segments were measured in myographs following electric field stimulation (EFS; increasing frequencies of 0.2 to 12.8 Hz) before and after incubation with 10 µg/ml LPS for 1 h. Results showed that LPS induced AHR to methacholine in vivo and increased contractile responses to EFS in vitro. Interestingly, long-term nicotine exposure markedly dampened this LPS-induced AHR both in vitro and in vivo. Tetrodotoxin (TTX) inhibited LPS-induced AHR but did not further inhibit nicotine-suppressed AHR in vivo. In conclusion, long-term nicotine exposure dampened LPS-induced AHR. The effect of nicotine was mimicked by TTX, suggesting the involvement of neuronal mechanisms. This information might be used for evaluating the long-term effects of nicotine and further exploring of how tobacco products interact with bacterial airway infections. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

  20. Ginger extract inhibits LPS induced macrophage activation and function

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bruch David

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Macrophages play a dual role in host defence. They act as the first line of defence by mounting an inflammatory response to antigen exposure and also act as antigen presenting cells and initiate the adaptive immune response. They are also the primary infiltrating cells at the site of inflammation. Inhibition of macrophage activation is one of the possible approaches towards modulating inflammation. Both conventional and alternative approaches are being studied in this regard. Ginger, an herbal product with broad anti inflammatory actions, is used as an alternative medicine in a number of inflammatory conditions like rheumatic disorders. In the present study we examined the effect of ginger extract on macrophage activation in the presence of LPS stimulation. Methods Murine peritoneal macrophages were stimulated by LPS in presence or absence of ginger extract and production of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines were observed. We also studied the effect of ginger extract on the LPS induced expression of MHC II, B7.1, B7.2 and CD40 molecules. We also studied the antigen presenting function of ginger extract treated macrophages by primary mixed lymphocyte reaction. Results We observed that ginger extract inhibited IL-12, TNF-α, IL-1β (pro inflammatory cytokines and RANTES, MCP-1 (pro inflammatory chemokines production in LPS stimulated macrophages. Ginger extract also down regulated the expression of B7.1, B7.2 and MHC class II molecules. In addition ginger extract negatively affected the antigen presenting function of macrophages and we observed a significant reduction in T cell proliferation in response to allostimulation, when ginger extract treated macrophages were used as APCs. A significant decrease in IFN-γ and IL-2 production by T cells in response to allostimulation was also observed. Conclusion In conclusion ginger extract inhibits macrophage activation and APC function and indirectly inhibits T cell activation.

  1. Measurement and analysis of reaction rate distributions of cores with spectrum shifter region

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsuura, Shigekazu; Shiroya, Seiji; Unesaki, Hironobu; Takeda, Toshikazu; Aizawa, Otohiko; Kanda, Keiji.

    1995-01-01

    A study for the neutronic characteristics of the spectrum-controlled neutron irradiation fields using various reflector materials was performed. Spectrum shifter regions were constructed in the upper reflector region of the solid moderated core (B-Core) of the Kyoto University Critical Assembly (KUCA). Beryllium, graphite and aluminum were selected as the loading materials for the spectrum shifter. Two tight-pitch lattice cores with different moderator-to-fuel volume ratio (V m /V f ) of 0.97 and 0.65 have been used. Axial reaction rate distributions of gold, nickel and indium wires were measured, and the spectrum index was defined as the Cd ratio of the gold wire and the ratio of gold reaction rate to nickel reaction rate. Using the conventional design calculation procedure, the experimental and calculated reaction rate and spectrum index show several disagreements. Detailed treatment of the neutron streaming effect, heterogeneous cell structure and depression factor are shown to be necessary for improving the agreement between experimental and calculated values. (author)

  2. Progesterone modulates the LPS-induced nitric oxide production by a progesterone-receptor independent mechanism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wolfson, Manuel Luis; Schander, Julieta Aylen; Bariani, María Victoria; Correa, Fernando; Franchi, Ana María

    2015-12-15

    Genital tract infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria induce miscarriage and are one of the most common complications of human pregnancy. LPS administration to 7-day pregnant mice induces embryo resorption after 24h, with nitric oxide playing a fundamental role in this process. We have previously shown that progesterone exerts protective effects on the embryo by modulating the inflammatory reaction triggered by LPS. Here we sought to investigate whether the in vivo administration of progesterone modulated the LPS-induced nitric oxide production from peripheral blood mononuclear cells from pregnant and non-pregnant mice. We found that progesterone downregulated LPS-induced nitric oxide production by a progesterone receptor-independent mechanism. Moreover, our results suggest a possible participation of glucocorticoid receptors in at least some of the anti-inflammatory effects of progesterone. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Involvement of mitogen-activated protein kinases and NFκB in LPS-induced CD40 expression on human monocytic cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu Weidong; Alexis, Neil E.; Chen Xian; Bromberg, Philip A.; Peden, David B.

    2008-01-01

    CD40 is a costimulatory molecule linking innate and adaptive immune responses to bacterial stimuli, as well as a critical regulator of functions of other costimulatory molecules. The mechanisms regulating lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced CD40 expression have not been adequately characterized in human monocytic cells. In this study we used a human monocytic cell line, THP-1, to investigate the possible mechanisms of CD40 expression following LPS exposure. Exposure to LPS resulted in a dose- and time-dependent increase in CD40 expression. Further studies using immunoblotting and pharmacological inhibitors revealed that mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and NFκB were activated by LPS exposure and involved in LPS-induced CD40 expression. Activation of MAPKs was not responsible for LPS-induced NFκB activation. TLR4 was expressed on THP-1 cells and pretreatment of cells with a Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) neutralizing antibody (HTA125) significantly blunted LPS-induced MAPK and NFκB activation and ensuing CD40 expression. Additional studies with murine macrophages expressing wild type and mutated TLR4 showed that TLR4 was implicated in LPS-induced ERK and NFκB activation, and CD40 expression. Moreover, blockage of MAPK and NFκB activation inhibited LPS-induced TLR4 expression. In summary, LPS-induced CD40 expression in monocytic cells involves MAPKs and NFκB

  4. Fisetin administration improves LPS-induced acute otitis media in mouse in vivo

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Peng; Chen, Dan; Huang, Yang

    2018-01-01

    Acute otitis media is one of the most common infectious diseases worldwide in spite of the widespread vaccination. The present study was conducted to explore the effects of fisetin on mouse acute otitis media models. The animal models were established by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection into the middle ear of mice via the tympanic membrane. Fisetin was administered to mice for ten days through intragastric administration immediate after LPS application. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining was performed and the pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), IL-6 and VEGF, were measured through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method and RT-qPCR analysis. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway was detected by immunoblotting assays. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated levels were determined through assessment of anti-oxidants, and TXNIP/MAPKs signaling pathways were explored to reveal the possible molecular mechanism for acute otitis media progression and the function of fisetin. Fisetin reduced mucosal thickness caused by LPS. In fisetin-treated animals, pro-inflammatory cytokine release was downregulated accompanied with TLR4/NF-κB inactivation. ROS production was significantly decreased in comparison to the LPS-treated group. The TXNIP/MAPKs signaling pathway was inactivated for fisetin treatment in LPS-induced mice with acute otitis media. The above results indicated that fisetin improved acute otitis media through inflammation and ROS suppression via inactivating TLR4/NF-κB and TXNIP/MAPKs signaling pathways. PMID:29568876

  5. Fisetin administration improves LPS-induced acute otitis media in mouse in vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Peng; Chen, Dan; Huang, Yang

    2018-07-01

    Acute otitis media is one of the most common infectious diseases worldwide in spite of the widespread vaccination. The present study was conducted to explore the effects of fisetin on mouse acute otitis media models. The animal models were established by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection into the middle ear of mice via the tympanic membrane. Fisetin was administered to mice for ten days through intragastric administration immediate after LPS application. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining was performed and the pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), IL-6 and VEGF, were measured through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method and RT-qPCR analysis. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway was detected by immunoblotting assays. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated levels were determined through assessment of anti-oxidants, and TXNIP/MAPKs signaling pathways were explored to reveal the possible molecular mechanism for acute otitis media progression and the function of fisetin. Fisetin reduced mucosal thickness caused by LPS. In fisetin-treated animals, pro-inflammatory cytokine release was downregulated accompanied with TLR4/NF-κB inactivation. ROS production was significantly decreased in comparison to the LPS-treated group. The TXNIP/MAPKs signaling pathway was inactivated for fisetin treatment in LPS-induced mice with acute otitis media. The above results indicated that fisetin improved acute otitis media through inflammation and ROS suppression via inactivating TLR4/NF-κB and TXNIP/MAPKs signaling pathways.

  6. Efek ekstrak daun singkong (Manihot utilissima terhadap ekspresi COX-2 pada monosit yang dipapar LPS E.coli (The effect of Manihot utilissima extracts on COX-2 expression of monocytes induced by LPS E. coli

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zahara Meilawaty

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Background: Periodontal disease is a common and widespread disease in the community. Gram negative bacteria have a role inperiodontitis. These bacteria secrete a variety of products such as endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS, which causes the occurrenceof inflammation or infection. The body defense responses are neutrophils and mononuclear cells (monocytes and macrophages. Inresponse to defense mechanism, the body will be expressed enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX which functions convert arachidonic acidto prostaglandins. Cassava leaf cells known to play a role in reducing inflammation, but the mechanism for inhibiting COX-2, is notknown. Purpose: The study was aimed to determine the effect of cassava leaf extract (Manihot utilissima on expression of enzyme COX-2 in monocytes which were exposed by LPS E. coli. Methods: This study was in vitro experimental studies with the design of posttestonly control group design. The sample was the cassava leaves extract (Manihot utilissima at concentration of 12.5 % and 25 %. Theexpression of COX-2 was determined by immunocytochemistry method. Isolated monocytes were incubated in cassava leaf extract, andthen exposed to LPS, after washing imunostaning procedure was performed using a monoclonal antibody (MAb anti-human COX-2.The research data was the number of monocytes that express COX-2. Results: Expression of COX-2 in the group cassava leaf extractwas higher than the group that induced by LPS E. coli only. Conclusion: Cassava leaf extract did not inhibit the expression of COX-2in monocytes which were exposed by LPS E. coli.Latar belakang: Penyakit periodontal merupakan penyakit umum dan tersebar luas di masyarakat. Bakteri yang banyak berperanpada periodontitis adalah Gram negatif. Bakteri ini mengeluarkan berbagai produk antara lain endotoksin lipopolisakarida (LPS yangmenyebabkan inflamasi atau infeksi. Respon pertahanan tubuh pertama adalah netrofil dan sel mononuklear (monosit dan makrofag.Pada respon

  7. LPS Promotes Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Proliferation Through the TLR4/Rac1/Akt Signalling Pathway

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qianran Yin

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Background/Aims: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS is a potent activator of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs proliferation, but the underlying mechanism remains unknown. In this study, we knocked down Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4 and Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (Rac1 expression using small interfering RNA (siRNA in order to investigate the effects and possible mechanisms of LPS-induced VSMCs proliferation. Methods: VSMCs proliferation was monitored by 5-ethynyl-2’-deoxyuridine staining, and Rac1 activity was measured via Glutathione S-transferase pull-down assay. mRNAs encoding proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA, smooth muscle 22α (SM22α, myosin heavy chain (MYH and transient receptor potential channel 1 (TRPC1 were detected by qRT-PCR. The expression of total Akt, p-Akt (308, p-Akt (473, SM22α, MYH and TRPC1 protein was analysed by Western blot. Results: Treatment with TLR4 siRNA (siTLR4 or Rac1 siRNA (siRac1 significantly decreased LPS-induced VSMCs proliferation. Moreover, LPS-induced activation of Rac1 through TLR4 was observed. Western blot analysis revealed that transfection with siTLR4 or siRac1 inhibited LPS-induced Akt phosphorylation. We discovered that LPS stimulated VSMCs proliferation via phenotypic modulation and that this effect was partially inhibited by pre-treatment with siTLR4 or siRac1. Further, TLR4 and Rac1 are involved in LPS-induced activation of TRPC1. Conclusion: This study suggests that LPS exerts an effect on VSMCs proliferation and that the TLR4/Rac1/Akt signalling pathway mediates this effect.

  8. Humanized TLR4/MD-2 mice reveal LPS recognition differentially impacts susceptibility to Yersinia pestis and Salmonella enterica.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adeline M Hajjar

    Full Text Available Although lipopolysaccharide (LPS stimulation through the Toll-like receptor (TLR-4/MD-2 receptor complex activates host defense against Gram-negative bacterial pathogens, how species-specific differences in LPS recognition impact host defense remains undefined. Herein, we establish how temperature dependent shifts in the lipid A of Yersinia pestis LPS that differentially impact recognition by mouse versus human TLR4/MD-2 dictate infection susceptibility. When grown at 37°C, Y. pestis LPS is hypo-acylated and less stimulatory to human compared with murine TLR4/MD-2. By contrast, when grown at reduced temperatures, Y. pestis LPS is more acylated, and stimulates cells equally via human and mouse TLR4/MD-2. To investigate how these temperature dependent shifts in LPS impact infection susceptibility, transgenic mice expressing human rather than mouse TLR4/MD-2 were generated. We found the increased susceptibility to Y. pestis for "humanized" TLR4/MD-2 mice directly paralleled blunted inflammatory cytokine production in response to stimulation with purified LPS. By contrast, for other Gram-negative pathogens with highly acylated lipid A including Salmonella enterica or Escherichia coli, infection susceptibility and the response after stimulation with LPS were indistinguishable between mice expressing human or mouse TLR4/MD-2. Thus, Y. pestis exploits temperature-dependent shifts in LPS acylation to selectively evade recognition by human TLR4/MD-2 uncovered with "humanized" TLR4/MD-2 transgenic mice.

  9. Humanized TLR4/MD-2 mice reveal LPS recognition differentially impacts susceptibility to Yersinia pestis and Salmonella enterica.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hajjar, Adeline M; Ernst, Robert K; Fortuno, Edgardo S; Brasfield, Alicia S; Yam, Cathy S; Newlon, Lindsay A; Kollmann, Tobias R; Miller, Samuel I; Wilson, Christopher B

    2012-01-01

    Although lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation through the Toll-like receptor (TLR)-4/MD-2 receptor complex activates host defense against Gram-negative bacterial pathogens, how species-specific differences in LPS recognition impact host defense remains undefined. Herein, we establish how temperature dependent shifts in the lipid A of Yersinia pestis LPS that differentially impact recognition by mouse versus human TLR4/MD-2 dictate infection susceptibility. When grown at 37°C, Y. pestis LPS is hypo-acylated and less stimulatory to human compared with murine TLR4/MD-2. By contrast, when grown at reduced temperatures, Y. pestis LPS is more acylated, and stimulates cells equally via human and mouse TLR4/MD-2. To investigate how these temperature dependent shifts in LPS impact infection susceptibility, transgenic mice expressing human rather than mouse TLR4/MD-2 were generated. We found the increased susceptibility to Y. pestis for "humanized" TLR4/MD-2 mice directly paralleled blunted inflammatory cytokine production in response to stimulation with purified LPS. By contrast, for other Gram-negative pathogens with highly acylated lipid A including Salmonella enterica or Escherichia coli, infection susceptibility and the response after stimulation with LPS were indistinguishable between mice expressing human or mouse TLR4/MD-2. Thus, Y. pestis exploits temperature-dependent shifts in LPS acylation to selectively evade recognition by human TLR4/MD-2 uncovered with "humanized" TLR4/MD-2 transgenic mice.

  10. IL-8 and MCP Gene Expression and Production by LPS-Stimulated Human Corneal Stromal Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roni M. Shtein

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. To determine time course of effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS on production of interleukin-8 (IL-8 and monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP by cultured human corneal stromal cells. Methods. Human corneal stromal cells were harvested from donor corneal specimens, and fourth to sixth passaged cells were used. Cell cultures were stimulated with LPS for 2, 4, 8, and 24 hours. Northern blot analysis of IL-8 and MCP gene expression and ELISA for IL-8 and MCP secretion were performed. ELISA results were analyzed for statistical significance using two-tailed Student's t-test. Results. Northern blot analysis demonstrated significantly increased IL-8 and MCP gene expression after 4 and 8 hours of exposure to LPS. ELISA for secreted IL-8 and MCP demonstrated statistically significant increases (P<0.05 after corneal stromal cell stimulation with LPS. Conclusions. This paper suggests that human corneal stromal cells may participate in corneal inflammation by secreting potent leukocyte chemotactic and activating proteins in a time-dependent manner when exposed to LPS.

  11. Impact of training status on LPS-induced acute inflammation in humans

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olesen, Jesper; Biensø, Rasmus Sjørup; Meinertz, S.

    2015-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to examine the impact of training status on the ability to induce a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory response systemically as well as in skeletal muscle (SkM) and adipose tissue (AT) in human subjects. Methods: Seventeen young (23.8 ± 2.5 years of age......) healthy male subjects were included in the study with eight subjects assigned to a trained (T) group and nine subjects assigned to an untrained (UT) group. On the experimental day, catheters were inserted in the femoral artery and vein of one leg for blood sampling and a bolus of 0.3 ng LPS•kg-1 body...... weight was injected into an antecubital vein in the forearm. Femoral arterial blood flow was measured before (Pre) the LPS injection and continuously throughout the experiment by Ultrasound Doppler and arterial and venous blood samples were drawn Pre and 30, 60, 90 and 120 min after the LPS injection...

  12. Simvastatin induces caspase-independent apoptosis in LPS-activated RAW264.7 macrophage cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Yong Chan; Song, Seok Bean; Lee, Mi Hee; Kang, Kwang Il; Lee, Hayyoung; Paik, Sang-Gi; Kim, Kyoon Eon; Kim, Young Sang

    2006-01-01

    Macrophages participate in several inflammatory pathologies such as sepsis and arthritis. We examined the effect of simvastatin on the LPS-induced proinflammatory macrophage RAW264.7 cells. Co-treatment of LPS and a non-toxic dose of simvastatin induced cell death in RAW264.7 cells. The cell death was accompanied by disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), genomic DNA fragmentation, and caspase-3 activation. Surprisingly, despite caspase-dependent apoptotic cascade being completely blocked by Z-VAD-fmk, a pan-caspase inhibitor, the cell death was only partially repressed. In the presence of Z-VAD-fmk, DNA fragmentation was blocked, but DNA condensation, disruption of MMP, and nuclear translocation of apoptosis inducing factor were obvious. The cell death by simvastatin and LPS was effectively decreased by both the FPP and GGPP treatments as well as mevalonate. Our findings indicate that simvastatin triggers the cell death of LPS-treated RAW264.7 cells through both caspase-dependent and -independent apoptotic pathways, suggesting a novel mechanism of statins for the severe inflammatory disease therapy

  13. On the thermo-chemical origin of the stratified region at the top of the Earth's core

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakagawa, Takashi

    2018-03-01

    I developed a combined model of the thermal and chemical evolution of the Earth's core and investigated its influence on a thermochemically stable region beneath the core-mantle boundary (CMB). The chemical effects of the growing stable region are caused by the equilibrium chemical reaction between silicate and the metallic core. The thermal effects can be characterized by the growth of the sub-isentropic shell, which may have a rapid growth rate compared to that of the chemically stable region. When the present-day CMB heat flow was varied, the origin of the stable region changed from chemical to thermochemical to purely thermal because the rapid growth of the sub-isentropic shell can replace the chemically stable region. Physically reasonable values of the present-day CMB heat flow that can maintain the geodynamo action over 4 billion years should be between 8 and 11 TW. To constrain the thickness of the thermochemically stable region beneath the CMB, the chemical diffusivity is important and should be ∼O(10-8) m2/s to obtain a thickness of the thermochemically stable region beneath the CMB consistent with that inferred from geomagnetic secular variations (140 km). However, the strength of the stable region found in this study is too high to be consistent with the constraint on the stability of the stable region inferred from geomagnetic secular variations.

  14. Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Berberine Hydrochloride in an LPS-Induced Murine Model of Mastitis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xichun Wang

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Berberine hydrochloride is an isoquinoline type alkaloid extracted from Berberidaceae, Rutaceae, and other plants. Previous reports have shown that berberine hydrochloride has anti-inflammatory properties. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, a lipopolysaccharide- (LPS- induced murine model of mastitis was established to explore the anti-inflammatory action of berberine hydrochloride. Sixty mice that had been lactating for 5–7 days were randomly divided into six groups, including control, LPS, three berberine hydrochloride treatment groups (5, 10, and 20 mg/kg, and a dexamethasone (DEX (5 mg/kg group. Berberine hydrochloride was administered intraperitoneally 1 h before and 12 h after LPS-induced mastitis, and all mice were sacrificed 24 h after LPS induction. The pathological and histopathological changes of the mammary glands were observed. The concentrations and mRNA expressions of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 were measured by ELISA and qRT-PCR. The activation of TLR4 and NF-κB signaling pathways was analyzed by Western blot. Results indicated that berberine hydrochloride significantly attenuated neutrophil infiltration and dose-dependently decreased the secretion and mRNA expressions of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 within a certain range. Furthermore, berberine hydrochloride suppressed LPS-induced TLR4 and NF-κB p65 activation and the phosphorylation of I-κB. Berberine hydrochloride can provide mice robust protection from LPS-induced mastitis, potentially via the TLR4 and NF-κB pathway.

  15. Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Berberine Hydrochloride in an LPS-Induced Murine Model of Mastitis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Shibin; Ding, Nana; He, Yanting; Li, Cheng; Li, Manman; Ding, Xuedong; Ding, Hongyan; Li, Jinchun

    2018-01-01

    Berberine hydrochloride is an isoquinoline type alkaloid extracted from Berberidaceae, Rutaceae, and other plants. Previous reports have shown that berberine hydrochloride has anti-inflammatory properties. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, a lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced murine model of mastitis was established to explore the anti-inflammatory action of berberine hydrochloride. Sixty mice that had been lactating for 5–7 days were randomly divided into six groups, including control, LPS, three berberine hydrochloride treatment groups (5, 10, and 20 mg/kg), and a dexamethasone (DEX) (5 mg/kg) group. Berberine hydrochloride was administered intraperitoneally 1 h before and 12 h after LPS-induced mastitis, and all mice were sacrificed 24 h after LPS induction. The pathological and histopathological changes of the mammary glands were observed. The concentrations and mRNA expressions of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 were measured by ELISA and qRT-PCR. The activation of TLR4 and NF-κB signaling pathways was analyzed by Western blot. Results indicated that berberine hydrochloride significantly attenuated neutrophil infiltration and dose-dependently decreased the secretion and mRNA expressions of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 within a certain range. Furthermore, berberine hydrochloride suppressed LPS-induced TLR4 and NF-κB p65 activation and the phosphorylation of I-κB. Berberine hydrochloride can provide mice robust protection from LPS-induced mastitis, potentially via the TLR4 and NF-κB pathway.

  16. Prenatal Exposure to LPS Alters The Intrarenal RAS in Offspring, Which Is Ameliorated by Adipose Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ding, Xian-Fei; Sun, Mou; Guan, Fang-Xia; Guo, Li-Na; Zhang, Yan-Yan; Wan, You-Dong; Zhang, Xiao-Juan; Yu, Yan-Wu; Ma, Shan-Shan; Yao, Hai-Mu; Yao, Rui; Zhang, Rui-Fang; Sun, Tong-Wen; Kan, Quan-Cheng

    2017-11-06

    Prenatal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure causes hypertension in rat offspring through an unknown mechanism. Here, we investigated the role of the intrarenal renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in hypertension induced by prenatal LPS exposure and also explored whether adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) can ameliorate the effects of prenatal LPS exposure in rat offspring. Sixty-four pregnant rats were randomly divided into 4 groups (n = 16 in each), namely, a control group and an LPS group, which were intraperitoneally injected with vehicle and 0.79 mg/kg LPS, respectively, on the 8th, 10th, and 12th days of gestation; an ADSCs group, which was intravenously injected with 1.8 × 107 ADSCs on the 8th, 10th, and 12th days of gestation; and an LPS + ADSCs group, which received a combination of the treatments administered to the LPS and ADSCs groups. Prenatal LPS exposure increased blood pressure, Ang II expression, Ang II-positive, monocyte and lymphocyte, apoptotic cells in the kidney, and induced renal histological changes in offspring; however, the LPS and control groups did not differ significantly with respect to plasma renin activity levels, Ang II levels, or renal function. ADSCs treatment attenuated the blood pressure and also ameliorated the other effects of LPS-treated adult offspring. Prenatal exposure to LPS activates the intrarenal RAS but not the circulating RAS and thus induces increases in blood pressure in adult offspring; however, ADSCs treatment attenuates the blood pressure increases resulting from LPS exposure and also ameliorates the other phenotypic changes induced by LPS treatment by inhibiting intrarenal RAS activation. © American Journal of Hypertension, Ltd 2017. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

  17. Magnetized Converging Flows toward the Hot Core in the Intermediate/High-mass Star-forming Region NGC 6334 V

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Juárez, Carmen; Girart, Josep M.; Zamora-Avilés, Manuel; Palau, Aina; Ballesteros-Paredes, Javier; Tang, Ya-Wen; Koch, Patrick M.; Liu, Hauyu Baobab; Zhang, Qizhou; Qiu, Keping

    2017-01-01

    We present Submillimeter Array (SMA) observations at 345 GHz toward the intermediate/high-mass cluster-forming region NGC 6334 V. From the dust emission we spatially resolve three dense condensations, the brightest one presenting the typical chemistry of a hot core. The magnetic field (derived from the dust polarized emission) shows a bimodal converging pattern toward the hot core. The molecular emission traces two filamentary structures at two different velocities, separated by 2 km s −1 , converging to the hot core and following the magnetic field distribution. We compare the velocity field and the magnetic field derived from the SMA observations with magnetohydrodynamic simulations of star-forming regions dominated by gravity. This comparison allows us to show how the gas falls in from the larger-scale extended dense core (∼0.1 pc) of NGC 6334 V toward the higher-density hot core region (∼0.02 pc) through two distinctive converging flows dragging the magnetic field, whose strength seems to have been overcome by gravity.

  18. Hypoacylated LPS from Foodborne Pathogen Campylobacter jejuni Induces Moderate TLR4-Mediated Inflammatory Response in Murine Macrophages.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korneev, Kirill V; Kondakova, Anna N; Sviriaeva, Ekaterina N; Mitkin, Nikita A; Palmigiano, Angelo; Kruglov, Andrey A; Telegin, Georgy B; Drutskaya, Marina S; Sturiale, Luisa; Garozzo, Domenico; Nedospasov, Sergei A; Knirel, Yuriy A; Kuprash, Dmitry V

    2018-01-01

    Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) initiates immune response against Gram-negative bacteria upon specific recognition of lipid A moiety of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the major component of their cell wall. Some natural differences between LPS variants in their ability to interact with TLR4 may lead to either insufficient activation that may not prevent bacterial growth, or excessive activation which may lead to septic shock. In this study we evaluated the biological activity of LPS isolated from pathogenic strain of Campylobacter jejuni , the most widespread bacterial cause of foodborne diarrhea in humans. With the help of hydrophobic chromatography and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry we showed that LPS from a C. jejuni strain O2A consists of both hexaacyl and tetraacyl forms. Since such hypoacylation can result in a reduced immune response in humans, we assessed the activity of LPS from C. jejuni in mouse macrophages by measuring its capacity to activate TLR4-mediated proinflammatory cytokine and chemokine production, as well as NFκB-dependent reporter gene transcription. Our data support the hypothesis that LPS acylation correlates with its bioactivity.

  19. Differential host response to LPS variants in amniochorion and the TLR4/MD-2 system in Macaca nemestrina

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Justine; Jain, Sumita; Carl, David J.; Paolella, Louis; Darveau, Richard P.; Gravett, Michael G.; Waldorf, Kristina M. Adams

    2010-01-01

    OBJECTIVES Microbial-specific factors are likely critical in determining whether bacteria trigger preterm labor. Structural variations in lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a component of gram-negative bacteria, can determine whether LPS has an inflammatory (agonist) or anti-inflammatory (antagonist) effect through Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). Our objective was to determine whether amniochorion can discriminate between LPS variants in a nonhuman primate model. We also cloned Macaca nemestrina TLR4 and MD-2 and compared this complex functionally to the human homologue to establish whether nonhuman primates could be used to study TLR4 signaling in preterm birth. STUDY DESIGN Amniochorion explants from M. nemestrina were stimulated with a panel of LPS variants for 24 hours. Supernatants were analyzed for IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8 and prostaglandins E2 and F2α. Tissue expression of TLR1, 2, 4, 6, MyD88 and NF-kB was studied by RT-PCR. M. nemestrina TLR4 and MD2 genes were cloned and compared with their human counterparts in a recombinant TLR4 signaling system to determine LPS sensitivity. RESULTS LPS variants differentially stimulated cytokines and prostaglandins, which was not related to transcriptional changes of TLR4 or other TLRs. Nearly all elements of LPS binding and TLR4 leucine-rich repeats were conserved between humans and M. nemestrina. TLR4/MD-2 signaling complexes from both species were equally sensitive to LPS variants. CONCLUSIONS LPS variants elicit a hierarchical inflammatory response within amniochorion that may contribute to preterm birth. LPS sensitivity is similar between M. nemestrina and humans, validating M. nemestrina as an appropriate model to study TLR4 signaling in preterm birth. PMID:20619890

  20. Anthocyanins protect against LPS-induced oxidative stress-mediated neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration in the adult mouse cortex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Muhammad Sohail; Ali, Tahir; Kim, Min Woo; Jo, Myeung Hoon; Jo, Min Gi; Badshah, Haroon; Kim, Myeong Ok

    2016-11-01

    Several studies provide evidence that reactive oxygen species (ROS) are key mediators of various neurological disorders. Anthocyanins are polyphenolic compounds and are well known for their anti-oxidant and neuroprotective effects. In this study, we investigated the neuroprotective effects of anthocyanins (extracted from black soybean) against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ROS-mediated neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration in the adult mouse cortex. Intraperitoneal injection of LPS (250 μg/kg) for 7 days triggers elevated ROS and oxidative stress, which induces neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration in the adult mouse cortex. Treatment with 24 mg/kg/day of anthocyanins for 14 days in LPS-injected mice (7 days before and 7 days co-treated with LPS) attenuated elevated ROS and oxidative stress compared to mice that received LPS-injection alone. The immunoblotting results showed that anthocyanins reduced the level of the oxidative stress kinase phospho-c-Jun N-terminal Kinase 1 (p-JNK). The immunoblotting and morphological results showed that anthocyanins treatment significantly reduced LPS-induced-ROS-mediated neuroinflammation through inhibition of various inflammatory mediators, such as IL-1β, TNF-α and the transcription factor NF- k B. Anthocyanins treatment also reduced activated astrocytes and microglia in the cortex of LPS-injected mice, as indicated by reductions in GFAP and Iba-1, respectively. Anthocyanins also prevent overexpression of various apoptotic markers, i.e., Bax, cytosolic cytochrome C, cleaved caspase-3 and PARP-1. Immunohistochemical fluoro-jade B (FJB) and Nissl staining indicated that anthocyanins prevent LPS-induced neurodegeneration in the mouse cortex. Our results suggest that dietary flavonoids, such as anthocyanins, have antioxidant and neuroprotective activities that could be beneficial to various neurological disorders. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Anti-Neuroinflammatory Effects of Houttuynia cordata Extract on LPS ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated BV-2 microglial cells, and its anti-oxidant properties. ... Keywords: Houttuynia cordata, DPPH radicals, antioxidant, neuroinflammation, BV-2 cells, iNOS, ..... extracts on anaphylactic reaction and mast cell.

  2. Involvement of JNK and NF-κB pathways in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced BAG3 expression in human monocytic cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Hua-Qin; Meng, Xin; Liu, Bao-Qin; Li, Chao; Gao, Yan-Yan; Niu, Xiao-Fang; Li, Ning; Guan, Yifu; Du, Zhen-Xian

    2012-01-01

    Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is an outer-membrane glycolipid component of Gram-negative bacteria known for its fervent ability to activate monocytic cells and for its potent proinflammatory capabilities. Bcl-2-associated athanogene 3 (BAG3) is a survival protein that has been shown to be stimulated during cell response to stressful conditions, such as exposure to high temperature, heavy metals, proteasome inhibition, and human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) infection. In addition, BAG3 regulates replication of Varicella-Zoster Virus (VZV) and Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) replication, suggesting that BAG3 could participate in the host response to infection. In the current study, we found that LPS increased the expression of BAG3 in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Actinomycin D completely blocked the LPS-induced BAG3 accumulation, as well as LPS activated the proximal promoter of BAG3 gene, supported that the induction by LPS occurred at the level of gene transcription. LPS-induced BAG3 expression was blocked by JNK or NF-κB inhibition, suggesting that JNK and NF-κB pathways participated in BAG3 induction by LPS. In addition, we also found that induction of BAG3 was implicated in monocytic cell adhesion to extracellular matrix induced by LPS. Overall, the data support that BAG3 is induced by LPS via JNK and NF-κB-dependent signals, and involved in monocytic cell-extracellular matrix interaction, suggesting that BAG3 may have a role in the host response to LPS stimulation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Investigating the CYP2E1 Potential Role in the Mechanisms Behind INH/LPS-Induced Hepatotoxicity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hozeifa M. Hassan

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Tuberculosis (TB is one of the oldest infectious diseases that affected humankind and remains one of the world’s deadliest communicable diseases that could be considered as global emergency, but the discovery and development of isoniazid (INH in the 1950s paved the way to an effective single and/or combined first-line anti-TB therapy. However, administration of INH induces severe hepatic toxicity in some patients. Previously, we establish a rat model of INH hepatotoxicity utilizing the inflammatory stress theory, in which bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS potentially enhanced INH toxicity. These enhancing activities ranged between augmenting the inflammatory stress, oxidative stress, alteration of bile acid homeostasis, and CYP2E1 over-expression. Although pre-treatment with dexamethasone (DEX helped overcome both inflammatory and oxidative stress which ended-up in alleviation of LPS augmenting effects, but still minor toxicities were being detected, alongside with CYP2E1 over expression. This finding positively indicated the corner-stone role played by CYP2E1 in the pathogenesis of INH/LPS-induced liver damage. Therefore, we examined whether INH/LPS co-treatment with CYP2E1 inhibitor diallyl sulfide (DAS and DEX can protect against the INH/LPS-induced hepatotoxicity. Our results showed that pre-administration of both DAS and DEX caused significant reduction in serum TBA, TBil, and gamma-glutamyl transferase levels. Furthermore, the histopathological analysis showed that DAS and DEX could effectively reverse the liver lesions seen following INH/LPS treatment and protect against hepatic steatosis as indicated by absence of lipid accumulation. Pre-treatment with DAS alone could not completely block the CYP2E1 protein expression following INH/LPS treatment, as appeared in the immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry results. This is probably due to the fact that the combined enhancement activities of both INH and LPS on CYP2E1 protein expression

  4. Intermedin attenuates LPS-induced inflammation in the rat testis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lei Li

    Full Text Available First reported as a vasoactive peptide in the cardiovascular system, intermedin (IMD, also known as adrenomedullin 2 (ADM2, is a hormone with multiple potent roles, including its antioxidant action on the pulmonary, central nervous, cardiovascular and renal systems. Though IMD may play certain roles in trophoblast cell invasion, early embryonic development and cumulus cell-oocyte interaction, the role of IMD in the male reproductive system has yet to be investigated. This paper reports our findings on the gene expression of IMD, its receptor components and its protein localization in the testes. In a rat model, bacterial lippolysaccharide (LPS induced atypical orchitis, and LPS treatment upregulated the expression of IMD and one of its receptor component proteins, i.e. receptor activity modifying protein 2 (RAMP2. IMD decreased both plasma and testicular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS production, attenuated the increase in the gene expression of the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα, interleukin 6 (IL6 and interleukin 1 beta (IL1β, rescued spermatogenesis, and prevented the decrease in plasma testosterone levels caused by LPS. The restorative effect of IMD on steroidogenesis was also observed in hydrogen peroxide-treated rat primary Leydig cells culture. Our results indicate IMD plays an important protective role in spermatogenesis and steroidogenesis, suggesting therapeutic potential for IMD in pathological conditions such as orchitis.

  5. DMPD: The Lps locus: genetic regulation of host responses to bacteriallipopolysaccharide. [Dynamic Macrophage Pathway CSML Database

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available 10669111 The Lps locus: genetic regulation of host responses to bacteriallipopolysaccharide. Qur...e The Lps locus: genetic regulation of host responses to bacteriallipopolysaccharide. Authors Qur

  6. Ilexgenin A, a novel pentacyclic triterpenoid extracted from Aquifoliaceae shows reduction of LPS-induced peritonitis in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Weidong; Liu, Chang; Zhang, Yaqi; Qiu, Xia; Zhang, Li; Zhao, Hongxia; Rong, Yi; Sun, Yun

    2017-02-15

    Ilexgenin A (IA) is a novel pentacyclic triterpenoid, which extracted from leaves of Ilex hainanensis Merr. In the present study, we aim to explore anti-inflammatory activity of IA on LPS-induced peritonitis and its underlying molecular mechanism. The results determined that IA was capable of suppressing peritonitis in mice induced by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of lipopolysaccaride (LPS). Furthermore, the results showed that IA dramatically inhibited levels of inflammatory cells infiltration in peritoneal cavity and serum in LPS-induced mice peritonitis model. Besides, IA could dramatically inhibit levels of inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α) in peritoneal cavity in LPS-induced mice peritonitis model. In vitro study, the results showed that IA inhibited production of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α at transcriptional and translational levels in RAW 264.7 cells induced by LPS. Furthermore, IA could suppress the LPS-induced activation of Akt and downstream degradation and phosphorylation of kappa B-α (IκB-α). Moreover, IA could significantly inhibit ERK 1/2 phosphorylation in RAW 264.7 cells induced by LPS. These results were concurrent with molecular docking which revealed ERK1/2 inhibition. These results demonstrated that IA might as an anti-inflammatory agent candidate for inflammatory disease therapy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. The NALP3/Cryopyrin-Inflammasome Complex is Expressed in LPS-Induced Ocular Inflammation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José F. González-Benítez

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available In the inflammosome complex, NALP3 or NALP1 binds to ASC and activates caspase-1 which induces IL-1β. In murine LPS-induced ocular inflammation, the production of IL-1β is increased. We suggest that NALP3- or NALP1-inflammasome complex can be participating in the LPS-induced ocular inflammation. In this work, eye, brain, testis, heart, spleen, and lung were obtained from C3H/HeN mice treated with LPS for 3 to 48 hours, and the expression of NALP1b, NALP3, ASC, caspase-1, IL-1β, and IL-18 was determined. Infiltrated leukocytes producing IL-1β in the anterior chamber were found at 12-hour posttreatment. A high upregulated expression of NALP3, ASC, caspase-1, IL-1β, and IL-18 was found at the same time when infiltrated leukocytes were observed. NALP1b was not detected in the eye of treated mice. NALP3 was also overexpressed in heart and lung. These results suggest that NALP3-, but not NALP1-inflammosome complex, is participating in the murine LPS-induced ocular inflammation.

  8. QMix® irrigant reduces lipopolysacharide (LPS levels in an in vitro model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Grasiela Longhi GRÜNDLING

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available AbstractThe presence of endotoxin inside the root canal has been associated with periapical inflammation, bone resorption and symptomatic conditions.Objectives To determine, in vitro, the effect of QMix® and other three root canal irrigants in reducing the endotoxin content in root canals.Material and Methods Root canals of single-rooted teeth were prepared. Samples were detoxified with Co-60 irradiation and inoculated with E. coli LPS (24 h, at 37°C. After that period, samples were divided into 4 groups, according to the irrigation solution tested: QMix®, 17% EDTA, 2% chlorhexidine solution (CHX, and 3% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl. LPS quantification was determined by Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL assay. The initial counting of endotoxins for all samples, and the determination of LPS levels in non-contaminated teeth and in contaminated teeth exposed only to non-pyrogenic water, were used as controls.Results QMix® reduced LPS levels, with a median value of 1.11 endotoxins units (EU/mL (p<0.001. NaOCl (25.50 EU/mL, chlorhexidine (44.10 EU/mL and positive control group (26.80 EU/mL samples had similar results. Higher levels were found with EDTA (176.00 EU/mL when compared to positive control (p<0.001. There was no significant difference among EDTA, NaOCl and CHX groups. Negative control group (0.005 EU/mL had statistically significant lower levels of endotoxins when compared to all test groups (p<0.001.Conclusion QMix® decreased LPS levels when compared to the other groups (p<0.001. 3% NaOCl, 2% CHX and 17% EDTA were not able to significantly reduce the root canal endotoxins load.

  9. Low tidal volume ventilation ameliorates left ventricular dysfunction in mechanically ventilated rats following LPS-induced lung injury.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cherpanath, Thomas G V; Smeding, Lonneke; Hirsch, Alexander; Lagrand, Wim K; Schultz, Marcus J; Groeneveld, A B Johan

    2015-10-07

    High tidal volume ventilation has shown to cause ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI), possibly contributing to concomitant extrapulmonary organ dysfunction. The present study examined whether left ventricular (LV) function is dependent on tidal volume size and whether this effect is augmented during lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced lung injury. Twenty male Wistar rats were sedated, paralyzed and then randomized in four groups receiving mechanical ventilation with tidal volumes of 6 ml/kg or 19 ml/kg with or without intrapulmonary administration of LPS. A conductance catheter was placed in the left ventricle to generate pressure-volume loops, which were also obtained within a few seconds of vena cava occlusion to obtain relatively load-independent LV systolic and diastolic function parameters. The end-systolic elastance / effective arterial elastance (Ees/Ea) ratio was used as the primary parameter of LV systolic function with the end-diastolic elastance (Eed) as primary LV diastolic function. Ees/Ea decreased over time in rats receiving LPS (p = 0.045) and high tidal volume ventilation (p = 0.007), with a lower Ees/Ea in the rats with high tidal volume ventilation plus LPS compared to the other groups (p tidal volume ventilation without LPS (p = 0.223). A significant interaction (p tidal ventilation and LPS for Ees/Ea and Eed, and all rats receiving high tidal volume ventilation plus LPS died before the end of the experiment. Low tidal volume ventilation ameliorated LV systolic and diastolic dysfunction while preventing death following LPS-induced lung injury in mechanically ventilated rats. Our data advocates the use of low tidal volumes, not only to avoid VILI, but to avert ventilator-induced myocardial dysfunction as well.

  10. Inhibition of LPS toxicity by hepatic argininosuccinate synthase (ASS): novel roles for ASS in innate immune responses to bacterial infection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prima, Victor; Wang, Alvin; Molina, Gabriel; Wang, Kevin K W; Svetlov, Stanislav I

    2011-09-01

    Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a structural component of Gram-negative bacteria, is implicated in the pathogenesis of endotoxemia/sepsis and multi-organ injury, including liver damage. We have shown that argininosuccinate synthase (ASS), a hepatic enzyme of the urea cycle, accumulates in circulation within 1h after treatment with both LPS alone and hepatotoxic combination of LPS and D-Galactosamine. These findings indicate ASS as a sensitive biomarker of liver responses to bacterial endotoxin. Furthermore, we suggest that the ASS release represents a potential counteracting liver reaction to LPS, and demonstrates anti-LPS activity of recombinant ASS (rASS) in vitro and in rodent models of endotoxemia in vivo. rASS physically bound to LPS, as indicated by a gel shift assay, and suppressed Escherichia coli growth in cultures consistent with direct antimicrobial properties of ASS. rASS reduced LPS cytotoxicity, TNF-α production, and increased cell viability in cultured mouse macrophages, even when added one hour following LPS challenge. Intraperitoneal injection of rASS (5 mg/kg) after treatment with a high dose of LPS remarkably increased survival of rodents, with a concomitant decrease of sepsis markers TNF-α, C-reactive protein (CRP), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels in blood. These results suggest that the endogenous ASS constitutes a novel liver-derived component of the innate immune response to bacterial LPS, and that recombinant ASS could mitigate the lethal effects of bacterial endotoxins during sepsis. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Hypoacylated LPS from Foodborne Pathogen Campylobacter jejuni Induces Moderate TLR4-Mediated Inflammatory Response in Murine Macrophages

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    Kirill V. Korneev

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4 initiates immune response against Gram-negative bacteria upon specific recognition of lipid A moiety of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, the major component of their cell wall. Some natural differences between LPS variants in their ability to interact with TLR4 may lead to either insufficient activation that may not prevent bacterial growth, or excessive activation which may lead to septic shock. In this study we evaluated the biological activity of LPS isolated from pathogenic strain of Campylobacter jejuni, the most widespread bacterial cause of foodborne diarrhea in humans. With the help of hydrophobic chromatography and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry we showed that LPS from a C. jejuni strain O2A consists of both hexaacyl and tetraacyl forms. Since such hypoacylation can result in a reduced immune response in humans, we assessed the activity of LPS from C. jejuni in mouse macrophages by measuring its capacity to activate TLR4-mediated proinflammatory cytokine and chemokine production, as well as NFκB-dependent reporter gene transcription. Our data support the hypothesis that LPS acylation correlates with its bioactivity.

  12. Effects of female gonadal hormones and LPS on depressive-like behavior in rats

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    Mitić Miloš

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Considerable evidence shows an association of depression with the immune system and emphasizes the importance of gender in the etiology of the disease and the response to inflammatory stimuli. We examined the influence of immune-challenged systems on depressive-like behavior in female rats in the context of gonadal hormones. We used a neuroinflammatory model of depression elicited by lipopolysaccharide (LPS administration on naive and ovariectomized (OVX female rats, and examined the effects of estradiol (E2 and/or progesterone (P4 replacement therapy on animal behavior, as assessed by the forced swimming test (FST. We found that LPS and OVX increase immobility in the FST, while LPS also decreased body weight in naive female rats. Further, even though P4 application alone showed beneficial effects on the behavioral profile (it reduced immobility and increased climbing, supplementation of both hormones (E2 and P4 together to OVX rats failed to do so. When OVX rats were exposed to LPS-induced immune challenge, neither hormone individually nor their combination had any effect on immobility, however, their joint supplementation increased climbing behavior. In conclusion, our study confirmed that both LPS and OVX induced depressive-like behavior in female rats. Furthermore, our results potentiate P4 supplementation in relieving the depressive-like symptomatology in OVX rats, most likely through fine-tuning of different neurotransmitter systems. In the context of an activated immune system, the application of E2 and/or P4 does not provide any advantageous effects on depressive-like behavior.

  13. Inhibition of LPS-induced splenocyte proliferation by ortho-substituted polychlorinated biphenyl congeners

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smithwick, L. Ashley; Smith, Andrew; Quensen, John F.; Stack, Allison; London, Lucille; Morris, Pamela J.

    2003-01-01

    Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent environmental contaminants, and their ubiquitous nature has prompted studies of their potential health hazards. As a result of their lipophilic nature, PCBs accumulate in breast milk and subsequently affect the health of offspring of exposed individuals. Biological effects of PCBs in animals have mostly been attributed to coplanar congeners, although effects of ortho congeners also have been demonstrated. To investigate the relationship of immunotoxicity and chlorine substitution pattern, the effects of PCB congeners and mixtures of ortho and non-ortho-substituted constituents of Aroclor 1242 on splenocytes from C57B1/6 mice were examined. The immunotoxic endpoints investigated included splenocyte viability, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced splenocyte proliferation, and LPS-induced antibody secretion. Congeners with multiple ortho chlorines preferentially inhibited splenocyte proliferation as compared with non- or mono-ortho-substituted congeners. However, mixtures of non- and mono-ortho-substituted congeners and multi-ortho-substituted congeners inhibited LPS-induced splenocyte proliferation and antibody secretion at similar concentrations. Exposure of splenocytes to these mixtures did not activate the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) signal transduction pathway. These results suggest individual multi-ortho-substituted congeners preferentially inhibit LPS-induced splenocyte proliferation, while congeners not exhibiting an effect individually may have additive effects in a mixture to produce an immunotoxic response through an AhR-independent pathway

  14. Magnetized Converging Flows toward the Hot Core in the Intermediate/High-mass Star-forming Region NGC 6334 V

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Juárez, Carmen; Girart, Josep M. [Institut de Ciències de l’Espai, (CSIC-IEEC), Campus UAB, Carrer de Can Magrans, S/N, E-08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia (Spain); Zamora-Avilés, Manuel; Palau, Aina; Ballesteros-Paredes, Javier [Instituto de Radioastronomía y Astrofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, P.O. Box 3-72, 58090, Morelia, Michoacán (Mexico); Tang, Ya-Wen; Koch, Patrick M.; Liu, Hauyu Baobab [Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, P.O. Box 23-141, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan (China); Zhang, Qizhou [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Qiu, Keping, E-mail: juarez@ice.cat [School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023 (China)

    2017-07-20

    We present Submillimeter Array (SMA) observations at 345 GHz toward the intermediate/high-mass cluster-forming region NGC 6334 V. From the dust emission we spatially resolve three dense condensations, the brightest one presenting the typical chemistry of a hot core. The magnetic field (derived from the dust polarized emission) shows a bimodal converging pattern toward the hot core. The molecular emission traces two filamentary structures at two different velocities, separated by 2 km s{sup −1}, converging to the hot core and following the magnetic field distribution. We compare the velocity field and the magnetic field derived from the SMA observations with magnetohydrodynamic simulations of star-forming regions dominated by gravity. This comparison allows us to show how the gas falls in from the larger-scale extended dense core (∼0.1 pc) of NGC 6334 V toward the higher-density hot core region (∼0.02 pc) through two distinctive converging flows dragging the magnetic field, whose strength seems to have been overcome by gravity.

  15. LPS levels in root canals after the use of ozone gas and high frequency electrical pulses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tiago André Fontoura de MELO

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The present study aims to verify the effect of ozone gas (OZY® System and high frequency electric pulse (Endox® System systems on human root canals previously contaminated with Escherichia colilipopolysaccharide (LPS. Fifty single-rooted teeth had their dental crowns removed and root lengths standardized to 16 mm. The root canals were prepared up to #60 hand K-files and sterilized using gamma radiation with cobalt 60. The specimens were divided into the following five groups (n = 10 based on the disinfection protocol used: OZY® System, one 120-second-pulse (OZY 1p; OZY® System, four 24-second-pulses (OZY 4p; and Endox® System (ENDOX. Contaminated and non-contaminated canals were exposed only to apyrogenic water and used as positive (C+ and negative (C- controls, respectively. LPS (O55:B55 was administered in all root canals except those belonging to group C-. After performing disinfection, LPS samples were collected from the canals using apyrogenic paper tips. Limulus Amoebocyte Lysate (LAL was used to quantify the LPS levels, and the data obtained was analyzed using one-way ANOVA. The disinfection protocols used were unable to reduce the LPS levels significantly (p = 0.019. The use of ozone gas and high frequency electric pulses was not effective in eliminating LPS from the root canals.

  16. Adrenaline stimulates the proliferation and migration of mesenchymal stem cells towards the LPS-induced lung injury.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Xiaodan; Wang, Zhiming; Qian, Mengjia; Wang, Lingyan; Bai, Chunxue; Wang, Xiangdong

    2014-08-01

    Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) could modulate inflammation in experimental lung injury. On the other hand, adrenergic receptor agonists could increase DNA synthesis of stem cells. Therefore, we investigated the therapeutic role of adrenaline-stimulated BMSCs on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced lung injury. BMSCs were cultured with adrenergic receptor agonists or antagonists. Suspensions of lung cells or sliced lung tissue from animals with or without LPS-induced injury were co-cultured with BMSCs. LPS-stimulated alveolar macrophages were co-cultured with BMSCs (with adrenaline stimulation or not) in Transwell for 6 hrs. A preliminary animal experiment was conducted to validate the findings in ex vivo study. We found that adrenaline at 10 μM enhanced proliferation of BMSCs through both α- and β-adrenergic receptors. Adrenaline promoted the migration of BMSCs towards LPS-injured lung cells or lung tissue. Adrenaline-stimulated BMSCs decreased the inflammation of LPS-stimulated macrophages, probably through the expression and secretion of several paracrine factors. Adrenaline reduced the extent of injury in LPS-injured rats. Our data indicate that adrenaline-stimulated BMSCs might contribute to the prevention from acute lung injury through the activation of adrenergic receptors, promotion of proliferation and migration towards injured lung, and modulation of inflammation. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine.

  17. Fenoterol inhibits LPS-induced AMPK activation and inflammatory cytokine production through β-arrestin-2 in THP-1 cell line

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Wei; Zhang, Yuan; Xu, Ming; Zhang, You-Yi; He, Bei

    2015-01-01

    The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway is involved in regulating inflammation in several cell lines. We reported that fenoterol, a β 2 -adrenergic receptor (β 2 -AR) agonist, had anti-inflammatory effects in THP-1 cells, a monocytic cell line. Whether the fenoterol anti-inflammatory effect involves the AMPK pathway is unknown. In this study, we explored the mechanism of β 2 -AR stimulation with fenoterol in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory cytokine secretion in THP-1 cells. We studied whether fenoterol and β-arrestin-2 or AMPKα1 subunit knockdown could affect LPS-induced AMPK activation, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) activation and inflammatory cytokine secretion. LPS-induced AMPK activation and interleukin 1β (IL-1β) release were reduced with fenoterol pretreatment of THP-1 cells. SiRNA knockdown of β-arrestin-2 abolished the fenoterol inhibition of LPS-induced AMPK activation and interleukin 1β (IL-1β) release, thus β-arrestin-2 mediated the anti-inflammatory effects of fenoterol on LPS-treated THP-1 cells. In addition, siRNA knockdown of AMPKα1 significantly attenuated the LPS-induced NF-κB activation and IL-1β release, so AMPKα1 was a key signaling molecule involved in LPS-induced inflammatory cytokine production. These results suggested the β 2 -AR agonist fenoterol inhibited LPS-induced AMPK activation and IL-1β release via β-arrestin-2 in THP-1 cells. The exploration of these mechanisms may help optimize therapeutic agents targeting these pathways in inflammatory diseases. - Highlights: • β 2 -AR agonist fenoterol exerts its protective effect on LPS-treated THP-1 cells. • Fenoterol inhibits LPS-induced AMPK activation and IL-1β production. • β-arrestin2 mediates fenoterol-inhibited AMPK activation and IL-1β release. • AMPKα1 is involved in LPS-induced NF-κB activation and IL-1β production

  18. Fenoterol inhibits LPS-induced AMPK activation and inflammatory cytokine production through β-arrestin-2 in THP-1 cell line

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Wei [Department of Respiratory Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing (China); Department of Infectious Diseases, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing (China); Zhang, Yuan [Department of Respiratory Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing (China); Xu, Ming; Zhang, You-Yi [Department of Institute of Vascular Medicine and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Receptors Research, Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Molecular Biology and Regulatory Peptides, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing (China); He, Bei, E-mail: puh3_hb@bjmu.edu.cn [Department of Respiratory Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing (China)

    2015-06-26

    The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway is involved in regulating inflammation in several cell lines. We reported that fenoterol, a β{sub 2}-adrenergic receptor (β{sub 2}-AR) agonist, had anti-inflammatory effects in THP-1 cells, a monocytic cell line. Whether the fenoterol anti-inflammatory effect involves the AMPK pathway is unknown. In this study, we explored the mechanism of β{sub 2}-AR stimulation with fenoterol in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory cytokine secretion in THP-1 cells. We studied whether fenoterol and β-arrestin-2 or AMPKα1 subunit knockdown could affect LPS-induced AMPK activation, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) activation and inflammatory cytokine secretion. LPS-induced AMPK activation and interleukin 1β (IL-1β) release were reduced with fenoterol pretreatment of THP-1 cells. SiRNA knockdown of β-arrestin-2 abolished the fenoterol inhibition of LPS-induced AMPK activation and interleukin 1β (IL-1β) release, thus β-arrestin-2 mediated the anti-inflammatory effects of fenoterol on LPS-treated THP-1 cells. In addition, siRNA knockdown of AMPKα1 significantly attenuated the LPS-induced NF-κB activation and IL-1β release, so AMPKα1 was a key signaling molecule involved in LPS-induced inflammatory cytokine production. These results suggested the β{sub 2}-AR agonist fenoterol inhibited LPS-induced AMPK activation and IL-1β release via β-arrestin-2 in THP-1 cells. The exploration of these mechanisms may help optimize therapeutic agents targeting these pathways in inflammatory diseases. - Highlights: • β{sub 2}-AR agonist fenoterol exerts its protective effect on LPS-treated THP-1 cells. • Fenoterol inhibits LPS-induced AMPK activation and IL-1β production. • β-arrestin2 mediates fenoterol-inhibited AMPK activation and IL-1β release. • AMPKα1 is involved in LPS-induced NF-κB activation and IL-1β production.

  19. Inhibition of IRAK-4 activity for rescuing endotoxin LPS-induced septic mortality in mice by lonicerae flos extract

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Sun Hong; Roh, Eunmiri [College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 361-763 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Hyun Soo [Pharmaceutical R and D Center, Huons Co., Ltd., Anyang (Korea, Republic of); Baek, Seung-Il [College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 361-763 (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Nam Song [Pharmaceutical R and D Center, Huons Co., Ltd., Anyang (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Narae; Hwang, Bang Yeon; Han, Sang-Bae [College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 361-763 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Youngsoo, E-mail: youngsoo@chungbuk.ac.kr [College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 361-763 (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-12-13

    Highlights: •Lonicerae flos extract (HS-23) is a clinical candidate, Phase I for sepsis treatment. •Here, HS-23 or its major constituents rescued LPS-induced septic mortality in mice. •As a mechanism, they directly inhibited IRAK-4-catalyzed kinase activity. •Thus, they suppressed LPS-induced expression of NF-κB/AP-1-target inflammatory genes. -- Abstract: Lonicerae flos extract (HS-23) is a clinical candidate currently undergoing Phase I trial in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-injected healthy human volunteers, but its molecular basis remains to be defined. Here, we investigated protective effects of HS-23 or its major constituents on Escherichia coli LPS-induced septic mortality in mice. Intravenous treatment with HS-23 rescued LPS-intoxicated C57BL/6J mice under septic conditions, and decreased the levels of cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β and high-mobility group box-1 (HMGB-1) in the blood. Chlorogenic acid (CGA) and its isomers were assigned as major constituents of HS-23 in the protection against endotoxemia. As a molecular mechanism, HS-23 or CGA isomers inhibited endotoxin LPS-induced autophosphorylation of the IL-1 receptor-associated kinase 4 (IRAK-4) in mouse peritoneal macrophages as well as the kinase activity of IRAK-4 in cell-free reactions. HS-23 consequently suppressed downstream pathways critical for LPS-induced activation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB or activating protein 1 (AP-1) in the peritoneal macrophages. HS-23 also inhibited various toll-like receptor agonists-induced nitric oxide (NO) production, and down-regulated LPS-induced expression of NF-κB/AP-1-target inflammatory genes in the cells. Taken together, HS-23 or CGA isomers exhibited anti-inflammatory therapy against LPS-induced septic mortality in mice, at least in part, mediated through the inhibition of IRAK-4.

  20. A TLR4/MD2 fusion protein inhibits LPS-induced pro-inflammatory signaling in hepatic stellate cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schnabl, Bernd; Brandl, Katharina; Fink, Marina; Gross, Philipp; Taura, Kojiro; Gaebele, Erwin; Hellerbrand, Claus; Falk, Werner

    2008-01-01

    Activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) play a key role in hepatic fibrogenesis. In injured liver they are the main extracellular matrix protein producing cell type and further perpetuate hepatic injury by secretion of pro-inflammatory mediators. Since LPS-mediated signaling through toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) has been identified as key fibrogenic signal in HSCs we aimed to test TLR4 as potential target of therapy via ligand-binding soluble receptors. Incubation of human HSCs with a fusion protein between the extracellular domain of TLR4 and MD2 which binds LPS inhibited LPS-induced NFκB and JNK activation. TLR4/MD2 abolished LPS-induced secretion of IL-6, IL-8, MCP1, and RANTES in HSCs. In addition, TLR4/MD2 fused to human IgG-Fc neutralized LPS activity. Since TLR4 mutant mice are resistant to liver fibrosis, the TLR4/MD2 soluble receptor might represent a new therapeutic molecule for liver fibrogenesis in vivo

  1. Protective Effect of Argan and Olive Oils against LPS-Induced Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Mice Livers

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    Soufiane El Kamouni

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Sepsis causes severe dysregulation of organ functions, via the development of oxidative stress and inflammation. These pathophysiological mechanisms are mimicked in mice injected with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS. Here, protective properties of argan oil against LPS-induced oxidative stress and inflammation are explored in the murine model. Mice received standard chow, supplemented with argan oil (AO or olive oil (OO for 25 days, before septic shock was provoked with a single intraperitoneal injection of LPS, 16 hours prior to animal sacrifice. In addition to a rise in oxidative stress and inflammatory markers, injected LPS also caused hepatotoxicity, accompanied by hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia and hyperuremia. These LPS-associated toxic effects were blunted by AO pretreatment, as corroborated by normal plasma parameters and cell stress markers (glutathione: GSH and antioxidant enzymology (catalase, CAT; superoxide dismutase, SOD and glutathione peroxidase, GPx. Hematoxylin–eosin staining revealed that AO can protect against acute liver injury, maintaining a normal status, which is pointed out by absent or reduced LPS-induced hepatic damage markers (i.e., alanine aminotransferase (ALT and aspartate transaminase (AST. Our work also indicated that AO displayed anti-inflammatory activity, due to down-regulations of genes encoding pro-inflammatory cytokines Interleukin-6 (IL-6 and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α and in up-regulations of the expression of anti-inflammatory genes encoding Interleukin-4 (IL-4 and Interleukin-10 (IL-10. OO provided animals with similar, though less extensive, protective changes. Collectively our work adds compelling evidence to the protective mechanisms of AO against LPS-induced liver injury and hence therapeutic potentialities, in regard to the management of human sepsis. Activations of IL-4/Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors (IL-4/PPARs signaling and, under LPS, an anti-inflammatory IL-10/Liver

  2. Lipopolysaccharide from Crypt-Specific Core Microbiota Modulates the Colonic Epithelial Proliferation-to-Differentiation Balance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tomoaki Naito

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available We identified a crypt-specific core microbiota (CSCM dominated by strictly aerobic, nonfermentative bacteria in murine cecal and proximal colonic (PC crypts and hypothesized that, among its possible functions, it may affect epithelial regeneration. In the present work, we isolated representative CSCM strains using selective media based upon our initial 16S rRNA-based molecular identification (i.e., Acinetobacter, Delftia, and Stenotrophomonas. Their tropism for the crypt was confirmed, and their influence on epithelial regeneration was demonstrated in vivo by monocolonization of germfree mice. We also showed that lipopolysaccharide (LPS, through its endotoxin activity, was the dominant bacterial agonist controlling proliferation. The relevant molecular mechanisms were analyzed using colonic crypt-derived organoids exposed to bacterial sonicates or highly purified LPS as agonists. We identified a Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4-dependent program affecting crypts at different stages of epithelial differentiation. LPS played a dual role: it repressed cell proliferation through RIPK3-mediated necroptosis of stem cells and cells of the transit-amplifying compartment and concurrently enhanced cell differentiation, particularly the goblet cell lineage.

  3. Hyperin protects against LPS-induced acute kidney injury by inhibiting TLR4 and NLRP3 signaling pathways

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chunzhi, Gong; Zunfeng, Li; Chengwei, Qin; Xiangmei, Bu; Jingui, Yu

    2016-01-01

    Hyperin is a flavonoid compound derived from Ericaceae, Guttifera, and Celastraceae that has been shown to have various biological effects, such as anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects. However, there is no evidence to show the protective effects of hyperin on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute kidney injury (AKI). Therefore, we investigated the protective effects and mechanism of hyperin on LPS-induced AKI in mice. The levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β were tested by ELISA. The effects of hyperin on blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine were also detected. In addition, the expression of TLR4, NF-κB, and NLRP3 were detected by western blot analysis. The results showed that hyperin significantly inhibited LPS-induced TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β production. The levels of BUN and creatinine were also suppressed by hyperin. Furthermore, LPS-induced TLR4 expression and NF-κB activation were also inhibited by hyperin. In addition, treatment of hyperin dose-dependently inhibited LPS-induced NLRP3 signaling pathway. In conclusion, the results showed that hyperin inhibited LPS-induced inflammatory response by inhibiting TLR4 and NLRP3 signaling pathways. Hyperin has potential application prospects in the treatment of sepsis-induced AKI. PMID:27813491

  4. The Protective Effect of Melatonin on Neural Stem Cell against LPS-Induced Inflammation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juhyun Song

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Stem cell therapy for tissue regeneration has several limitations in the fact that transplanted cells could not survive for a long time. For solving these limitations, many studies have focused on the antioxidants to increase survival rate of neural stem cells (NSCs. Melatonin, an antioxidant synthesized in the pineal gland, plays multiple roles in various physiological mechanisms. Melatonin exerts neuroprotective effects in the central nervous system. To determine the effect of melatonin on NSCs which is in LPS-induced inflammatory stress state, we first investigated nitric oxide (NO production and cytotoxicity using Griess reagent assays, LDH assay, and neurosphere counting. Also, we investigated the effect of melatonin on NSCs by measuring the mRNA levels of SOX2, TLX, and FGFR-2. In addition, western blot analyses were performed to examine the activation of PI3K/Akt/Nrf2 signaling in LPS-treated NSCs. In the present study, we suggested that melatonin inhibits NO production and protects NSCs against LPS-induced inflammatory stress. In addition, melatonin promoted the expression of SOX2 and activated the PI3K/Akt/Nrf2 signaling under LPS-induced inflammation condition. Based on our results, we conclude that melatonin may be an important factor for the survival and proliferation of NSCs in neuroinflammatory diseases.

  5. MacA, a periplasmic membrane fusion protein of the macrolide transporter MacAB-TolC, binds lipopolysaccharide core specifically and with high affinity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Shuo; Zgurskaya, Helen I

    2013-11-01

    The Escherichia coli MacAB-TolC transporter has been implicated in efflux of macrolide antibiotics and secretion of enterotoxin STII. In this study, we found that purified MacA, a periplasmic membrane fusion protein, contains one tightly bound rough core lipopolysaccharide (R-LPS) molecule per MacA molecule. R-LPS was bound specifically to MacA protein with affinity exceeding that of polymyxin B. Sequence analyses showed that MacA contains two high-density clusters of positively charged amino acid residues located in the cytoplasmic N-terminal domain and the periplasmic C-terminal domain. Substitutions in the C-terminal cluster reducing the positive-charge density completely abolished binding of R-LPS. At the same time, these substitutions significantly reduced the functionality of MacA in the protection of E. coli against macrolides in vivo and in the in vitro MacB ATPase stimulation assays. Taken together, our results suggest that R-LPS or a similar glycolipid is a physiological substrate of MacAB-TolC.

  6. Caffeoyl glucosides from Nandina domestica inhibit LPS-induced endothelial inflammatory responses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kulkarni, Roshan R; Lee, Wonhwa; Jang, Tae Su; Lee, JungIn; Kwak, Soyoung; Park, Mi Seon; Lee, Hyun-Shik; Bae, Jong-Sup; Na, MinKyun

    2015-11-15

    Endothelial dysfunction is a key pathological feature of many inflammatory diseases, including sepsis. In the present study, a new caffeoyl glucoside (1) and two known caffeoylated compounds (2 and 3) were isolated from the fruits of Nandina domestica Thunb. (Berberidaceae). The compounds were investigated for their effects against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated endothelial inflammatory responses. At 20 μM, 1 and 2 inhibited LPS-induced hyperpermeability, adhesion, and migration of leukocytes across a human endothelial cell monolayer in a dose-dependent manner suggesting that 1 and 2 may serve as potential scaffolds for the development of therapeutic agents to treat vascular inflammatory disorders. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Structure analysis and core community detection of embodied resources networks among regional industries

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Xijun; Dong, Yanbo; Wu, Yuying; Wei, Guodan; Xing, Lizhi; Yan, Jia

    2017-08-01

    To address the double pressure of scarce resources and regional industrial isomorphism, this paper applied the concepts of exergy and embodied resources based on economic input-output (I-O) data. We constructed the embodied resources networks among the regional industries of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (also known as Jing-Jin-Ji) in China. We analyzed the rules of embodied resources consumption in the area's industries, identified the core community structures, and studied the characteristics of industrial homogeneity through regional comparisons. The results showed that the dependence on scarce resources of industrial operations in Beijing was less than in Jin-Ji, while the dependence on finance, technology, information, and other service resources in Beijing was higher than in Jin-Ji. The I-O efficiency of embodied resources among industries and the agglomeration of correlation relationships in industries with large embodied resources were higher than in Jin-Ji. The industrial coincidence degree in the ;bridge; industries and in the core community in Jin-Ji was higher than in Jing-Jin and Jing-Ji, which means the industrial homogeneous competition of Jin-Ji was higher, too. This study makes a significant contribution toward promoting the dislocation development of regional industries, accelerating the coordination of resources, and reducing homogeneity competition.

  8. Stress and strain patterns, kinematics and deformation mechanisms in a basement-cored anticline: Sheep Mountain Anticline, Wyoming

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amrouch, Khalid; Lacombe, Olivier; Bellahsen, Nicolas; Daniel, Jean-Marc; Callot, Jean-Paul

    2010-02-01

    In order to characterize and compare the stress-strain record prior to, during, and just after folding at the macroscopic and the microscopic scales and to provide insights into stress levels sustained by folded rocks, we investigate the relationship between the stress-strain distribution in folded strata derived from fractures, striated microfaults, and calcite twins and the development of the Laramide, basement-cored Sheep Mountain Anticline, Wyoming. Tectonic data were mainly collected in Lower Carboniferous to Permian carbonates and sandstones. In both rock matrix and veins, calcite twins recorded three different tectonic stages: the first stage is a pre-Laramide (Sevier) layer-parallel shortening (LPS) parallel to fold axis, the second one is a Laramide LPS perpendicular to the fold axis, and the third stage corresponds to Laramide late fold tightening with compression also perpendicular to the fold axis. Stress and strain orientations and regimes at the microscale agree with the polyphase stress evolution revealed by populations of fractures and striated microfaults, testifying for the homogeneity of stress record at different scales through time. Calcite twin analysis additionally reveals significant variations of differential stress magnitudes between fold limbs. Our results especially point to an increase of differential stress magnitudes related to Laramide LPS from the backlimb to the forelimb of the fold possibly in relation with motion of an underlying basement thrust fault that likely induced stress concentrations at its upper tip. This result is confirmed by a simple numerical model. Beyond regional implications, this study highlights the potential of calcite twin analyses to yield a representative quantitative picture of stress and strain patterns related to folding.

  9. LPS-Induced Low-Grade Inflammation Increases Hypothalamic JNK Expression and Causes Central Insulin Resistance Irrespective of Body Weight Changes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rorato, Rodrigo; Borges, Beatriz de Carvalho; Uchoa, Ernane Torres; Antunes-Rodrigues, José; Elias, Carol Fuzeti; Elias, Lucila Leico Kagohara

    2017-07-04

    Metabolic endotoxemia contributes to low-grade inflammation in obesity, which causes insulin resistance due to the activation of intracellular proinflammatory pathways, such as the c-Jun N-terminal Kinase (JNK) cascade in the hypothalamus and other tissues. However, it remains unclear whether the proinflammatory process precedes insulin resistance or it appears because of the development of obesity. Hypothalamic low-grade inflammation was induced by prolonged lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure to investigate if central insulin resistance is induced by an inflammatory stimulus regardless of obesity. Male Wistar rats were treated with single (1 LPS) or repeated injections (6 LPS) of LPS (100 μg/kg, IP) to evaluate the phosphorylation of the insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS1), Protein kinase B (AKT), and JNK in the hypothalamus. Single LPS increased the expression of pIRS1, pAKT, and pJNK, whereas the repeated LPS treatment failed to recruit pIRS1 and pAKT. The 6 LPS treated rats showed increased total JNK and pJNK. The 6 LPS rats became unresponsive to the hypophagic effect induced by central insulin administration (12 μM/5 μL, ICV). Prolonged exposure to LPS (24 h) impaired the insulin-induced AKT phosphorylation and the translocation of the transcription factor forkhead box protein O1 (FoxO1) from the nucleus to the cytoplasm of the cultured hypothalamic GT1-7 cells. Central administration of the JNK inhibitor (20 μM/5 μL, ICV) restored the ability of insulin to phosphorylate IRS1 and AKT in 6 LPS rats. The present data suggest that an increased JNK activity in the hypothalamus underlies the development of insulin resistance during prolonged exposure to endotoxins. Our study reveals that weight gain is not mandatory for the development of hypothalamic insulin resistance and the blockade of proinflammatory pathways could be useful for restoring the insulin signaling during prolonged low-grade inflammation as seen in obesity.

  10. Autodisplay of the La/SSB protein on LPS-free E. coli for the diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoo, Gu; Dilkaute, Carina; Bong, Ji-Hong; Song, Hyun-Woo; Lee, Misu; Kang, Min-Jung; Jose, Joachim; Pyun, Jae-Chul

    2017-05-01

    The objective of this study was to present an immunoassay for the diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome based on the autodisplayed La/SSB protein on the outer membrane of intact E. coli (strain UT-5600) and LPS-free E. coli (ClearColi™). As the first step, an autodisplay vector (pCK002) was transfected into intact E. coli and LPS-free E. coli for comparison of efficiency of autdisplay of La/SSB. The maximal level of La/SSB expression was estimated to be similar for LPS-free E. coli and intact E. coli at different optimal induction periods. Intact E. coli was found to grow twofold faster than LPS-free E. coli, and the maximal level of expression for LPS-free E. coli was obtained with a longer induction period. When the zeta potential was measured, both intact E. coli and LPS-free E. coli showed negative values, and the autodisplay of negatively charged La/SSB protein (pIE. coli and LPS-free E. coli resulted in a slight change in zeta potential values. E. coli with autodisplayed La/SSB protein was used for an immunoassay of anti-La/SSB antibodies for the diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome. The surface of E. coli with the autodisplayed antigen was modified with rabbit serum and papain to prevent false positive signals because of nonspecific binding of unrelated antibodies from human serum. LPS-free E. coli with autodisplayed La/SSB protein yielded sensitivity and selectivity of 81.6% and 78.6%, respectively. The Bland-Altman test showed that the immunoassays based on LPS-free E. coli and intact E. coli with autodisplayed La/SSB protein were statistically equivalent to a clinical immunoassay for detection of anti-La/SSB antibodies (confidence coefficient 95%). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Increased circulatory levels of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and zonulin signify novel biomarkers of proinflammation in patients with type 2 diabetes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jayashree, B; Bibin, Y S; Prabhu, D; Shanthirani, C S; Gokulakrishnan, K; Lakshmi, B S; Mohan, V; Balasubramanyam, M

    2014-03-01

    Emerging data indicate that gut-derived endotoxin (metabolic endotoxemia) may contribute to low-grade systemic inflammation in insulin-resistant states. Specific gut bacteria seem to serve as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) sources and several reports claim a role for increased intestinal permeability in the genesis of metabolic disorders. Therefore, we investigated the serum levels of LPS and zonulin (ZO-1, a marker of gut permeability) along with systemic levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) compared to control subjects. Study subjects were recruited from the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study [CURES], Chennai, India. Study group (n = 45 each) comprised of a) subjects with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and (b) patients with T2DM. LPS, ZO-1, TNF-α, and IL-6 levels were measured by ELISA. Serum levels of LPS [p < 0.05], LPS activity [p < 0.001], ZO-1 [p < 0.001], TNFα [p < 0.001], and IL-6 [p < 0.001] were significantly increased in patients with T2DM compared to control subjects. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that LPS activity was significantly and positively correlated with ZO-1, fasting plasma glucose, 2 h post glucose, HbA1c, serum triglycerides, TNF-α, IL-6, and negatively correlated with HDL cholesterol. Regression analysis showed that increased LPS levels were significantly associated with type 2 diabetes [odds ratio (OR) 13.43, 95 % CI 1.998-18.9; p = 0.003]. In Asian Indians who are considered highly insulin resistant, the circulatory LPS levels, LPS activity, and ZO-1 were significantly increased in patients with type 2 diabetes and showed positive correlation with inflammatory markers and poor glycemic/lipid control.

  12. PTEN gene and phosphorylation of Akt protein expression in the LPS-induced lung fibroblast

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mao-lin HUANG

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To investigate PTEN gene expression and the Akt phosphorylation of protein expression in the LPS-induced lung fibroblast, to initially reveal the relation between PTEN gene and the Akt phosphorylated proteins to LPS-induced lung fibroblast proliferation mechanism. Methods: BrdU experiments was performed to evaluate the LPS-induced lung fibroblast proliferation,  RT-PCR and Western Blot analysis were used to analyze the PTEN gene expression and Western blot was performed to analyze Akt phosphorylated protein expression. Results: PTEN mRNA level of the experimental group were significantly lower than the control group (P<0.05 with LPS simulation for 24h and 72h , and there were no significant difference between the experimental group and control group the experimental group and control group (P>0.05 . PTEN protein expression levels of the experimental group were significantly lower than the control group (P<0.05 , at 72h, and PTEN mRNA levels had no significant differences between these of the experimental and control group at 6h,12h and 24h(p>0.05. Phosphorylation Akt protein level (relative to total Akt protein was significantly higer than the control group (P<0.05 at 24h and 72h, and phosphorylation Akt protein levels had no significant differences between these of the experimental and control group at 6h and 12h (P>0.05 .Conclusion: PTEN gene and phosphorylation Akt protein involve in LPS-induced lung fibroblast proliferation signal transduction pathway.

  13. In vivo and in vitro effects of lysine clonixinate on nitric oxide synthase in LPS-treated and untreated rat lung preparations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franchi, A M; Di Girolamo, G; Farina, M; de los Santos, A R; Martí, M L; Gimeno, M A

    2001-04-01

    Recent studies have shown that some nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) inhibited the inducible NO synthase (iNOS) without direct effect on the catalytic activity of this enzyme. This study was conducted to investigate the in vitro and in vivo effects of lysine clonixinate (LC) and indomethacin (INDO) on NOS activity in rat lung preparation. LC is a drug with antiinflammatory, antipyretic, and analgesic action. In the in vitro experiments, rats were injected with saline or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and killed 6 h after treatment. Lung preparations were incubated with LC at 2.3 x 10(-5) M or 3.8 x 10(-5) M. The minimum concentration did not modify NOS activity in control or LPS-treated rats but the maximum dose inhibited increased NO production induced by LPS. Furthermore, INDO at 10(-6) M had no effect on enzymatic activity in control or LPS-treated rats. In the in vivo experiments, 40 mg/kg of LC were injected ip. Such a dose did not affect basal production of NO. When LC and LPS were injected simultaneously 6 h before sacrifice, a significant decrease in LPS-induced NOS activity was observed. INDO 10 mg/kg injected in control animals had no effect on NOS activity and did not block LPS induced stimulation of NO production when injected simultaneously. Finally, when LC (40 mg/kg) was injected 3 h after LPS, the enzymatic activity remained unchanged. Expression of iNOS was detected by Western blotting in rats treated with LPS plus 4, 10, 20, and 40 mg/kg of LC. The lowest dose was the only one showing no effect on LPS-induced increase of iNOS. In short, LC is a NSAID with inhibitory action on the expression of LPS-induced NOS, effect that was not seen with INDO in our experimental conditions. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

  14. Full Spectrum of LPS Activation in Alveolar Macrophages of Healthy Volunteers by Whole Transcriptomic Profiling.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miguel Pinilla-Vera

    Full Text Available Despite recent advances in understanding macrophage activation, little is known regarding how human alveolar macrophages in health calibrate its transcriptional response to canonical TLR4 activation. In this study, we examined the full spectrum of LPS activation and determined whether the transcriptomic profile of human alveolar macrophages is distinguished by a TIR-domain-containing adapter-inducing interferon-β (TRIF-dominant type I interferon signature. Bronchoalveolar lavage macrophages were obtained from healthy volunteers, stimulated in the presence or absence of ultrapure LPS in vitro, and whole transcriptomic profiling was performed by RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq. LPS induced a robust type I interferon transcriptional response and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis predicted interferon regulatory factor (IRF7 as the top upstream regulator of 89 known gene targets. Ubiquitin-specific peptidase (USP-18, a negative regulator of interferon α/β responses, was among the top up-regulated genes in addition to IL10 and USP41, a novel gene with no known biological function but with high sequence homology to USP18. We determined whether IRF-7 and USP-18 can influence downstream macrophage effector cytokine production such as IL-10. We show that IRF-7 siRNA knockdown enhanced LPS-induced IL-10 production in human monocyte-derived macrophages, and USP-18 overexpression attenuated LPS-induced production of IL-10 in RAW264.7 cells. Quantitative PCR confirmed upregulation of USP18, USP41, IL10, and IRF7. An independent cohort confirmed LPS induction of USP41 and IL10 genes. These results suggest that IRF-7 and predicted downstream target USP18, both elements of a type I interferon gene signature identified by RNA-Seq, may serve to fine-tune early cytokine response by calibrating IL-10 production in human alveolar macrophages.

  15. LPS-induced lung inflammation in marmoset monkeys - an acute model for anti-inflammatory drug testing.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sophie Seehase

    Full Text Available Increasing incidence and substantial morbidity and mortality of respiratory diseases requires the development of new human-specific anti-inflammatory and disease-modifying therapeutics. Therefore, new predictive animal models that closely reflect human lung pathology are needed. In the current study, a tiered acute lipopolysaccharide (LPS-induced inflammation model was established in marmoset monkeys (Callithrix jacchus to reflect crucial features of inflammatory lung diseases. Firstly, in an ex vivo approach marmoset and, for the purposes of comparison, human precision-cut lung slices (PCLS were stimulated with LPS in the presence or absence of the phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4 inhibitor roflumilast. Pro-inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α and macrophage inflammatory protein-1 beta (MIP-1β were measured. The corticosteroid dexamethasone was used as treatment control. Secondly, in an in vivo approach marmosets were pre-treated with roflumilast or dexamethasone and unilaterally challenged with LPS. Ipsilateral bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL was conducted 18 hours after LPS challenge. BAL fluid was processed and analyzed for neutrophils, TNF-α, and MIP-1β. TNF-α release in marmoset PCLS correlated significantly with human PCLS. Roflumilast treatment significantly reduced TNF-α secretion ex vivo in both species, with comparable half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC(50. LPS instillation into marmoset lungs caused a profound inflammation as shown by neutrophilic influx and increased TNF-α and MIP-1β levels in BAL fluid. This inflammatory response was significantly suppressed by roflumilast and dexamethasone. The close similarity of marmoset and human lungs regarding LPS-induced inflammation and the significant anti-inflammatory effect of approved pharmaceuticals assess the suitability of marmoset monkeys to serve as a promising model for studying anti-inflammatory drugs.

  16. Modulation of LPS induced inflammatory response by Lawsonyl monocyclic terpene from the marine derived Streptomyces sp.

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Ali, A.; Khajuria, A.; Sidiq, T.; AshokKumar; Thakur, N.L.; Naik, D.; Vishwakarma, R.A.

    . The effect of Lawsonone (1) was elucidated on the immune cells (splenocytes and macrophages) collected from BALB/c mice. Study was carried out to find the effect of Lawsonone (1) on Con-A and LPS stimulated splenocyte proliferation, LPS-induced NO, IL-1beta...

  17. The ability of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Pasteurella multocida B:2 to induce clinical and pathological lesions in the nervous system of buffalo calves following experimental inoculation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marza, Ali Dhiaa; Jesse Abdullah, Faez Firdaus; Ahmed, Ihsan Muneer; Teik Chung, Eric Lim; Ibrahim, Hayder Hamzah; Zamri-Saad, Mohd; Omar, Abdul Rahman; Abu Bakar, Md Zuki; Saharee, Abdul Aziz; Haron, Abdul Wahid; Alwan, Mohammed Jwaid; Mohd Lila, Mohd Azmi

    2017-03-01

    Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of P. multocida B:2, a causative agent of haemorrhagic septicaemia (HS) in cattle and buffaloes, is considered as the main virulence factor and contribute in the pathogenesis of the disease. Recent studies provided evidences about the involvement of the nervous system in pathogenesis of HS. However, the role of P. multocida B:2 immunogens, especially the LPS is still uncovered. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the role of P. multocida B:2 LPS to induce pathological changes in the nervous system. Nine eight-month-old, clinically healthy buffalo calves were used and distributed into three groups. Calves of Group 1 and 2 were inoculated orally and intravenously with 10 ml of LPS broth extract represent 1 × 10 12  cfu/ml of P. multocida B:2, respectively, while calves of Group 3 were inoculated orally with 10 ml of phosphate buffer saline as a control. Significant differences were found in the mean scores for clinical signs, post mortem and histopathological changes especially in Group 2, which mainly affect different anatomic regions of the nervous system, mainly the brain. On the other hand, lower scores have been recorded for clinical signs, gross and histopathological changes in Group 1. These results provide for the first time strong evidence about the ability of P. multocida B:2 LPS to cross the blood brain barrier and induce pathological changes in the nervous system of the affected buffalo calves. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Reactor core and initially loaded reactor core of nuclear reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koyama, Jun-ichi; Aoyama, Motoo.

    1989-01-01

    In BWR type reactors, improvement for the reactor shutdown margin is an important characteristic condition togehter with power distribution flattening . However, in the reactor core at high burnup degree, the reactor shutdown margin is different depending on the radial position of the reactor core. That is , the reactor shutdown margin is smaller in the outer peripheral region than in the central region of the reactor core. In view of the above, the reactor core is divided radially into a central region and as outer region. The amount of fissionable material of first fuel assemblies newly loaded in the outer region is made less than the amount of the fissionable material of second fuel assemblies newly loaded in the central region, to thereby improve the reactor shutdown margin in the outer region. Further, the ratio between the amount of the fissionable material in the upper region and that of the fissionable material in the lower portion of the first fuel assemblies is made smaller than the ratio between the amount of the fissionable material in the upper region and that of the fissionable material in the lower region of the second fuel assemblies, to thereby obtain a sufficient thermal margin in the central region. (K.M.)

  19. Differences in neurogenesis differentiate between core and shell regions of auditory nuclei in the turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis): evolutionary implications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Shao-Ju; Xi, Chao; Zhang, Xin-Wen; Zuo, Ming-Xue

    2007-01-01

    There is a clear core-versus-shell distinction in cytoarchitecture, electrophysiological properties and neural connections in the mesencephalic and diencephalic auditory nuclei of amniotes. Determining whether the embryogenesis of auditory nuclei shows a similar organization is helpful for further understanding the constituent organization and evolution of auditory nuclei. Therefore in the present study, we injected [(3)H]-thymidine into turtle embryos (Pelodiscus sinensis) at various stages of development. Upon hatching, [(3)H]-thymidine labeling was examined in both the core and shell auditory regions in the midbrain, diencephalon and dorsal ventricular ridge. Met-enkephalin and substance P immunohistochemistry was used to distinguish the core and shell regions. In the mesencephalic auditory nucleus, the occurrence of heavily labeled neurons in the nucleus centralis of the torus semicircularis reached its peak at embryonic day 9, one day later than the surrounding shell. In the diencephalic auditory nucleus, the production of heavily labeled neurons in the central region of the reuniens (Re) was highest at embryonic day (E) 8, one day later than that in the shell region of reuniens. In the region of the dorsal ventricular ridge that received inputs from the central region of Re, the appearance of heavily labeled neurons also reached a peak one day later than that in the area receiving inputs from the shell region of reuniens. Thus, there is a core-versus-shell organization of neuronal generation in reptilian auditory areas. Copyright (c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  20. Inhibition of miR-155 Protects Against LPS-induced Cardiac Dysfunction and Apoptosis in Mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hui Wang

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction represents a major cause of death in intensive care units. Dysregulated microRNAs (miR-155 has been implicated in multiple cardiovascular diseases and miR-155 can be induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS. However, the role of miR-155 in LPS-induced cardiac dysfunction is unclear. Septic cardiac dysfunction in mice was induced by intraperitoneal injection of LPS (5 mg/kg and miR-155 was found to be significantly increased in heart challenged with LPS. Pharmacological inhibition of miR-155 using antagomiR improved cardiac function and suppressed cardiac apoptosis induced by LPS in mice as determined by echocardiography, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase nick-end labeling (TUNEL assay, and Western blot for Bax and Bcl-2, while overexpression of miR-155 using agomiR had inverse effects. Pea15a was identified as a target gene of miR-155, mediating its effects in controlling apoptosis of cardiomyocytes as evidenced by luciferase reporter assays, quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, and TUNEL staining. Noteworthy, miR-155 was also found to be upregulated in the plasma of patients with septic cardiac dysfunction compared to sepsis patients without cardiac dysfunction, indicating a potential clinical relevance of miR-155. The receiver-operator characteristic curve indicated that plasma miR-155 might be a biomarker for sepsis patients developing cardiac dysfunction. Therefore, inhibition of miR-155 represents a novel therapy for septic myocardial dysfunction.

  1. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated macrophage activation: the role of calcium in the generation of tumoricidal activity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Drysdale, B.E.; Shin, H.S.

    1986-01-01

    As the authors reported, calcium ionophore, A23187, activates macrophages (M theta) for tumor cell killing and the activated M theta produce a soluble cytotoxic factor (M theta-CF) that is similar if not identical to tumor necrosis factor. Based on these observations they have investigated whether calcium is involved in the activation mediated by another potent M theta activator, LPS. The authors have shown that A23187 caused uptake of extracellular 45 Ca ++ but LPS did not. They have examined the effect of depleting extracellular calcium by using medium containing no added calcium containing 1.0 mM EGTA. In no case did depletion result in decreased M theta-CF production by the M theta activated with LPS. Measurements using the fluorescent, intracellular calcium indicator, Quin 2 have also been performed. While ionomycin, caused a rapid change in the Quin-2 signal, LPS at a concentration even in excess of that required to activate the M theta caused no change in the signal. When high doses of Quin 2 or another intracellular chelator, 8-(diethylaminol-octyl-3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoate, were used to treat M theta, M theta-CF production decreased and cytotoxic activity was impaired. These data indicate that one or more of the processes involved in M theta-CF production does require calcium, but that activation mediated by LPS occurs without the influx of extracellular calcium or redistribution of intracellular calcium

  2. Nicotine ameliorates schizophrenia-like cognitive deficits induced by maternal LPS exposure: a study in rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Uta Waterhouse

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Maternal exposure to infectious agents is a predisposing factor for schizophrenia with associated cognitive deficits in offspring. A high incidence of smoking in these individuals in adulthood might be, at least in part, due to the cognitive-enhancing effects of nicotine. Here, we have used prenatal exposure to maternal lipopolysaccharide (LPS, bacterial endotoxin at different time points as a model for cognitive deficits in schizophrenia to determine whether nicotine reverses any associated impairments. Pregnant rats were treated subcutaneously with LPS (0.5 mg/kg at one of three neurodevelopmental time periods [gestation days (GD 10-11, 15-16, 18-19]. Cognitive assessment in male offspring commenced in early adulthood [postnatal day (PND 60] and included: prepulse inhibition (PPI, latent inhibition (LI and delayed non-matching to sample (DNMTS. Following PND 100, daily nicotine injections (0.6 mg/kg, subcutaneously were administered, and animals were re-tested in the same tasks (PND 110. Only maternal LPS exposure early during fetal neurodevelopment (GD 10-11 resulted in deficits in all tests compared to animals that had been prenatally exposed to saline at the same gestational time point. Repeated nicotine treatment led to global (PPI and selective (LI improvements in performance. Early but not later prenatal LPS exposure induced consistent deficits in cognitive tests with relevance for schizophrenia. Nicotine reversed the LPS-induced deficits in selective attention (LI and induced a global enhancement of sensorimotor gating (PPI.

  3. Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells reduce systemic inflammation and attenuate LPS-induced acute lung injury in rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Jianjun

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs possess potent immunomodulatory properties and simultaneously lack the ability to illicit immune responses. Hence, MSCs have emerged as a promising candidate for cellular therapeutics for inflammatory diseases. Within the context of this study, we investigated whether human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs could ameliorate lipopolysaccharide- (LPS- induced acute lung injury (ALI in a rat model. Methods ALI was induced via injection of LPS. Rats were divided into three groups: (1 saline group(control, (2 LPS group, and (3 MSC + LPS group. The rats were sacrificed at 6, 24, and 48 hours after injection. Serum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF, and lungs were collected for cytokine concentration measurements, assessment of lung injury, and histology. Results UC-MSCs increased survival rate and suppressed LPS-induced increase of serum concentrations of pro-inflammatory mediators TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 without decreasing the level of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. The MSC + LPS group exhibited significant improvements in lung inflammation, injury, edema, lung wet/dry ratio, protein concentration, and neutrophil counts in the BALF, as well as improved myeloperoxidase (MPO activity in the lung tissue. Furthermore, UC-MSCs decreased malondialdehyde (MDA production and increased Heme Oxygenase-1 (HO-1 protein production and activity in the lung tissue. Conclusion UC-MSCs noticeably increased the survival rate of rats suffering from LPS-induced lung injury and significantly reduced systemic and pulmonary inflammation. Promoting anti-inflammatory homeostasis and reducing oxidative stress might be the therapeutic basis of UC-MSCs.

  4. PTEN and PI-3 kinase inhibitors control LPS signaling and the lymphoproliferative response in the CD19+ B cell compartment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, Alok R.; Peirce, Susan K.; Joshi, Shweta; Durden, Donald L.

    2014-01-01

    Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), e.g. toll receptors (TLRs) that bind ligands within the microbiome have been implicated in the pathogenesis of cancer. LPS is a ligand for two TLR family members, TLR4 and RP105 which mediate LPS signaling in B cell proliferation and migration. Although LPS/TLR/RP105 signaling is well-studied; our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms controlling these PRR signaling pathways remains incomplete. Previous studies have demonstrated a role for PTEN/PI-3K signaling in B cell selection and survival, however a role for PTEN/PI-3K in TLR4/RP105/LPS signaling in the B cell compartment has not been reported. Herein, we crossed a CD19cre and PTEN fl/fl mouse to generate a conditional PTEN knockout mouse in the CD19+ B cell compartment. These mice were further crossed with an IL-14α transgenic mouse to study the combined effect of PTEN deletion, PI-3K inhibition and expression of IL-14α (a cytokine originally identified as a B cell growth factor) in CD19+ B cell lymphoproliferation and response to LPS stimulation. Targeted deletion of PTEN and directed expression of IL-14α in the CD19+ B cell compartment (IL-14+PTEN-/-) lead to marked splenomegaly and altered spleen morphology at baseline due to expansion of marginal zone B cells, a phenotype that was exaggerated by treatment with the B cell mitogen and TLR4/RP105 ligand, LPS. Moreover, LPS stimulation of CD19+ cells isolated from these mice display increased proliferation, augmented AKT and NFκB activation as well as increased expression of c-myc and cyclinD1. Interestingly, treatment of LPS treated IL-14+PTEN-/- mice with a pan PI-3K inhibitor, SF1126, reduced splenomegaly, cell proliferation, c-myc and cyclin D1 expression in the CD19+ B cell compartment and normalized the splenic histopathologic architecture. These findings provide the direct evidence that PTEN and PI-3K inhibitors control TLR4/RP105/LPS signaling in the CD19+ B cell compartment and that pan PI-3

  5. PTEN and PI-3 kinase inhibitors control LPS signaling and the lymphoproliferative response in the CD19+ B cell compartment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Singh, Alok R. [UCSD Department of Pediatrics, Moores UCSD Cancer Center, University of California School of Medicine, San Diego, CA 92093 (United States); Peirce, Susan K. [Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA (United States); Joshi, Shweta [UCSD Department of Pediatrics, Moores UCSD Cancer Center, University of California School of Medicine, San Diego, CA 92093 (United States); Durden, Donald L., E-mail: ddurden@ucsd.edu [UCSD Department of Pediatrics, Moores UCSD Cancer Center, University of California School of Medicine, San Diego, CA 92093 (United States); Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, UCSD Rady Children' s Hospital, La Jolla, CA (United States)

    2014-09-10

    Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), e.g. toll receptors (TLRs) that bind ligands within the microbiome have been implicated in the pathogenesis of cancer. LPS is a ligand for two TLR family members, TLR4 and RP105 which mediate LPS signaling in B cell proliferation and migration. Although LPS/TLR/RP105 signaling is well-studied; our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms controlling these PRR signaling pathways remains incomplete. Previous studies have demonstrated a role for PTEN/PI-3K signaling in B cell selection and survival, however a role for PTEN/PI-3K in TLR4/RP105/LPS signaling in the B cell compartment has not been reported. Herein, we crossed a CD19cre and PTEN{sup fl/fl} mouse to generate a conditional PTEN knockout mouse in the CD19+ B cell compartment. These mice were further crossed with an IL-14α transgenic mouse to study the combined effect of PTEN deletion, PI-3K inhibition and expression of IL-14α (a cytokine originally identified as a B cell growth factor) in CD19+ B cell lymphoproliferation and response to LPS stimulation. Targeted deletion of PTEN and directed expression of IL-14α in the CD19+ B cell compartment (IL-14+PTEN-/-) lead to marked splenomegaly and altered spleen morphology at baseline due to expansion of marginal zone B cells, a phenotype that was exaggerated by treatment with the B cell mitogen and TLR4/RP105 ligand, LPS. Moreover, LPS stimulation of CD19+ cells isolated from these mice display increased proliferation, augmented AKT and NFκB activation as well as increased expression of c-myc and cyclinD1. Interestingly, treatment of LPS treated IL-14+PTEN-/- mice with a pan PI-3K inhibitor, SF1126, reduced splenomegaly, cell proliferation, c-myc and cyclin D1 expression in the CD19+ B cell compartment and normalized the splenic histopathologic architecture. These findings provide the direct evidence that PTEN and PI-3K inhibitors control TLR4/RP105/LPS signaling in the CD19+ B cell compartment and that pan PI

  6. Effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS and peptidoglycan (PGN on human mast cell numbers, cytokine production, and protease composition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wu Yalin

    2008-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Human mast cell (HuMC maturation occurs in tissues interfacing with the external environment, exposing both mast cell progenitors and mature mast cells, to bacteria and their products. It is unknown, however, whether long- or short-term exposure to bacteria-derived toll-like receptor (TLR ligands, such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS or peptidoglycan (PGN, influences HuMC biology. Results Over 6 wks of culture, LPS had minimal effect on HuMC numbers but increased CD117, tryptase and chymase expression. PGN inhibited HuMC development. For mature mast cells, LPS in the presence of rhSCF (10 ng/ml increased CD117, tryptase, chymase and carboxypeptidase expression, primarily in CD117low HuMC. LPS decreased FcεRI expression and β-hexosaminidase release; but had no effect on LTC4 and PGD2 production. PGN reduced HuMC numbers; and CD117 and tryptase expression. IL-1β and IL-6 (in addition to IL-8 and IL-12 were detected in short-term culture supernatants of LPS treated cells, and reproduced the increases in CD117, tryptase, chymase, and carboxypeptidase expression observed in the presence of LPS. Comparative studies with mouse bone marrow-derived mast cells from wild type, but not TLR4 knockout mice, showed increases in mRNA of mouse mast cell chymases MMCP-1, MMCP-2 and MMCP-4. Conclusion PGN inhibits HuMC growth, while LPS exerts its primary effects on mature HuMC by altering cytokine production and protease composition, particularly at low concentrations of SCF. These data demonstrate the ability of bacterial products to alter HuMC mediator production, granular content, and number which may be particularly relevant at mucosal sites where HuMC are exposed to these products.

  7. Inhibitory mechanism of chroman compound on LPS-induced nitric oxide production and nuclear factor-κB activation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Byung Hak; Reddy, Alavala Matta; Lee, Kum-Ho; Chung, Eun Yong; Cho, Sung Min; Lee, Heesoon; Min, Kyung Rak; Kim, Youngsoo

    2004-01-01

    6-Hydroxy-7-methoxychroman-2-carboxylic acid phenylamide (KL-1156) is a novel chemically synthetic compound. In the present study, the chroman KL-1156 compound was found to inhibit lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide production in macrophages RAW 264.7. KL-1156 compound attenuated LPS-induced synthesis of both mRNA and protein of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), in parallel, and inhibited LPS-induced iNOS promoter activity, indicating that the chroman compound down-regulated iNOS expression at transcription level. As a mechanism of the anti-inflammatory action shown by KL-1156 compound, suppression of nuclear factor (NF)-κB has been documented. KL-1156 compound exhibited a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on LPS-induced NF-κB transcriptional activity in macrophages RAW 264.7. Furthermore, the compound inhibited LPS-induced nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 and DNA binding activity of NF-κB complex, in parallel, but did not affect IκBα degradation. Taken together, this study demonstrated that chroman KL-1156 compound interfered with nuclear translocation step of NF-κB p65, which was attributable to its anti-inflammatory action

  8. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of cauliflower leaf powder-enriched diet against LPS induced toxicity in rabbits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larocca, Marilena; Perna, Anna Maria; Simonetti, Amalia; Gambacorta, Emilio; Iannuzzi, Alessandra; Perucatti, Angela; Rossano, Rocco

    2017-09-20

    Brassica phytochemicals exert a broad spectrum of health-promoting activities. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible beneficial effects of a cauliflower leaf powder (CLP)-enriched diet to prevent inflammation and oxidative stress resulting from injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) into rabbits. Animals (24 rabbits) were randomly divided into two groups and fed with a standard diet (SD) or a standard diet supplemented with a 100 g kg -1 diet of CLP. After 60 days, six rabbits of both groups received a LPS injection (100 μg per kg body weight). Serum samples collected after 90 min of LPS injection were assessed for their content of both inflammatory biomarkers such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and matrix-metalloproteinases (MMP-2 and MMP-9) and oxidative stress biomarkers such as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). LPS increased the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and TBARS as well as MMP-2 and MMP-9 activities, whereas it decreased the GSH levels and SOD and CAT activities. In conclusion, preventive supplementation with CLP can protect rabbits from the inflammation and oxidative stress induced by LPS.

  9. Attenuated effects of chitosan-capped gold nanoparticles on LPS-induced toxicity in laboratory rats

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stefan, Marius; Melnig, Viorel; Pricop, Daniela; Neagu, Anca; Mihasan, Marius; Tartau, Liliana; Hritcu, Lucian

    2013-01-01

    The impact of nanoparticles in medicine and biology has increased rapidly in recent years. Gold nanoparticles (AuNP) have advantageous properties such as chemical stability, high electron density and affinity to biomolecules. However, the effects of AuNP on human body after repeated administration are still unclear. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of gold-11.68 nm (AuNP1, 9.8 μg) and gold-22.22 nm (AuNP2, 19.7 μg) nanoparticles capped with chitosan on brain and liver tissue reactivity in male Wistar rats exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS from Escherichia coli serotype 0111:B4, 250 μg) upon 8 daily sessions of intraperitoneal administration. Our results suggest that the smaller size of chitosan-capped AuNP shows the protective effects against LPS-induced toxicity, suggesting a very high potential for biomedical applications. - Highlights: ► Smaller size of chitosan-capped gold nanoparticles acts against LPS-induced toxicity. ► Larger size of chitosan-capped gold nanoparticles agglomerated inside neurons and induced toxicity in combination with LPS. ► Chitosan has excellent biocompatible proprieties. ► Smaller size of chitosan-capped gold nanoparticles demonstrates great potential in biomedical applications.

  10. Indirubin-3′-(2,3 dihydroxypropyl)-oximether (E804) is a potent modulator of LPS-stimulated macrophage functions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Babcock, Abigail S. [Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634 (United States); Anderson, Amy L. [Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634 (United States); Graduate Program in Environmental Toxicology, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634 (United States); Rice, Charles D., E-mail: cdrice@clemson.edu [Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634 (United States); Graduate Program in Environmental Toxicology, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634 (United States)

    2013-01-01

    Indirubin is a deep-red bis-indole isomer of indigo blue, both of which are biologically active ingredients in Danggui Longhui Wan, an ancient Chinese herbal tea mixture used to treat neoplasia and chronic inflammation and to enhance detoxification of xenobiotics. Multiple indirubin derivatives have been synthesized and shown to inhibit cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and glycogen-synthase kinase (GSK-3β) with varying degrees of potency. Several indirubins are also aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists, with AhR-associated activities covering a wide range of potencies, depending on molecular structure. This study examined the effects of indirubin-3′-(2,3 dihydroxypropyl)-oximether (E804), a novel indirubin with potent STAT3 inhibitory properties, on basal and LPS-inducible activities in murine RAW264.7 macrophages. Using a focused commercial qRT-PCR array platform (SuperArray®), the effects of E804 on expression of a suite of genes associated with stress and toxicity were determined. Most genes up-regulated by LPS treatment were suppressed by E804; including LPS-induced expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and receptors, apoptosis control genes, and oxidative stress response genes. Using qRT-PCR as a follow up to the commercial arrays, E804 treatment suppressed LPS-induced COX-2, iNOS, IL-6 and IL-10 gene expression, though the effects on iNOS and COX-2 protein expression were less dramatic. E804 also inhibited LPS-induced secretion of IL-6 and IL-10. Functional endpoints, including iNOS and lysozyme enzymatic activity, phagocytosis of fluorescent latex beads, and intracellular killing of bacteria, were also examined, and in each experimental condition E804 suppressed activities. Collectively, these results indicate that E804 is a potent modulator of pro-inflammatory profiles in LPS-treated macrophages. -- Highlights: ► RAW 264.7 macrophages were treated with 1 μM Indirubin E804, 1 μg/ml LPS, or both. ► E804 suppresses LPS-induced expression of i

  11. Reactor core for LMFBR type reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Masumi, Ryoji; Azekura, Kazuo; Kurihara, Kunitoshi; Bando, Masaru; Watari, Yoshio.

    1987-01-01

    Purpose: To reduce the power distribution fluctuations and obtain flat and stable power distribution throughout the operation period in an LMFBR type reactor. Constitution: In the inner reactor core region and the outer reactor core region surrounding the same, the thickness of the inner region is made smaller than the axial height of the reactor core region and the radial width thereof is made smaller than that of the reactor core region and the volume thereof is made to 30 - 50 % for the reactor core region. Further, the amount of the fuel material per unit volume in the inner region is made to 70 - 90 % of that in the outer region. The difference in the neutron infinite multiplication factor between the inner region and the outer region is substantially constant irrespective of the burnup degree and the power distribution fluctuation can be reduced to about 2/3, by which the effect of thermal striping to the reactor core upper mechanisms can be moderated. Further, the maximum linear power during operation can be reduced by 3 %, by which the thermal margin in the reactor core is increased and the reactor core fuels can be saved by 3 %. (Kamimura, M.)

  12. LPS-Toll-Like Receptor-Mediated Signaling on Expression of Protein S and C4b-Binding Protein in the Liver

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tatsuya Hayashi

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Protein S (PS, mainly synthesized in hepatocytes and endothelial cells, plays a critical role as a cofactor of anticoagulant activated protein C (APC. PS activity is regulated by C4b-binding protein (C4BP, structurally composed of seven α-chains (C4BPα and a β-chain (C4BPβ. In this paper, based primarily on our previous studies, we review the lipopolysaccharide (LPS-induced signaling which affects expression of PS and C4BP in the liver. Our in vivo studies in rats showed that after LPS injection, plasma PS levels are significantly decreased, whereas plasma C4BP levels first are transiently decreased after 2 to 12 hours and then significantly increased after 24 hours. LPS decreases PS antigen and mRNA levels in both hepatocytes and sinusoidal endothelial cells (SECs, and decreases C4BP antigen and both C4BPα and C4BPβ mRNA levels in hepatocytes. Antirat CD14 and antirat Toll-like receptor (TLR-4 antibodies inhibited LPS-induced NFκB activation in both hepatocytes and SECs. Furthermore, inhibitors of NFκB and MEK recovered the LPS-induced decreased expression of PS in both cell types and the LPS-induced decreased expression of C4BP in hepatocytes. These data suggest that the LPS-induced decrease in PS expression in hepatocytes and SECs and LPS-induced decrease in C4BP expression in hepatocytes are mediated by MEK/ERK signaling and NFκB activation and that membrane-bound CD14 and TLR-4 are involved in this mechanism.

  13. Genetic Transfer of Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli Lipopolysaccharide Antigens to Escherichia coli K-12

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Randall T.; Koeltzow, Donald E.; Stocker, B. A. D.

    1972-01-01

    Escherichia coli K-12 ϰ971 was crossed with a smooth Salmonella typhimurium donor, HfrK6, which transfers early the ilv-linked rfa region determining lipopolysaccharide (LPS) core structure. Two ilv+ hybrids differing in their response to the LPS-specific phages FO and C21 were then crossed with S. typhimurium HfrK9, which transfers early the rfb gene cluster determining O repeat unit structure. Most recombinants selected for his+ (near rfb) were agglutinated by Salmonella factor 4 antiserum. Transfer of an F′ factor (FS400) carrying the rfb–his region of S. typhimurium to the same two ilv+ hybrids gave similar results. LPS extracted from two ilv+,his+, factor 4-positive hybrids contained abequose, the immunodominant sugar for factor 4 specificity. By contrast, his+ hybrids obtained from ϰ971 itself by similar HfrK9 and F′FS400 crosses were not agglutinated by factor 4 antiserum, indicating that the parental E. coli ϰ971 does not have the capacity to attach Salmonella O repeat units to its LPS core. It is concluded that the Salmonella rfb genes are expressed only in E. coli ϰ971 hybrids which have also acquired ilv-linked genes (presumably rfa genes affecting core structure or O-translocase ability, or both) from a S. typhimurium donor. When E. coli ϰ971 was crossed with a smooth E. coli donor, Hfr59, of serotype O8, which transfers his early, most his+ recombinants were agglutinated by E. coli O8 antiserum and lysed by the O8-specific phage, Ω8. This suggests that, although the parental E. coli K-12 strain ϰ971 cannot attach Salmonella-specific repeat units to its LPS core, it does have the capacity to attach E. coli O8-specific repeat units. PMID:4559827

  14. Reactor core of FBR type reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hayashi, Hideyuki; Ichimiya, Masakazu.

    1994-01-01

    A reactor core is a homogeneous reactor core divided into two regions of an inner reactor core region at the center and an outer reactor core region surrounding the outside of the inner reactor core region. In this case, the inner reactor core region has a lower plutonium enrichment degree and less amount of neutron leakage in the radial direction, and the outer reactor core region has higher plutonium enrichment degree and greater amount of neutron leakage in the radial direction. Moderator materials containing hydrogen are added only to the inner reactor core fuels in the inner reactor core region. Pins loaded with the fuels with addition of the moderator materials are inserted at a ratio of from 3 to 10% of the total number of the fuel pins. The moderator materials containing hydrogen comprise zirconium hydride, titanium hydride, or calcium hydride. With such a constitution, fluctuation of the power distribution in the radial direction along with burning is suppressed. In addition, an absolute value of the Doppler coefficient can be increased, and a temperature coefficient of coolants can be reduced. (I.N.)

  15. Molecular hydrogen reduces LPS-induced neuroinflammation and promotes recovery from sickness behaviour in mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stefan Spulber

    Full Text Available Molecular hydrogen has been shown to have neuroprotective effects in mouse models of acute neurodegeneration. The effect was suggested to be mediated by its free-radical scavenger properties. However, it has been shown recently that molecular hydrogen alters gene expression and protein phosphorylation. The aim of this study was to test whether chronic ad libitum consumption of molecular hydrogen-enriched electrochemically reduced water (H-ERW improves the outcome of lipopolysaccharide (LPS-induced neuroinflammation. Seven days after the initiation of H-ERW treatment, C57Bl/6 mice received a single injection of LPS (0.33 mg/kg i.p. or an equivalent volume of vehicle. The LPS-induced sickness behaviour was assessed 2 h after the injection, and recovery was assessed by monitoring the spontaneous locomotor activity in the homecage for 72 h after the administration of LPS. The mice were killed in the acute or recovery phase, and the expression of pro- and antiinflammatory cytokines in the hippocampus was assessed by real-time PCR. We found that molecular hydrogen reduces the LPS-induced sickness behaviour and promotes recovery. These effects are associated with a shift towards anti-inflammatory gene expression profile at baseline (downregulation of TNF- α and upregulation of IL-10. In addition, molecular hydrogen increases the amplitude, but shortens the duration and promotes the extinction of neuroinflammation. Consistently, molecular hydrogen modulates the activation and gene expression in a similar fashion in immortalized murine microglia (BV-2 cell line, suggesting that the effects observed in vivo may involve the modulation of microglial activation. Taken together, our data point to the regulation of cytokine expression being an additional critical mechanism underlying the beneficial effects of molecular hydrogen.

  16. Forming of the regional core transport network taking into account the allocation of alternative energy sources based on artificial intelligence methods

    OpenAIRE

    Marina ZHURAVSKAYA; Vladimir TARASYAN

    2014-01-01

    In the modern world the alternative energy sources, which considerably depend on a region, play more and more significant role. However, the transition of regions to new energy sources lead to the change of transport and logistic network configuration. The formation of optimal core transport network today is a guarantee of the successful economic development of a region tomorrow. The present article studies the issue of advanced core transport network development in a region based on the ...

  17. Cytosolic NADP(+)-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase protects macrophages from LPS-induced nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maeng, Oky; Kim, Yong Chan; Shin, Han-Jae; Lee, Jie-Oh; Huh, Tae-Lin; Kang, Kwang-il; Kim, Young Sang; Paik, Sang-Gi; Lee, Hayyoung

    2004-04-30

    Macrophages activated by microbial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) produce bursts of nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Redox protection systems are essential for the survival of the macrophages since the nitric oxide and ROS can be toxic to them as well as to pathogens. Using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) we found that cytosolic NADP(+)-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDPc) is strongly upregulated by nitric oxide in macrophages. The levels of IDPc mRNA and of the corresponding enzymatic activity were markedly increased by treatment of RAW264.7 cells or peritoneal macrophages with LPS or SNAP (a nitric oxide donor). Over-expression of IDPc reduced intracellular peroxide levels and enhanced the survival of H2O2- and SNAP-treated RAW264.7 macrophages. IDPc is known to generate NADPH, a cellular reducing agent, via oxidative decarboxylation of isocitrate. The expression of enzymes implicated in redox protection, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase, was relatively unaffected by LPS and SNAP. We propose that the induction of IDPc is one of the main self-protection mechanisms of macrophages against LPS-induced oxidative stress.

  18. Importance of bacterial endotoxin (LPS in endodontics A importância da endotoxina bacteriana (LPS na endodontia atual

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mario Roberto Leonardo

    2004-06-01

    Full Text Available New knowledge of the structure and biological activity of endotoxins (LPS has revolutionized concepts concerning their mechanisms of action and forms of inactivation. Since the 1980's, technological advances in microbiological culture and identification have shown that anaerobic microorganisms, especially Gram-negative, predominate in root canals of teeth with pulp necrosis and radiographically visible chronic periapical lesions. Gram-negative bacteria not only have different factors of virulence and generate sub-products that are toxic to apical and periapical tissues, as also contain endotoxin (LPS on their cell wall. This is especially important because endotoxin is released during multiplication or bacterial death, causing a series of biological effects that lead to an inflammatory reaction and resorption of mineralized tissues. Thus, due to the role of endotoxin in the pathogenesis of periapical lesions, we reviewed the literature concerning the biological activity of endotoxin and the relevance of its inactivation during treatment of teeth with pulp necrosis and chronic periapical lesion.O conhecimento mais aprofundado sobre a estrutura e atividade biológica das endotoxinas (LPS revolucionou os conceitos sobre seu mecanismo de ação e formas de inativação. A partir da década de 80, os avanços tecnológicos na cultura e identificação microbiológica demonstraram que, em canais radiculares de dentes portadores de necrose pulpar e lesão periapical crônica, visível radiograficamente, predominam microrganismos anaeróbios, particularmente os gram-negativos. Como se sabe, os microrganismos gram-negativos, além de possuírem diferentes fatores de virulência e gerarem produtos e sub-produtos tóxicos aos tecidos apicais e periapicais, contêm endotoxina em sua parede celular. Esse conhecimento é particularmente importante, uma vez que a endotoxina é liberada durante a multiplicação ou morte bacteriana, exercendo uma série de

  19. Glycolipids from spinach suppress LPS-induced vascular inflammation through eNOS and NK-κB signaling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ishii, Masakazu; Nakahara, Tatsuo; Araho, Daisuke; Murakami, Juri; Nishimura, Masahiro

    2017-07-01

    Glycolipids are the major constituent of the thylakoid membrane of higher plants and have a variety of biological and pharmacological activities. However, anti-inflammatory effects of glycolipids on vascular endothelial cells have not been elucidated. Here, we investigated the effect of glycolipids extracted from spinach on lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-induced endothelial inflammation and evaluated the underlying molecular mechanisms. Treatment with glycolipids from spinach had no cytotoxic effects on cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and significantly blocked the expression of LPS-induced interleukin (IL)-6, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in them. Glycolipids treatment also effectively suppressed monocyte adhesion to HUVECs. Treatment with glycolipids inhibited LPS-induced NF-κB phosphorylation and nuclear translocation. In addition, glycolipids treatment significantly promoted endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activation and nitric oxide (NO) production in HUVECs. Furthermore, glycolipids treatment blocked LPS-induced inducible NOS (iNOS) expression in HUVECs. Pretreatment with a NOS inhibitor attenuated glycolipids-induced suppression of NF-κB activation and adhesion molecule expression, and abolished the glycolipids-mediated suppression of monocyte adhesion to HUVECs. These results indicate that glycolipids suppress LPS-induced vascular inflammation through attenuation of the NF-κB pathway by increasing NO production in endothelial cells. These findings suggest that glycolipids from spinach may have a potential therapeutic use for inflammatory vascular diseases. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  20. Hiding the interior region of core-shell nanoparticles with quantum invisible cloaks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Jeng Yi; Lee, Ray-Kuang

    2014-04-01

    Based on the scattering cancellation, we provide a method not only making a nanoparticle nearly invisible, but also hiding its interior region from the outside probing matter wave. By applying the interplay among the nodal points of partial waves along with the concept of streamline in fluid dynamics for probability flux, a quantum invisible cloak to the electron transport in a host semiconductor is demonstrated by simultaneously guiding the probability flux outside a hidden region and keeping the total scattering cross section negligible. As the probability flux vanishes in the interior region, one can embed any materials inside a multiple core-shell nanoparticle without affecting physical observables from the outside. Our results reveal the possibility to design a protection shield layer for fragile interior parts from the impact of transport electrons.

  1. Glutamate alleviates muscle protein loss by modulating TLR4, NODs, Akt/FOXO and mTOR signaling pathways in LPS-challenged piglets.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ping Kang

    Full Text Available The experiment was conducted to study the effect of the glutamate (Glu on muscle protein loss through toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4, nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain proteins (NODs, Akt/Forkhead Box O (Akt/FOXO and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR signaling pathways in LPS-challenged piglets. Twenty-four weaned piglets were assigned into four treatments: (1 Control; (2 LPS+0% Glu; (3 LPS + 1.0% Glu; (4 LPS + 2.0% Glu. The experiment was lasted for 28 days. On d 28, the piglets in the LPS challenged groups were injected with LPS on 100 μg/kg body weight (BW, and the piglets in the control group were injected with the same volume of 0.9% NaCl solution. After 4 h LPS or saline injection, the piglets were slaughtered and the muscle samples were collected. Glu supplementation increased the protein/DNA ratio in gastrocnemius muscle, and the protein content in longissimus dorsi (LD muscle after LPS challenge (P<0.05. In addition, Glu supplementation decreased TLR4, IL-1 receptor-associated kinase (IRAK 1, receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase (RIPK 2, and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB mRNA expression in gastrocnemius muscle (P<0.05, MyD88 mRNA expression in LD muscle, and FOXO1 mRNA expression in LD muscle (P<0.05. Moreover, Glu supplementation increased p-Akt/t-Akt ratio (P<0.05 in gastrocnemius muscle, and p-4EBP1/t-4EBP1 ratio in both gastrocnemius and LD muscles (P<0.05. Glu supplementation in the piglets' diets might be an effective strategy to alleviate LPS-induced muscle protein loss, which might be due to suppressing the mRNA expression of TLR4 and NODs signaling-related genes, and modulating Akt/FOXO and mTOR signaling pathways.

  2. Effect of heat transfer in the fog region during core reflooding

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rouai, N. M.; El-sawy, H. M.

    1993-01-01

    Core reflooding following a loss of coolant accident (LOCA) in a pressurized water reactor (PWR) received considerable attention during the past thirty years. In this paper a one dimensional model is used to study the effect of the heat transfer in the fog region ahead of the wet front reflooding rate of a cylindrical fuel element following a LOCA in a PWR. The heat conduction equation in the cladding is solved in coordinate system moving with the wet front under a variety of condition to investigate the effects of such parameters as the initial cladding surface temperature, the decay heat generation rate in the fuel and the mode of heat transfer prevailing. The cladding surface is divided into three axial regions according to the mechanism of heat transfer, namely, a boiling region behind the wet front, a fog region ahead of the wet front and a dry region further downstream of the wet front. The effect of changing the heat transfer coefficient in the fog region on the rewetting rate and on the fog length is investigated. The results of this simple model show that increasing the heat transfer in the fog region increases the rewetting velocity and consequently decreases the fog length. The results are in general agreement with a more accurate two-dimensional model and experimental data. (author)

  3. Identifying regions of strong scattering at the core-mantle boundary from analysis of PKKP precursor energy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rost, S.; Earle, P.S.

    2010-01-01

    We detect seismic scattering from the core-mantle boundary related to the phase PKKP (PK. KP) in data from small aperture seismic arrays in India and Canada. The detection of these scattered waves in data from small aperture arrays is new and allows a better characterization of the fine-scale structure of the deep Earth especially in the southern hemisphere. Their slowness vector is determined from array processing allowing location of the heterogeneities at the core-mantle boundary using back-projection techniques through 1D Earth models. We identify strong scattering at the core-mantle boundary (CMB) beneath the Caribbean, Patagonia and the Antarctic Peninsula as well as beneath southern Africa. An analysis of the scattering regions relative to sources and receivers indicates that these regions represent areas of increased scattering likely due to increased heterogeneities close to the CMB. The 1. Hz array data used in this study is most sensitive to heterogeneity with scale lengths of about 10. km. Given the small size of the scatterers, a chemical origin of the heterogeneities is likely. By comparing the location of the fine-scale heterogeneity to geodynamical models and tomographic images, we identify different scattering mechanisms in regions related to subduction (Caribbean and Patagonia) and dense thermo chemical piles (Southern Africa). ?? 2010 Elsevier B.V.

  4. Research on Protective Effect and Mechanism of Idazoxan on lps Attacked Acute Hepatic Injury

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Junyu; Ying, Shangqi; Kang, Wenyuan; Huang, Wenjuan; Liang, Huaping

    2018-01-01

    Objective: To observe the protection effect of Idazoxan (IDA) on LPS induced acute hepatic injury, and to explore its action mechanism. Methods: 60 adult C57BL/6 mice were divided into a control group (20 mice, intraperitoneal injection of phosphate buffer), a model group (20 mice, intraperitoneal injection of LPS 10 mg/kg) and a agmatine group (20 mice, intraperitoneal injection of LPS 10 mg/kg and agmatine 200 mg/kg) according to random number table method. Blood and liver tissue were collected for preparation of tissue homogenate. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was adopted for detecting tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin (IL- 1β and IL - 6) contents in the serum and liver tissue at 24h after molding. Automatic biochemical analyzer is used for determining alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level at 24h after molding; The liver tissue pathology changes were observed at 24h after molding. Macrophage RAW264.7 cells were stimulated by 10 μg/mL LPS and with or without IDA (100 μmol/L). 2’, 7’-dichlorofluoresce in diacetate (DCFH-DA) was used as a fluorescent probe for detection of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level; qRT - PCR method was used for detecting antioxidant enzymes HO-1 and NQO-1 mRNA expression level at 2h, 4h and 8 h. Results: mice in the model group suffered from depression, curling and food water forbidding at 6h after molding. Mice in the Idazoxan group have obviously better spirit and activity than that of model group. The serum ALT, AST and LDH level of LPS attacked acute hepatic injury mice can be effectively alleviated after Idazoxan treatment. The expression of proinflammatory factor TNF-α and IL-6 in the liver can be reduced. The liver showed obvious pathological changes at 24 h after injection, such as liver cell swelling, necrosis, congestion, inflammatory cell infiltration, etc.; The liver cell injury was prominently alleviated in IDA

  5. Magnetic susceptibility measurements of boring cores obtained from regional hydrological study project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hasegawa, Ken

    2010-02-01

    We measured the magnetic susceptibility of boring cores obtained from the Regional Hydrological Study Project to interpret the aeromagnetic survey data which was carried out in Tono area with about 40km square surrounding Tono Geoscience Center. The result of measurements indicates that the magnetic susceptibility of the Toki Granite is not distributed uniformly and the maximum value becomes two orders in magnitude larger than its minimum value. (author)

  6. CHEMICAL SEGREGATION TOWARD MASSIVE HOT CORES: THE AFGL2591 STAR-FORMING REGION

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jimenez-Serra, I.; Zhang, Q. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden St., Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Viti, S. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Place, London WC1E 6BT (United Kingdom); Martin-Pintado, J. [Centro de Astrobiologia (CSIC/INTA), Ctra. de Torrejon a Ajalvir km 4, E-28850 Torrejon de Ardoz, Madrid (Spain); De Wit, W.-J., E-mail: ijimenez-serra@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: qzhang@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: sv@star.ucl.ac.uk, E-mail: jmartin@cab.inta-csic.es, E-mail: wdewit@eso.org [European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Cordova 3107, Vitacura, Santiago (Chile)

    2012-07-01

    We present high angular resolution observations (0.''5 Multiplication-Sign 0.''3) carried out with the Submillimeter Array (SMA) toward the AFGL2591 high-mass star-forming region. Our SMA images reveal a clear chemical segregation within the AFGL2591 VLA 3 hot core, where different molecular species (Types I, II, and III) appear distributed in three concentric shells. This is the first time that such a chemical segregation is ever reported at linear scales {<=}3000 AU within a hot core. While Type I species (H{sub 2}S and {sup 13}CS) peak at the AFGL2591 VLA 3 protostar, Type II molecules (HC{sub 3}N, OCS, SO, and SO{sub 2}) show a double-peaked structure circumventing the continuum peak. Type III species, represented by CH{sub 3}OH, form a ring-like structure surrounding the continuum emission. The excitation temperatures of SO{sub 2}, HC{sub 3}N, and CH{sub 3}OH (185 {+-} 11 K, 150 {+-} 20 K, and 124 {+-} 12 K, respectively) show a temperature gradient within the AFGL2591 VLA 3 envelope, consistent with previous observations and modeling of the source. By combining the H{sub 2}S, SO{sub 2}, and CH{sub 3}OH images, representative of the three concentric shells, we find that the global kinematics of the molecular gas follow Keplerian-like rotation around a 40 M{sub Sun} star. The chemical segregation observed toward AFGL2591 VLA 3 is explained by the combination of molecular UV photodissociation and a high-temperature ({approx}1000 K) gas-phase chemistry within the low extinction innermost region in the AFGL2591 VLA 3 hot core.

  7. Selenium Pretreatment Alleviated LPS-Induced Immunological Stress Via Upregulation of Several Selenoprotein Encoding Genes in Murine RAW264.7 Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Longqiong; Jing, Jinzhong; Yan, Hui; Tang, Jiayong; Jia, Gang; Liu, Guangmang; Chen, Xiaoling; Tian, Gang; Cai, Jingyi; Shang, Haiying; Zhao, Hua

    2018-04-18

    This study was conducted to profile selenoprotein encoding genes in mouse RAW264.7 cells upon lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge and integrate their roles into immunological regulation in response to selenium (Se) pretreatment. LPS was used to develop immunological stress in macrophages. Cells were pretreated with different levels of Se (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 μmol Se/L) for 2 h, followed by LPS (100 ng/mL) stimulation for another 3 h. The mRNA expression of 24 selenoprotein encoding genes and 9 inflammation-related genes were investigated. The results showed that LPS (100 ng/mL) effectively induced immunological stress in RAW264.7 cells with induced inflammation cytokines, IL-6 and TNF-α, mRNA expression, and cellular secretion. LPS increased (P immunological stress in RAW264.7 cells accompanied with the global downregulation of selenoprotein encoding genes and Se pretreatment alleviated immunological stress via upregulation of a subset of selenoprotein encoding genes.

  8. Acute and chronic effects of treatment with mesenchymal stromal cells on LPS-induced pulmonary inflammation, emphysema and atherosclerosis development.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P Padmini S J Khedoe

    Full Text Available COPD is a pulmonary disorder often accompanied by cardiovascular disease (CVD, and current treatment of this comorbidity is suboptimal. Systemic inflammation in COPD triggered by smoke and microbial exposure is suggested to link COPD and CVD. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC possess anti-inflammatory capacities and MSC treatment is considered an attractive treatment option for various chronic inflammatory diseases. Therefore, we investigated the immunomodulatory properties of MSC in an acute and chronic model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS-induced inflammation, emphysema and atherosclerosis development in APOE*3-Leiden (E3L mice.Hyperlipidemic E3L mice were intranasally instilled with 10 μg LPS or vehicle twice in an acute 4-day study, or twice weekly during 20 weeks Western-type diet feeding in a chronic study. Mice received 0.5x106 MSC or vehicle intravenously twice after the first LPS instillation (acute study or in week 14, 16, 18 and 20 (chronic study. Inflammatory parameters were measured in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL and lung tissue. Emphysema, pulmonary inflammation and atherosclerosis were assessed in the chronic study.In the acute study, intranasal LPS administration induced a marked systemic IL-6 response on day 3, which was inhibited after MSC treatment. Furthermore, MSC treatment reduced LPS-induced total cell count in BAL due to reduced neutrophil numbers. In the chronic study, LPS increased emphysema but did not aggravate atherosclerosis. Emphysema and atherosclerosis development were unaffected after MSC treatment.These data show that MSC inhibit LPS-induced pulmonary and systemic inflammation in the acute study, whereas MSC treatment had no effect on inflammation, emphysema and atherosclerosis development in the chronic study.

  9. [Gallic acid inhibits inflammatory response of RAW264.7 macrophages by blocking the activation of TLR4/NF-κB induced by LPS].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Lihua; Hou, Lin; Xue, Hainan; Wang, Chunjie

    2016-12-01

    Objective To observe the influence of gallic acid on Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-κB (TLR4/NF-κB) pathway in the RAW264.7 macrophages stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Methods RAW264.7 macrophages were divided into the following groups: control group, LPS group, LPS combined with gallic acid group, LPS combined with pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) group and LPS combined with dexamethasone (DM) group. RAW264.7 cells were cultured for 24 hours after corresponding treatments. The levels of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin-1 (IL-1) and IL-6 were detected by ELISA. The levels of TLR4 and NF-κB mRNAs were tested by real-time PCR. The levels of p-IκBα, p65, p-p65 and TLR4 proteins were examined by Western blotting. Results The expression levels of TNF-α, IL-1 and IL-6 were up-regulated in the RAW264.7 macrophages after stimulated by LPS. Gallic acid could reduce the elevated expression levels of TNF-α, IL-1 and IL-6 induced by LPS. The expression of TLR4 significantly increased after stimulated by LPS and NF-κB was activated. Gallic acid could reverse the above changes and prevent the activation of NF-κB. Conclusion Gallic acid could inhibit LPS-induced inflammatory response in RAW264.7 macrophages via TLR4/NF-κB pathway.

  10. Artesunate Reduces Serum Lipopolysaccharide in Cecal Ligation/Puncture Mice via Enhanced LPS Internalization by Macrophages through Increased mRNA Expression of Scavenger Receptors

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    Bin Li

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Innate immunity is the first line of defense in human beings against pathogen infection; monocytes/macrophages are the primary cells of the innate immune system. Recently, macrophages/monocytes have been discovered to participate in LPS clearance, and the clearance efficiency determines the magnitude of the inflammatory response and subsequent organ injury. Previously, we reported that artesunate (AS protected sepsis mice against heat-killed E. coli challenge. Herein, we further confirmed that AS protected cecal ligation/puncture (CLP sepsis mice. Its protection on sepsis mice was related to not only reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines and serum LPS levels but also improvement of liver function. Based on the fact that AS did not directly bind and neutralize LPS, we hypothesized that the reduction of serum LPS level might be related to enhancement of LPS internalization and subsequent detoxification. Our results showed that AS increased FITC-LPS internalization by peritoneal macrophage and liver Kupffer cell, but enhancement of LPS internalization by AS was not related to the clathrin-dependent pathway. However, AS induced mRNA expression of important scavenger receptors (SRs; SR-A and MARCO mRNA expression was upregulated, suggesting that AS enhancement of LPS internalization and inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines was related to changes in mRNA expression of SRs.

  11. Cyclical DNA Methylation and Histone Changes Are Induced by LPS to Activate COX-2 in Human Intestinal Epithelial Cells.

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    Tiziana Angrisano

    Full Text Available Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS induces release of inflammatory mediators both in immune and epithelial cells. We investigated whether changes of epigenetic marks, including selected histone modification and DNA methylation, may drive or accompany the activation of COX-2 gene in HT-29 human intestinal epithelial cells upon exposure to LPS. Here we describe cyclical histone acetylation (H3, methylation (H3K4, H3K9, H3K27 and DNA methylation changes occurring at COX-2 gene promoter overtime after LPS stimulation. Histone K27 methylation changes are carried out by the H3 demethylase JMJD3 and are essential for COX-2 induction by LPS. The changes of the histone code are associated with cyclical methylation signatures at the promoter and gene body of COX-2 gene.

  12. Endogenous PGI2 signaling through IP inhibits neutrophilic lung inflammation in LPS-induced acute lung injury mice model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toki, Shinji; Zhou, Weisong; Goleniewska, Kasia; Reiss, Sara; Dulek, Daniel E; Newcomb, Dawn C; Lawson, William E; Peebles, R Stokes

    2018-04-13

    Endogenous prostaglandin I 2 (PGI 2 ) has inhibitory effects on immune responses against pathogens or allergens; however, the immunomodulatory activity of endogenous PGI 2 signaling in endotoxin-induced inflammation is unknown. To test the hypothesis that endogenous PGI 2 down-regulates endotoxin-induced lung inflammation, C57BL/6 wild type (WT) and PGI 2 receptor (IP) KO mice were challenged intranasally with LPS. Urine 6-keto-PGF 1α , a stable metabolite of PGI 2, was significantly increased following the LPS-challenge, suggesting that endogenous PGI 2 signaling modulates the host response to LPS-challenge. IPKO mice had a significant increase in neutrophils in the BAL fluid as well as increased proteins of KC, LIX, and TNF-α in lung homogenates compared with WT mice. In contrast, IL-10 was decreased in LPS-challenged IPKO mice compared with WT mice. The PGI 2 analog cicaprost significantly decreased LPS-induced KC, and TNF-α, but increased IL-10 and AREG in bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) and bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs) compared with vehicle-treatment. These results indicated that endogenous PGI 2 signaling attenuated neutrophilic lung inflammation through the reduced inflammatory cytokine and chemokine and enhanced IL-10. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  13. TNF-α and LPS activate angiogenesis via VEGF and SIRT1 signalling in human dental pulp cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shin, M R; Kang, S K; Kim, Y S; Lee, S Y; Hong, S C; Kim, E-C

    2015-07-01

    To assess whether SIRT1 and VEGF are responsible for tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced angiogenesis and to examine the molecular mechanism(s) of action in human dental pulp cells (HDPCs). Immortalized HDPCs obtained from Prof. Takashi Takata (Hiroshima University, Japan) were treated with LPS (1 μg mL(-1) ) and TNF-α (10 ng mL(-1) ) for 24 h. mRNA and protein levels were examined by RT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Migration and tube formation were examined in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The data were analysed by one-way anova. Statistical analysis was performed at α = 0.05. LPS and TNF-α upregulated VEGF and SIRT1 mRNA and protein levels. Inhibition of SIRT1 activity by sirtinol and SIRT1 siRNA or inhibition of the VEGF receptor by CBO-P11 significantly attenuated LPS + TNF-α-stimulated MMPs production in HDPCs, as well as migration and tube formation in HUVECs (P disease. © 2014 International Endodontic Journal. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  14. Role of IFN-gamma and LPS on Neuron/Glial Co-Cultures Infected by Neospora caninum

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    Erica Etelvina Viana De Jesus

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Neospora caninum causes cattle abortion and neurological symptoms in dogs. Although infection is usually asymptomatic, classical neurological symptoms of neosporosis may be associated with encephalitis. This parasite can grow in brain endothelial cells without markedly damages, but it can modulate the cellular environment to promote its survival in the brain. In previous studies, we described that IFN-γ decreased the parasite proliferation and down regulated nitric oxide production in astrocyte/microglia cultures. However, it remains unclear how glial cells respond to N. caninum in the presence of neurons. Therefore, we evaluated the effect of 300 IU/mL IFN-γ or 1.0 μg/mL of LPS on infected rat neuron/glial co-cultures. After 72 hours of infection, LPS did not affect the mitochondrial dehydrogenase activity. However, IFN-γ decreased this parameter by 15.5 and 12.0% in uninfected and infected cells, respectively. The number of tachyzoites decreased 54.1 and 44.3% in cells stimulated with IFN-γ and LPS, respectively. Infection or LPS treatment did not change NO production. On the other hand, IFN-γ induced increased nitrite release in 55.7%, but the infection reverted this induction. IL-10 levels increased only in infected cultures (treated or not, meanwhile PGE2 release was improved in IFN-γ/infected or LPS/infected cells. Although IFN-γ significantly reduced the neurite length in uninfected cultures (42.64%; p < 0.001, this inflammatory cytokine reverted the impairment of neurite outgrowth induced by the infection (81.39%. The results suggest a neuroprotective potential response of glia to N. caninum infection under IFN-γ stimulus. This observation contributes to understand the immune mediated mechanisms of neosporosis in CNS

  15. Nfkb1 inhibits LPS-induced IFN-β and IL-12 p40 production in macrophages by distinct mechanisms.

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    Xixing Zhao

    Full Text Available Nfkb1-deficient murine macrophages express higher levels of IFN-β and IL-12 p40 following LPS stimulation than control macrophages, but the molecular basis for this phenomenon has not been completely defined. Nfkb1 encodes several gene products including the NF-κB subunit p50 and its precursor p105. p50 is derived from the N-terminal of 105, and p50 homodimers can exhibit suppressive activity when overexpressed. The C-terminal region of p105 is necessary for LPS-induced ERK activation and it has been suggested that ERK activity inhibits both IFN-β and IL-12 p40 following LPS stimulation. However, the contributions of p50 and the C-terminal domain of p105 in regulating endogenous IFN-β(Ifnb and IL-12 p40 (Il12b gene expression in macrophages following LPS stimulation have not been directly compared.We have used recombinant retroviruses to express p105, p50, and the C-terminal domain of p105 (p105ΔN in Nfkb1-deficient murine bone marrow-derived macrophages at near endogenous levels. We found that both p50 and p105ΔN inhibited expression of Ifnb, and that inhibition of Ifnb by p105ΔN depended on ERK activation, because a mutant of p105ΔN (p105ΔNS930A that lacks a key serine necessary to support ERK activation failed to inhibit. In contrast, only p105ΔN but not p50 inhibited Il12b expression. Surprisingly, p105ΔNS930A retained inhibitory activity for Il12b, indicating that ERK activation was not necessary for inhibition. The differential effects of p105ΔNS930A on Ifnb and Il12b expression inversely correlated with the function of one of its binding partners, c-Rel. This raised the possibility that p105ΔNS930A influences gene expression by interfering with the function of c-Rel.These results demonstrate that Nfkb1 exhibits multiple gene-specific inhibitory functions following TLR stimulation of murine macrophages.

  16. Lignans from Arctium lappa and their inhibition of LPS-induced nitric oxide production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, So Young; Hong, Seong Su; Han, Xiang Hua; Hwang, Ji Sang; Lee, Dongho; Ro, Jai Seup; Hwang, Bang Yeon

    2007-01-01

    A new butyrolactone sesquilignan, isolappaol C (1), together with four known lignans, lappaol C (2), lappaol D (3), lappaol F (4), and diarctigenin (5), were isolated from the methanolic extract of the seeds from the Arctium lappa plant. The structure of isolappaol C (1) was determined by spectral analysis including 1D- and 2D-NMR. All the isolates were evaluated for their inhibitory effects on the LPS-induced nitric oxide production using murine macrophage RAW264.7 cells. Lappaol F (4) and diarctigenin (5) strongly inhibited NO production in the LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells with IC(50) values of 9.5 and 9.6 microM, respectively.

  17. Effect of curcumin (Curcuma longa extract) on LPS-induced acute lung injury is mediated by the activation of AMPK.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Joungmin; Jeong, Seong-Wook; Quan, Hui; Jeong, Cheol-Won; Choi, Jeong-Il; Bae, Hong-Beom

    2016-02-01

    Curcumin, a biphenolic compound extracted from turmeric (Curcuma longa), possesses potent anti-inflammatory activity. The present study investigated whether curcumin could increase 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity in macrophages and modulate the severity of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury. Macrophages were treated with curcumin and then exposed (or not) to LPS. Acute lung injury was induced by intratracheal administration of LPS in BALB/c mice. Curcumin increased phosphorylation of AMPK and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), a downstream target of AMPK, in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Curcumin did not increase phosphorylation of liver kinase B1, a primary kinase upstream of AMPK. STO-609, an inhibitor of calcium(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase, diminished curcumin-induced AMPK phosphorylation, but transforming growth factor-beta-activated kinase 1 inhibitor did not. Curcumin also diminished the LPS-induced increase in phosphorylation of inhibitory κB-alpha and the production of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-2, and interleukin (IL)-6 by macrophages. Systemic administration of curcumin significantly decreased the production of TNF-α, MIP-2, and IL-6 as well as neutrophil accumulation in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and also decreased pulmonary myeloperoxidase levels and the wet/dry weight ratio in mice subjected to LPS treatment. These results suggest that the protective effect of curcumin on LPS-induced acute lung injury is associated with AMPK activation.

  18. Friedelane-type triterpenoids as selective anti-inflammatory agents by regulation of differential signaling pathways in LPS-stimulated macrophages

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Villar-Lorenzo, Andrea, E-mail: avillar@iib.uam.es [Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas Alberto Sols (IIBm) (CSIC/UAM), C/ Arturo Duperier 4, 28029 Madrid (Spain); Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERdem), ISCIII, 28029 Madrid (Spain); Ardiles, Alejandro E., E-mail: ale_csic@gmail.com [Instituto Universitario de Bio-Orgánica Antonio González, Departamento de Química Orgánica, Universidad de La Laguna, Avenida Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez 2, 38206 La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain); Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Arturo Prat, Casilla 121, Iquique 1110939 (Chile); Arroba, Ana I., E-mail: aarroba@iib.uam.es [Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas Alberto Sols (IIBm) (CSIC/UAM), C/ Arturo Duperier 4, 28029 Madrid (Spain); Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERdem), ISCIII, 28029 Madrid (Spain); Hernández-Jiménez, Enrique, E-mail: enheji@gmail.com [Tumor Immunology Laboratory (IdiPAZ), 28029 Madrid (Spain); Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERres), ISCIII, 28029 Madrid (Spain); and others

    2016-12-15

    A series of 31 pentacyclic triterpenoids isolated from the root barks of Celastrus vulcanicola and Maytenus jelskii were tested for cytotoxicity and inhibitory activity against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Compounds 18 (C18) and 25 (C25) exhibited significant inhibition of LPS-induced NO release at 50 and 25 μM concentrations, respectively, and decreased mRNAs of pro-inflammatory cytokines. At the molecular level, C18 neither inhibited LPS-mediated phosphorylation of mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs) nor nuclear translocation of nuclear factor kappa beta (NFκB). Instead, C18 enhanced and prolonged nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and increased the expression of its target genes including hemeoxigenase 1 (HO1). C25 efficiently inhibited LPS-mediated phosphorylation of JNK, p38 and ERK, without affecting NFκB or Nrf2 signaling pathways. Both compounds reduced LPS-mediated processing of caspase-1 and the cleavage of interleukin 1β (IL1β) proform, reflecting their ability to target the inflammasome. C25 also counteracted LPS effects on iNOS expression and pro-inflammatory cytokines mRNA levels in Bv-2 microglial cells. The anti-inflammatory effect of both compounds was also assessed in human macrophages. Our results suggest that triterpenoids C18 and C25 possess anti-inflammatory effects, which may be therapeutically relevant for diseases linked to inflammation. - Highlights: • Compounds 18 (C18) and 25 (C25) exert anti-inflammatory effects in macrophages. • C18 enhanced nuclear translocation of Nrf2 and increased HO1 expression. • C25 inhibited the phosphorylation of JNK, p38 and ERK, members of the MAPKs family. • C25 reduced LPS-mediated processing of caspase-1 and the cleavage of interleukin 1β. • C18 and C25 may be therapeutic agents for diseases linked to inflammation.

  19. Friedelane-type triterpenoids as selective anti-inflammatory agents by regulation of differential signaling pathways in LPS-stimulated macrophages

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Villar-Lorenzo, Andrea; Ardiles, Alejandro E.; Arroba, Ana I.; Hernández-Jiménez, Enrique

    2016-01-01

    A series of 31 pentacyclic triterpenoids isolated from the root barks of Celastrus vulcanicola and Maytenus jelskii were tested for cytotoxicity and inhibitory activity against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Compounds 18 (C18) and 25 (C25) exhibited significant inhibition of LPS-induced NO release at 50 and 25 μM concentrations, respectively, and decreased mRNAs of pro-inflammatory cytokines. At the molecular level, C18 neither inhibited LPS-mediated phosphorylation of mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs) nor nuclear translocation of nuclear factor kappa beta (NFκB). Instead, C18 enhanced and prolonged nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and increased the expression of its target genes including hemeoxigenase 1 (HO1). C25 efficiently inhibited LPS-mediated phosphorylation of JNK, p38 and ERK, without affecting NFκB or Nrf2 signaling pathways. Both compounds reduced LPS-mediated processing of caspase-1 and the cleavage of interleukin 1β (IL1β) proform, reflecting their ability to target the inflammasome. C25 also counteracted LPS effects on iNOS expression and pro-inflammatory cytokines mRNA levels in Bv-2 microglial cells. The anti-inflammatory effect of both compounds was also assessed in human macrophages. Our results suggest that triterpenoids C18 and C25 possess anti-inflammatory effects, which may be therapeutically relevant for diseases linked to inflammation. - Highlights: • Compounds 18 (C18) and 25 (C25) exert anti-inflammatory effects in macrophages. • C18 enhanced nuclear translocation of Nrf2 and increased HO1 expression. • C25 inhibited the phosphorylation of JNK, p38 and ERK, members of the MAPKs family. • C25 reduced LPS-mediated processing of caspase-1 and the cleavage of interleukin 1β. • C18 and C25 may be therapeutic agents for diseases linked to inflammation.

  20. Ursolic acid isolated from guava leaves inhibits inflammatory mediators and reactive oxygen species in LPS-stimulated macrophages.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Min-Hye; Kim, Jin Nam; Han, Sung Nim; Kim, Hye-Kyeong

    2015-06-01

    Psidium guajava (guava) leaves have been frequently used for the treatment of rheumatism, fever, arthritis and other inflammatory conditions. The purpose of this study was to identify major anti-inflammatory compounds from guava leaf extract. The methanol extract and its hexane-, dichloromethane-, ethylacetate-, n-butanol- and water-soluble phases derived from guava leaves were evaluated to determine their inhibitory activity on nitric oxide (NO) production by RAW 264.7 cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The methanol extract decreased NO production in a dose-dependent manner without cytotoxicity at a concentration range of 0-100 μg/mL. The n-butanol soluble phase was the most potent among the five soluble phases. Four compounds were isolated by reversed-phase HPLC from the n-butanol soluble phase and identified to be avicularin, guaijaverin, leucocyanidin and ursolic acid by their NMR spectra. Among these compounds, ursolic acid inhibited LPS-induced NO production in a dose-dependent manner without cytotoxity at a concentration range of 1-10 µM, but the other three compounds had no effect. Ursolic acid also inhibited LPS-induced prostaglandin E2 production. A western blot analysis showed that ursolic acid decreased the LPS-stimulated inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase protein levels. In addition, ursolic acid suppressed the production of intracellular reactive oxygen species in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, as measured by flow cytometry. Taken together, these results identified ursolic acid as a major anti-inflammatory compound in guava leaves.

  1. Pulmonary permeability assessed by fluorescent-labeled dextran instilled intranasally into mice with LPS-induced acute lung injury.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Honglei Chen

    Full Text Available Several different methods have been used to assess pulmonary permeability in response to acute lung injury (ALI. However, these methods often involve complicated procedures and algorithms that are difficult to precisely control. The purpose of the current study is to establish a feasible method to evaluate alterations in lung permeability by instilling fluorescently labeled dextran (FITC-Dextran intranasally.For the mouse model of direct ALI, lipopolysaccharide (LPS was administered intranasally. FITC-Dextran was instilled intranasally one hour before the mice were euthanized. Plasma fluorescence intensities from the LPS group were significantly higher than in the control group. To determine the reliability and reproducibility of the procedure, we also measured the lung wet-to-dry weight ratio, the protein concentration of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, tight and adherens junction markers and pathological changes. Consistent results were observed when the LPS group was compared with the control group. Simultaneously, we found that the concentration of plasma FITC-Dextran was LPS dose-dependent. The concentration of plasma FITC-Dextran also increased with initial intranasal FITC-Dextran doses. Furthermore, increased fluorescence intensity of plasma FITC-Dextran was found in the intraperitoneally LPS-induced ALI model.In conclusion, the measurement of FITC-Dextran in plasma after intranasal instillation is a simple, reliable, and reproducible method to evaluate lung permeability alterations in vivo. The concentration of FITC-Dextran in the plasma may be useful as a potential peripheral biomarker of ALI in experimental clinical studies.

  2. Pulmonary permeability assessed by fluorescent-labeled dextran instilled intranasally into mice with LPS-induced acute lung injury.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Honglei; Wu, Shaoping; Lu, Rong; Zhang, Yong-guo; Zheng, Yuanyuan; Sun, Jun

    2014-01-01

    Several different methods have been used to assess pulmonary permeability in response to acute lung injury (ALI). However, these methods often involve complicated procedures and algorithms that are difficult to precisely control. The purpose of the current study is to establish a feasible method to evaluate alterations in lung permeability by instilling fluorescently labeled dextran (FITC-Dextran) intranasally. For the mouse model of direct ALI, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was administered intranasally. FITC-Dextran was instilled intranasally one hour before the mice were euthanized. Plasma fluorescence intensities from the LPS group were significantly higher than in the control group. To determine the reliability and reproducibility of the procedure, we also measured the lung wet-to-dry weight ratio, the protein concentration of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, tight and adherens junction markers and pathological changes. Consistent results were observed when the LPS group was compared with the control group. Simultaneously, we found that the concentration of plasma FITC-Dextran was LPS dose-dependent. The concentration of plasma FITC-Dextran also increased with initial intranasal FITC-Dextran doses. Furthermore, increased fluorescence intensity of plasma FITC-Dextran was found in the intraperitoneally LPS-induced ALI model. In conclusion, the measurement of FITC-Dextran in plasma after intranasal instillation is a simple, reliable, and reproducible method to evaluate lung permeability alterations in vivo. The concentration of FITC-Dextran in the plasma may be useful as a potential peripheral biomarker of ALI in experimental clinical studies.

  3. C–C Chemokines Released by Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated Human Macrophages Suppress HIV-1 Infection in Both Macrophages and T Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verani, Alessia; Scarlatti, Gabriella; Comar, Manola; Tresoldi, Eleonora; Polo, Simona; Giacca, Mauro; Lusso, Paolo; Siccardi, Antonio G.; Vercelli, Donata

    1997-01-01

    Human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) expression in monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) infected in vitro is known to be inhibited by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). However, the mechanisms are incompletely understood. We show here that HIV-1 suppression is mediated by soluble factors released by MDM stimulated with physiologically significant concentrations of LPS. LPS-conditioned supernatants from MDM inhibited HIV-1 replication in both MDM and T cells. Depletion of C–C chemokines (RANTES, MIP-1α, and MIP-1β) neutralized the ability of LPS-conditioned supernatants to inhibit HIV-1 replication in MDM. A combination of recombinant C–C chemokines blocked HIV-1 infection as effectively as LPS. Here, we report an inhibitory effect of C–C chemokines on HIV replication in primary macrophages. Our results raise the possibility that monocytes may play a dual role in HIV infection: while representing a reservoir for the virus, they may contribute to the containment of the infection by releasing factors that suppress HIV replication not only in monocytes but also in T lymphocytes. PMID:9120386

  4. Systemic LPS Translocation Activates Cross-Presenting Dendritic Cells but Is Dispensable for the Breakdown of CD8+ T Cell Peripheral Tolerance in Irradiated Mice.

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    Gabriel Espinosa-Carrasco

    Full Text Available Lymphodepletion is currently used to enhance the efficacy of cytotoxic T lymphocyte adoptive transfer immunotherapy against cancer. This beneficial effect of conditioning regimens is due, at least in part, to promoting the breakdown of peripheral CD8+ T cell tolerance. Lymphodepletion by total body irradiation induces systemic translocation of commensal bacteria LPS from the gastrointestinal tract. Since LPS is a potent activator of the innate immune system, including antigen presenting dendritic cells, we hypothesized that LPS translocation could be required for the breakdown of peripheral tolerance observed in irradiated mice. To address this issue, we have treated irradiated mice with antibiotics in order to prevent LPS translocation and utilized them in T cell adoptive transfer experiments. Surprisingly, we found that despite of completely blocking LPS translocation into the bloodstream, antibiotic treatment did not prevent the breakdown of peripheral tolerance. Although irradiation induced the activation of cross-presenting CD8+ dendritic cells in the lymphoid tissue, LPS could not solely account for this effect. Activation of dendritic cells by mechanisms other than LPS translocation is sufficient to promote the differentiation of potentially autoreactive CD8+ T cells into effectors in irradiated mice. Our data indicate that LPS translocation is dispensable for the breakdown of CD8+ T cell tolerance in irradiated mice.

  5. MiR-103 alleviates autophagy and apoptosis by regulating SOX2 in LPS-injured PC12 cells and SCI rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Guowei; Chen, Tao; Zhu, Yingxian; Xiao, Xiaoyu; Bu, Juyuan; Huang, Zongwen

    2018-03-01

    Recent studies revealed that microRNAs (miRNAs) may play crucial roles in the responses and pathologic processes of spinal cord injury (SCI). This study aimed to investigate the effect and the molecular basis of miR-103 on LPS-induced injuries in PC12 cells in vitro and SCI rats in vivo . PC12 cells were exposed to LPS to induce cell injuries to mimic the in vitro model of SCI. The expression of miR-103 and SOX2 in PC12 cells were altered by transient transfections. Cell viability and apoptotic cell rate were measured by CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry assay. Furthermore, Western blot analysis was performed to detect the expression levels of apoptosis- and autophagy- related proteins, MAPK/ERK pathway- and JAK/STAT pathway-related proteins. In addition, we also assessed the effect of miR-103 agomir on SCI rats. LPS exposure induced cell injuries in PC12 cells. miR-103 overexpression significantly increased cell viability, reduced cell apoptosis and autophagy, and opposite results were observed in miR-103 inhibition. miR-103 attenuated LPS-induced injuries by indirect upregulation of SOX2. SOX2 overexpression protected PC12 cells against LPS-induced injuries, while SOX2 inhibition expedited LPS-induced cell injuries. Furthermore, miR-103 overexpression inhibited MAPK/ERK pathway and JAK/STAT pathway through upregulation of SOX2. We also found that miR-103 agomir inhibited cell apoptosis and autophagy in SCI rats. This study demonstrates that miR-103 may represent a protective effect against cell apoptosis and autophagy in LPS-injured PC12 cells and SCI rats by upregulation of SOX2 expression.

  6. LPS-induced systemic inflammation is more severe in P2Y12 null mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liverani, Elisabetta; Rico, Mario C; Yaratha, Laxmikausthubha; Tsygankov, Alexander Y; Kilpatrick, Laurie E; Kunapuli, Satya P

    2014-02-01

    Thienopyridines are a class of antiplatelet drugs that are metabolized in the liver to several metabolites, of which only one active metabolite can irreversibly antagonize the platelet P2Y12 receptor. Possible effects of these drugs and the role of activated platelets in inflammatory responses have also been investigated in a variety of animal models, demonstrating that thienopyridines could alter inflammation. However, it is not clear whether it is caused only by the P2Y12 antagonism or whether off-target effects of other metabolites also intervene. To address this question, we investigated P2Y12 KO mice during a LPS-induced model of systemic inflammation, and we treated these KO mice with a thienopyridine drug (clopidogrel). Contrary to the reported effects of clopidogrel, numbers of circulating WBCs and plasma levels of cytokines were increased in LPS-exposed KO mice compared with WT in this inflammation model. Moreover, both spleen and bone marrow show an increase in cell content, suggesting a role for P2Y12 in regulation of bone marrow and spleen cellular composition. Finally, the injury was more severe in the lungs of KO mice compared with WT. Interestingly, clopidogrel treatments also exerted protective effects in KO mice, suggesting off-target effects for this drug. In conclusion, the P2Y12 receptor plays an important role during LPS-induced inflammation, and this signaling pathway may be involved in regulating cell content in spleen and bone marrow during LPS systemic inflammation. Furthermore, clopidogrel may have effects that are independent of P2Y12 receptor blockade.

  7. Microarray and pathway analysis reveal distinct mechanisms underlying cannabinoid-mediated modulation of LPS-induced activation of BV-2 microglial cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Juknat

    Full Text Available Cannabinoids are known to exert immunosuppressive activities. However, the mechanisms which contribute to these effects are unknown. Using lipopolysaccharide (LPS to activate BV-2 microglial cells, we examined how Δ(9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the major psychoactive component of marijuana, and cannabidiol (CBD the non-psychoactive component, modulate the inflammatory response. Microarray analysis of genome-wide mRNA levels was performed using Illumina platform and the resulting expression patterns analyzed using the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis to identify functional subsets of genes, and the Ingenuity System Database to denote the gene networks regulated by CBD and THC. From the 5338 transcripts that were differentially expressed across treatments, 400 transcripts were found to be upregulated by LPS, 502 by CBD+LPS and 424 by THC+LPS, while 145 were downregulated by LPS, 297 by CBD+LPS and 149 by THC+LPS, by 2-fold or more (p≤0.005. Results clearly link the effects of CBD and THC to inflammatory signaling pathways and identify new cannabinoid targets in the MAPK pathway (Dusp1, Dusp8, Dusp2, cell cycle related (Cdkn2b, Gadd45a as well as JAK/STAT regulatory molecules (Socs3, Cish, Stat1. The impact of CBD on LPS-stimulated gene expression was greater than that of THC. We attribute this difference to the fact that CBD highly upregulated several genes encoding negative regulators of both NFκB and AP-1 transcriptional activities, such as Trib3 and Dusp1 known to be modulated through Nrf2 activation. The CBD-specific expression profile reflected changes associated with oxidative stress and glutathione depletion via Trib3 and expression of ATF4 target genes. Furthermore, the CBD affected genes were shown to be controlled by nuclear factors usually involved in regulation of stress response and inflammation, mainly via Nrf2/Hmox1 axis and the Nrf2/ATF4-Trib3 pathway. These observations indicate that CBD, and less so THC, induce a cellular stress

  8. Andrographolide Attenuates LPS-Induced Cardiac Malfunctions Through Inhibition of IκB Phosphorylation and Apoptosis in Mice

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    Jinlong Zhang

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Background/Aims: Cardiac malfunction is a common complication in sepsis and significantly increases the mortality of patients in septic shock. However, no studies have examined whether andrographolide (And reduces LPS-induced myocardial malfunction. Methods: Left ventricular systolic and diastolic functions were examined using echocardiography. TNF-a and IL-1ß protein levels were detected by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA. NO oxidation products were determined using Griess reagent. Protein expression levels of inhibitors of NF-κBa (IκB and phospho-IκB were determined via Western blot. Oxidative injury was determined by measuring myocardial lipid peroxidation and superoxide dismutase activity. Cardiac apoptosis was examined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nickend-labeling (TUNEL and cardiac caspase 3/7 activity. Results: And blunted LPS-induced myocardial malfunctions in mice. LPS induced TNF-a, IL-1ß, and NO production as well as I-κB phosphorylation. Cardiac apoptosis was attenuated via incubation with And, but the extent of oxidative injury remained unaffected. Conclusion: And prevents LPS-induced cardiac malfunctions in mice by inhibiting TNF-a, IL-1ß, and NO production, IκB phosphorylation, and cardiac apoptosis, indicating that And may be a potential agent for preventing myocardial malfunction during sepsis.

  9. Minocycline hydrochloride nanoliposomes inhibit the production of TNF-α in LPS-stimulated macrophages

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liu D

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available D Liu, P S YangShandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine, College of Stomatology, Shandong University, Shandong Province, People's Republic of ChinaBackground: As an adjunctive treatment of chronic periodontitis, it seems that the application of periocline or the other antimicrobials is effective against periodontopathogens. In this study, nanoliposomes were investigated as carriers of minocycline hydrochloride and the inhibition effects of minocycline hydrochloride nanoliposomes on the proliferation and lipopolysaccharide (LPS-stimulated production of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α of macrophages were elucidated.Methods: After stimulation with 10 µg/mL LPS, murine macrophages (ANA-1 were treated with 10, 20, 40, 50 and 70 µg/mL 2% minocycline hydrochloride nanoliposomes, minocycline hydrochloride solution, and periocline for 6, 12, 24, 48 and 60 hours, respectively. A tetrazolium (MTT assay was used to evaluate macrophages cell proliferation rate and the levels of TNF-α mRNA were measured by SYBR Green Real Time PCR.Results: Ten to 70 µg/mL 2% minocycline hydrochloride nanoliposomes, minocycline hydrochloride solution, and periocline showed dose- and time-dependent inhibition of ANA-1 proliferation. Minocycline hydrochloride nanoliposomes showed dose- and ratio-dependent inhibition of LPS-stimulated TNF-α secretion of ANA-1. The inhibition effect of 10 µg/mL minocycline hydrochloride nanoliposomes was significantly better than that of two positive control groups, and equated to that of 60 or 70 µg/mL periocline. The expression of TNF-α mRNA in experimental group continued to reduce linearly with time.Conclusion: All three preparations of minocycline hydrochloride showed dose- and time-dependent inhibition of proliferation of ANA-1. Minocycline hydrochloride nanoliposomes have stronger and longer inhibition effect on LPS-stimulated TNF-α secretion of macrophages cell than minocycline hydrochloride solution and periocline

  10. Mechanisms of fever production and lysis: lessons from experimental LPS fever.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roth, Joachim; Blatteis, Clark M

    2014-10-01

    Fever is a cardinal symptom of infectious or inflammatory insults, but it can also arise from noninfectious causes. The fever-inducing agent that has been used most frequently in experimental studies designed to characterize the physiological, immunological and neuroendocrine processes and to identify the neuronal circuits that underlie the manifestation of the febrile response is lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Our knowledge of the mechanisms of fever production and lysis is largely based on this model. Fever is usually initiated in the periphery of the challenged host by the immediate activation of the innate immune system by LPS, specifically of the complement (C) cascade and Toll-like receptors. The first results in the immediate generation of the C component C5a and the subsequent rapid production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). The second, occurring after some delay, induces the further production of PGE2 by induction of its synthesizing enzymes and transcription and translation of proinflammatory cytokines. The Kupffer cells (Kc) of the liver seem to be essential for these initial processes. The subsequent transfer of the pyrogenic message from the periphery to the brain is achieved by neuronal and humoral mechanisms. These pathways subserve the genesis of early (neuronal signals) and late (humoral signals) phases of the characteristically biphasic febrile response to LPS. During the course of fever, counterinflammatory factors, "endogenous antipyretics," are elaborated peripherally and centrally to limit fever in strength and duration. The multiple interacting pro- and antipyretic signals and their mechanistic effects that underlie endotoxic fever are the subjects of this review.

  11. Development of a methodology for conducting an integrated HRA/PRA --. Task 1, An assessment of human reliability influences during LP&S conditions PWRs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Luckas, W.J.; Barriere, M.T.; Brown, W.S. [Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States); Wreathall, J. [Wreathall (John) and Co., Dublin, OH (United States); Cooper, S.E. [Science Applications International Corp., McLean, VA (United States)

    1993-06-01

    During Low Power and Shutdown (LP&S) conditions in a nuclear power plant (i.e., when the reactor is subcritical or at less than 10--15% power), human interactions with the plant`s systems will be more frequent and more direct. Control is typically not mediated by automation, and there are fewer protective systems available. Therefore, an assessment of LP&S related risk should include a greater emphasis on human reliability than such an assessment made for power operation conditions. In order to properly account for the increase in human interaction and thus be able to perform a probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) applicable to operations during LP&S, it is important that a comprehensive human reliability assessment (HRA) methodology be developed and integrated into the LP&S PRA. The tasks comprising the comprehensive HRA methodology development are as follows: (1) identification of the human reliability related influences and associated human actions during LP&S, (2) identification of potentially important LP&S related human actions and appropriate HRA framework and quantification methods, and (3) incorporation and coordination of methodology development with other integrated PRA/HRA efforts. This paper describes the first task, i.e., the assessment of human reliability influences and any associated human actions during LP&S conditions for a pressurized water reactor (PWR).

  12. Mechanical ventilation with high tidal volumes attenuates myocardial dysfunction by decreasing cardiac edema in a rat model of LPS-induced peritonitis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Smeding Lonneke

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Injurious mechanical ventilation (MV may augment organ injury remote from the lungs. During sepsis, myocardial dysfunction is common and increased endothelial activation and permeability can cause myocardial edema, which may, among other factors, hamper myocardial function. We investigated the effects of MV with injuriously high tidal volumes on the myocardium in an animal model of sepsis. Methods Normal rats and intraperitoneal (i.p. lipopolysaccharide (LPS-treated rats were ventilated with low (6 ml/kg and high (19 ml/kg tidal volumes (Vt under general anesthesia. Non-ventilated animals served as controls. Mean arterial pressure (MAP, central venous pressure (CVP, cardiac output (CO and pulmonary plateau pressure (Pplat were measured. Ex vivo myocardial function was measured in isolated Langendorff-perfused hearts. Cardiac expression of endothelial vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM-1 and edema were measured to evaluate endothelial inflammation and leakage. Results MAP decreased after LPS-treatment and Vt-dependently, both independent of each other and with interaction. MV Vt-dependently increased CVP and Pplat and decreased CO. LPS-induced peritonitis decreased myocardial function ex vivo but MV attenuated systolic dysfunction Vt-dependently. Cardiac endothelial VCAM-1 expression was increased by LPS treatment independent of MV. Cardiac edema was lowered Vt-dependently by MV, particularly after LPS, and correlated inversely with systolic myocardial function parameters ex vivo. Conclusion MV attenuated LPS-induced systolic myocardial dysfunction in a Vt-dependent manner. This was associated with a reduction in cardiac edema following a lower transmural coronary venous outflow pressure during LPS-induced coronary inflammation.

  13. Molecular cloning of Japanese eel Anguilla japonica TNF-α and characterization of its expression in response to LPS, poly I:C and Aeromonas hydrophila infection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Jianjun; Guan, Ruizhang; Guo, Songlin; Lin, Peng; Zadlock, Frank

    2014-09-01

    As a potent pleiotropic cytokine, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) plays an important role in innate immune responses. The cDNA sequence and genomic structure of the TNF-α gene ( Aj TNF-α) in the Japanese eel ( Anguilla japonica) were identified and characterized. The full-length AjTNF-α cDNA was 1 546 bp, including a 5'-untranslated region (UTR) of 13 bp, a 3'-UTR of 879 bp and an open reading frame of 654 bp encoding a protein of 218 amino acids. The full-length genomic sequence of AjTNF-α was 2 392 bp and included four exons and three introns. The putative AjTNF-α protein contained TNF family signature motifs, including a protease cleavage site, a transmembrane domain and two conserved cysteine residues. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR analysis revealed AjTNF-α expression in a wide range of tissues, with predominant expression in blood and liver. Lower levels of expression were seen in spleen, gills, kidney, intestine, heart, and skin, with very low levels in muscle. The modulation of AjTNF-α expression after injection of eels with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the viral mimic, poly I:C, or Aeromonas hydrophila was assessed in blood, liver, and kidney. In blood, TNF-α mRNA levels increased rapidly and then rapidly decreased after stimulation with LPS, poly I:C or A. hydrophila. However, the response to LPS and A. hydrophila peaked at 6 h while for poly I:C the peak was at 12 h. In liver, after injection with A. hydrophila, an up- and down-regulation of AjTNF-α expression occurred twice, peaking at 6 h and 24 h, respectively. No remarkable increase of AjTNF-α expression appeared in liver until 72 h after LPS or poly I:C treatment. In kidney, AjTNF-α expression increased significantly only at 72 h post-stimulation with LPS or A. hydrophila. Our results suggest that AjTNF-α plays an important role in fish in the defense against viral and bacterial infection.

  14. Study on ant colony optimization for fuel loading pattern problem

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kishi, Hironori; Kitada, Takanori

    2013-01-01

    Modified ant colony optimization (ACO) was applied to the in-core fuel loading pattern (LP) optimization problem to minimize the power peaking factor (PPF) in the modeled 1/4 symmetry PWR core. Loading order was found to be important in ACO. Three different loading orders with and without the adjacent effect between fuel assemblies (FAs) were compared, and it was found that the loading order from the central core is preferable because many selections of FAs to be inserted are available in the core center region. LPs were determined from pheromone trail and heuristic information, which is a priori knowledge based on the feature of the problem. Three types of heuristic information were compared to obtain the desirable performance of searching LPs with low PPF. Moreover, mutation operation, such as the genetic algorithm (GA), was introduced into the ACO algorithm to avoid searching similar LPs because heuristic information used in ACO tends to localize the searching space in the LP problem. The performance of ACO with some improvement was compared with those of simulated annealing and GA. In conclusion, good performance can be achieved by setting proper heuristic information and mutation operation parameter in ACO. (author)

  15. In-core Instrument Subcritical Verification (INCISV) - Core Design Verification Method - 358

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prible, M.C.; Heibel, M.D.; Conner, S.L.; Sebastiani, P.J.; Kistler, D.P.

    2010-01-01

    According to the standard on reload startup physics testing, ANSI/ANS 19.6.1, a plant must verify that the constructed core behaves sufficiently close to the designed core to confirm that the various safety analyses bound the actual behavior of the plant. A large portion of this verification must occur before the reactor operates at power. The INCISV Core Design Verification Method uses the unique characteristics of a Westinghouse Electric Company fixed in-core self powered detector design to perform core design verification after a core reload before power operation. A Vanadium self powered detector that spans the length of the active fuel region is capable of confirming the required core characteristics prior to power ascension; reactivity balance, shutdown margin, temperature coefficient and power distribution. Using a detector element that spans the length of the active fuel region inside the core provides a signal of total integrated flux. Measuring the integrated flux distributions and changes at various rodded conditions and plant temperatures, and comparing them to predicted flux levels, validates all core necessary core design characteristics. INCISV eliminates the dependence on various corrections and assumptions between the ex-core detectors and the core for traditional physics testing programs. This program also eliminates the need for special rod maneuvers which are infrequently performed by plant operators during typical core design verification testing and allows for safer startup activities. (authors)

  16. DMPD: The role of macrophages in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activation inresponse to endotoxin (LPS). [Dynamic Macrophage Pathway CSML Database

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available response to endotoxin (LPS). Derijk RH, van Rooijen N, Berkenbosch F. Res Immunol. 1992 Feb;143(2):224-9. (....e hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activation inresponse to endotoxin (LPS). Authors Derijk RH, van Rooijen N, Berk

  17. Andrographolide protects against LPS-induced acute lung injury by inactivation of NF-κB.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tao Zhu

    Full Text Available Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB is a central transcriptional factor and a pleiotropic regulator of many genes involved in acute lung injury. Andrographolide is found in the plant of Andrographis paniculata and widely used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, exhibiting potently anti-inflammatory property by inhibiting NF-κB activity. The purpose of our investigation was designed to reveal the effect of andrographolide on various aspects of LPS induced inflammation in vivo and in vitro.In vivo, BALB/C mice were subjected to LPS injection with or without andrographolide treatments to induce ALI model. In vitro, MLE-12 cells were stimulated with LPS in the presence and absence of andrographolide. In vivo, pulmonary inflammation, pulmonary edema, ultrastructure changes of type II alveolar epithelial cells, MPO activity, total cells, neutrophils, macrophages, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β in BALF, along with the expression of VCAM-1 and VEGF were dose-dependently attenuated by andrographolide. Meanwhile, in vitro, the expression of VCAM-1 and VEGF was also reduced by andrographolide. Moreover, our data showed that andrographolide significantly inhibited the ratios of phospho-IKKβ/total IKKβ, phospho-IκBα/total IκBα and phospho-NF-κB p65/total NF-κB p65, and NF-κB p65 DNA binding activities, both in vivo and in vitro.These results indicate that andrographolide dose-dependently suppressed the severity of LPS-induced ALI, more likely by virtue of andrographolide-mediated NF-κB inhibition at the level of IKKβ activation. These results suggest andrographolide may be considered as an effective and safe drug for the potential treatment of ALI.

  18. Andrographolide Protects against LPS-Induced Acute Lung Injury by Inactivation of NF-κB

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Tao; Wang, Dao-xin; Zhang, Wei; Liao, Xiu-qing; Guan, Xian; Bo, Hong; Sun, Jia-yang; Huang, Ni-wen; He, Jing; Zhang, Yun-kun; Tong, Jing; Li, Chang-yi

    2013-01-01

    Background Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) is a central transcriptional factor and a pleiotropic regulator of many genes involved in acute lung injury. Andrographolide is found in the plant of Andrographis paniculata and widely used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, exhibiting potently anti-inflammatory property by inhibiting NF-κB activity. The purpose of our investigation was designed to reveal the effect of andrographolide on various aspects of LPS induced inflammation in vivo and in vitro. Methods and Results In vivo, BALB/C mice were subjected to LPS injection with or without andrographolide treatments to induce ALI model. In vitro, MLE-12 cells were stimulated with LPS in the presence and absence of andrographolide. In vivo, pulmonary inflammation, pulmonary edema, ultrastructure changes of type II alveolar epithelial cells, MPO activity, total cells, neutrophils, macrophages, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β in BALF, along with the expression of VCAM-1 and VEGF were dose-dependently attenuated by andrographolide. Meanwhile, in vitro, the expression of VCAM-1 and VEGF was also reduced by andrographolide. Moreover, our data showed that andrographolide significantly inhibited the ratios of phospho-IKKβ/total IKKβ, phospho-IκBα/total IκBα and phospho-NF-κB p65/total NF-κB p65, and NF-κB p65 DNA binding activities, both in vivo and in vitro. Conclusions These results indicate that andrographolide dose-dependently suppressed the severity of LPS-induced ALI, more likely by virtue of andrographolide-mediated NF-κB inhibition at the level of IKKβ activation. These results suggest andrographolide may be considered as an effective and safe drug for the potential treatment of ALI. PMID:23437127

  19. Emphysema induced by elastase enhances acute inflammatory pulmonary response to intraperitoneal LPS in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    da Fonseca, Lídia Maria Carneiro; Reboredo, Maycon Moura; Lucinda, Leda Marília Fonseca; Fazza, Thaís Fernanda; Rabelo, Maria Aparecida Esteves; Fonseca, Adenilson Souza; de Paoli, Flavia; Pinheiro, Bruno Valle

    2016-12-01

    Abnormalities in lungs caused by emphysema might alter their response to sepsis and the occurrence of acute lung injury (ALI). This study compared the extension of ALI in response to intraperitoneal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection in Wistar rats with and without emphysema induced by elastase. Adult male Wistar rats were randomized into four groups: control, emphysema without sepsis, normal lung with sepsis and emphysema with sepsis. Sepsis was induced, and 24 h later the rats were euthanised. The following analysis was performed: blood gas measurements, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), lung permeability and histology. Animals that received LPS showed significant increase in a lung injury scoring system, inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and IL-6, TNF-α and CXCL2 mRNA expression in lung tissue. Animals with emphysema and sepsis showed increased alveolocapillary membrane permeability, demonstrated by higher BAL/serum albumin ratio. In conclusion, the presence of emphysema induced by elastase increases the inflammatory response in the lungs to a systemic stimulus, represented in this model by the intraperitoneal injection of LPS. © 2016 The Authors. International Journal of Experimental Pathology © 2016 International Journal of Experimental Pathology.

  20. Analysis of migration rate and chemotaxis of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells in response to LPS and LTA in vitro

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Herzmann, Nicole; Salamon, Achim [Department of Cell Biology, University Medicine Rostock, Schillingallee 69, D-18057 Rostock (Germany); Fiedler, Tomas [Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, Schillingallee 70, D-18057 Rostock (Germany); Peters, Kirsten, E-mail: kirsten.peters@med.uni-rostock.de [Department of Cell Biology, University Medicine Rostock, Schillingallee 69, D-18057 Rostock (Germany)

    2016-03-15

    Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are able to stimulate the regeneration of injured tissue. Since bacterial infections are common complications in wound healing, bacterial pathogens and their components come into direct contact with MSC. The interaction with bacterial structures influences the proliferation, differentiation and migratory activity of the MSC, which might be of relevance during regeneration. Studies on MSC migration in response to bacterial components have shown different results depending on the cell type. Here, we analyzed the migration rate and chemotaxis of human adipose-derived MSC (adMSC) in response to the basic cell-wall components lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Gram-negative bacteria and lipoteichoic acid (LTA) of Gram-positive bacteria in vitro. To this end, we used transwell and scratch assays, as well as a specific chemotaxis assay combined with live-cell imaging. We found no significant influence of LPS or LTA on the migration rate of adMSC in transwell or scratch assays. Furthermore, in the µ-slide chemotaxis assay, the stimulation with LPS did not exert any chemotactic effect on adMSC. - Highlights: • LPS increased the release of IL-6 and IL-8 in adMSC significantly. • The migration rate of adMSC was not influenced by LPS or LTA. • LPS or LTA did not exert a chemotactic effect on adMSC.

  1. Analysis of migration rate and chemotaxis of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells in response to LPS and LTA in vitro

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Herzmann, Nicole; Salamon, Achim; Fiedler, Tomas; Peters, Kirsten

    2016-01-01

    Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are able to stimulate the regeneration of injured tissue. Since bacterial infections are common complications in wound healing, bacterial pathogens and their components come into direct contact with MSC. The interaction with bacterial structures influences the proliferation, differentiation and migratory activity of the MSC, which might be of relevance during regeneration. Studies on MSC migration in response to bacterial components have shown different results depending on the cell type. Here, we analyzed the migration rate and chemotaxis of human adipose-derived MSC (adMSC) in response to the basic cell-wall components lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Gram-negative bacteria and lipoteichoic acid (LTA) of Gram-positive bacteria in vitro. To this end, we used transwell and scratch assays, as well as a specific chemotaxis assay combined with live-cell imaging. We found no significant influence of LPS or LTA on the migration rate of adMSC in transwell or scratch assays. Furthermore, in the µ-slide chemotaxis assay, the stimulation with LPS did not exert any chemotactic effect on adMSC. - Highlights: • LPS increased the release of IL-6 and IL-8 in adMSC significantly. • The migration rate of adMSC was not influenced by LPS or LTA. • LPS or LTA did not exert a chemotactic effect on adMSC.

  2. Altered formalin-induced pain and Fos induction in the periaqueductal grey of preadolescent rats following neonatal LPS exposure.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ihssane Zouikr

    Full Text Available Animal and human studies have demonstrated that early pain experiences can produce alterations in the nociceptive systems later in life including increased sensitivity to mechanical, thermal, and chemical stimuli. However, less is known about the impact of neonatal immune challenge on future responses to noxious stimuli and the reactivity of neural substrates involved in analgesia. Here we demonstrate that rats exposed to Lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 0.05 mg/kg IP, Salmonella enteritidis during postnatal day (PND 3 and 5 displayed enhanced formalin-induced flinching but not licking following formalin injection at PND 22. This LPS-induced hyperalgesia was accompanied by distinct recruitment of supra-spinal regions involved in analgesia as indicated by significantly attenuated Fos-protein induction in the rostral dorsal periaqueductal grey (DPAG as well as rostral and caudal axes of the ventrolateral PAG (VLPAG. Formalin injections were associated with increased Fos-protein labelling in lateral habenula (LHb as compared to medial habenula (MHb, however the intensity of this labelling did not differ as a result of neonatal immune challenge. These data highlight the importance of neonatal immune priming in programming inflammatory pain sensitivity later in development and highlight the PAG as a possible mediator of this process.

  3. Altered Formalin-Induced Pain and Fos Induction in the Periaqueductal Grey of Preadolescent Rats following Neonatal LPS Exposure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zouikr, Ihssane; James, Morgan H.; Campbell, Erin J.; Clifton, Vicki L.; Beagley, Kenneth W.; Dayas, Christopher V.; Hodgson, Deborah M.

    2014-01-01

    Animal and human studies have demonstrated that early pain experiences can produce alterations in the nociceptive systems later in life including increased sensitivity to mechanical, thermal, and chemical stimuli. However, less is known about the impact of neonatal immune challenge on future responses to noxious stimuli and the reactivity of neural substrates involved in analgesia. Here we demonstrate that rats exposed to Lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 0.05 mg/kg IP, Salmonella enteritidis) during postnatal day (PND) 3 and 5 displayed enhanced formalin-induced flinching but not licking following formalin injection at PND 22. This LPS-induced hyperalgesia was accompanied by distinct recruitment of supra-spinal regions involved in analgesia as indicated by significantly attenuated Fos-protein induction in the rostral dorsal periaqueductal grey (DPAG) as well as rostral and caudal axes of the ventrolateral PAG (VLPAG). Formalin injections were associated with increased Fos-protein labelling in lateral habenula (LHb) as compared to medial habenula (MHb), however the intensity of this labelling did not differ as a result of neonatal immune challenge. These data highlight the importance of neonatal immune priming in programming inflammatory pain sensitivity later in development and highlight the PAG as a possible mediator of this process. PMID:24878577

  4. FBR type reactor core

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tamiya, Tadashi; Kawashima, Katsuyuki; Fujimura, Koji; Murakami, Tomoko.

    1995-01-01

    Neutron reflectors are disposed at the periphery of a reactor core fuel region and a blanket region, and a neutron shielding region is disposed at the periphery of them. The neutron reflector has a hollow duct structure having a sealed upper portion, a lower portion opened to cooling water, in which a gas and coolants separately sealed in the inside thereof. A driving pressure of a primary recycling pump is lowered upon reduction of coolant flow rate, then the liquid level of coolants in the neutron reflector is lowered due to imbalance between the driving pressure and a gas pressure, so that coolants having an effect as a reflector are eliminated from the outer circumference of the reactor core. Therefore, the amount of neutrons leaking from the reactor core is increased, and negative reactivity is charged to the reactor core. The negative reactivity of the neutron reflector is made greater than a power compensation reactivity. Since this enables reactor scram by using an inherent performance of the reactor core, the reactor core safety of an LMFBR-type reactor can be improved. (I.N.)

  5. Ginkgolide A Ameliorates LPS-Induced Inflammatory Responses In Vitro and In Vivo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yan Li

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Ginkgolide A (GA is a natural compound isolated from Ginkgo biloba and has been used to treat cardiovascular diseases and diabetic vascular complications. However, only a few studies have been conducted on the anti-inflammatory effects of GA. In particular, no related reports have been published in a common inflammation model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS-stimulated macrophages, and the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of GA have not been fully elucidated. In the present study, we extensively investigated the anti-inflammatory potential of GA in vitro and in vivo. We showed that GA could suppress the expression of pro-inflammatory mediators (cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2 and nitric oxide (NO and pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α, interleukin (IL-6 and IL-1β in LPS-treated mouse peritoneal macrophages, mouse macrophage RAW264.7 cells, and differentiated human monocytes (dTHP-1 in vitro. These effects were partially carried out via downregulating Nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB, Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs (p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK, but not c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK, and activating the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK signaling pathway also seems to be important. Consistently, GA was also shown to inhibit the LPS-stimulated release of TNF-α and IL-6 in mice. Taken together, these findings suggest that GA can serve as an effective inflammatory inhibitor in vitro and in vivo.

  6. GSK-3β Inhibition Attenuates LPS-Induced Death but Aggravates Radiation-Induced Death via Down-Regulation of IL-6

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bailong Li

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Background: Exposure of high dose ionizing radiation is lethal. Signal pathways involved in radiation biology reaction still remain illdefined. Lipopolysaccharides (LPS, the ligands of Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4, could elicit strong immune responses. Glycogen synthase kinase-3β(GSK-3β promotes the production of inflammatory molecules and cell migration. Inhibition of GSK-3β provides protection against inflammation in animal models. The aim of the study was to investigate role of GSK-3β in LPS shock and ionizing radiation. Methods: WT or IL-6-/-mice or cells were pretreated with SB216763, a GSK-3β inhibitor, and survival of the mice was determined. Cell viability was assayed by Cell Counting Kit. Apoptosis was assayed by Annexin V-PI double staining. Serum concentrations of IL-6 and TNF-α were determined by ELISA. Results: SB216763 attenuated LPS induced mice or cell death but aggravated radiation induced mice or cell death. SB216763 reduced IL-6, but not TNF-α levels in vivo. IL-6-/- mice were more resistant to LPS-induced death but less resistant to radiation-induced death than wild type mice. Conclusions: Inhibition of GSK-3β conferred resistance to LPS shock but fostered death induced by ionizing radiation. Inhibition of GSK-3β was effective by reducing IL-6.

  7. Ventilation-induced increases in EGFR ligand mRNA are not altered by intra-amniotic LPS or ureaplasma in preterm lambs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hillman, Noah H; Gisslen, Tate; Polglase, Graeme R; Kallapur, Suhas G; Jobe, Alan H

    2014-01-01

    Chorioamnionitis and mechanical ventilation are associated with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm infants. Mechanical ventilation at birth activates both inflammatory and acute phase responses. These responses can be partially modulated by previous exposure to intra-amniotic (IA) LPS or Ureaplasma parvum (UP). Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) ligands participate in lung development, and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) 1 and ACE2 contribute to lung inflammation. We asked whether brief mechanical ventilation at birth altered EGFR and ACE pathways and if antenatal exposure to IA LPS or UP could modulate these effects. Ewes were exposed to IA injections of UP, LPS or saline multiple days prior to preterm delivery at 85% gestation. Lambs were either immediately euthanized or mechanically ventilated for 2 to 3 hr. IA UP and LPS cause modest changes in the EGFR ligands amphiregulin (AREG), epiregulin (EREG), heparin binding epidermal growth factor (HB-EGF), and betacellulin (BTC) mRNA expression. Mechanical ventilation greatly increased mRNA expression of AREG, EREG, and HB-EGF, with no additional increases resulting from IA LPS or UP. With ventilation AREG and EREG mRNA localized to cells in terminal airspace. EGFR mRNA also increased with mechanical ventilation. IA UP and LPS decreased ACE1 mRNA and increased ACE2 mRNA, resulting in a 4 fold change in the ACE1/ACE2 ratio. Mechanical ventilation with large tidal volumes increased both ACE1 and ACE2 expression. The alterations seen in ACE with IA exposures and EGFR pathways with mechanical ventilation may contribute to the development of BPD in preterm infants.

  8. Eicosapentaenoic acid abolishes inhibition of insulin-induced mTOR phosphorylation by LPS via PTP1B downregulation in skeletal muscle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Hong-Kui; Deng, Zhao; Jiang, Shu-Zhong; Song, Tong-Xing; Zhou, Yuan-Fei; Peng, Jian; Tao, Ya-Xiong

    2017-01-05

    Dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) increase insulin signaling in skeletal muscle. In the current study, we investigated the effect of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) on insulin-induced mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) phosphorylation in myotubes. We showed that EPA did not affect basal and insulin-induced mTOR phosphorylation in myotubes. However, EPA abolished lipopolysaccharide (LPS) -induced deficiency in insulin signaling (P  0.05). In myotubes, LPS stimulated PTP1B expression via NF-κB and activation protein-1 (AP1). Pre-incubation of 50 μM EPA prevented the LPS-induced activation of AP1 and NF-κΒ as well as PTP1B expression (P < 0.05). Interestingly, incubation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) antagonist (GW9662) prior to EPA treatment, the effect of EPA on insulin-induced mTOR phosphorylation was blocked. Accordingly, EPA did not inhibit the LPS-induced activation of AP1 or NF-κΒ as well as PTP1B expression when incubation of GW9662 prior to EPA treatment. The in vivo study showed that EPA prevented LPS-induced PTPT1B expression and a decrease in insulin-induced mTOR phosphorylation in muscle of mice. In summary, EPA abolished LPS inhibition of insulin-induced mTOR phosphorylation in myotubes, and one of the key mechanisms was to inhibit AP1 and NF-κB activation and PTP1B transcription. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Effect of maternal lipopolysaccharide administration on the development of dopaminergic receptors and transporter in the rat offspring.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Moogeh Baharnoori

    Full Text Available Epidemiological evidence supports that maternal infection during gestation are notable risk factors for developmental mental illnesses including schizophrenia and autism. In prenatal lipopolysaccharide (LPS model of immune activation in rats, the offspring exhibit significant impairments in behaviors mediated by central dopamine (DA system. This study aimed to examine the temporal and regional pattern of postnatal DA development in the male offspring of pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats administered with 100 µg/kg LPS or saline at gestational days 15/16. Using ligand autoradiography, D1 and D2 dopamine receptors (D1R, D2R and dopamine transporter (DAT binding levels were measured in the prefrontal cortex (PFC and sub cortical regions (dorsal striatum and nucleus accumbens core and shell at pre pubertal (P35 and post pubertal ages (P60. We found a significant decrease in D2R ligand [(3H] YM-90151-2 binding in the medial PFC (mPFC in prenatal LPS-treated animals at P35 and P60 compared to respective saline groups. The decrease in D2R levels was not observed in the striatum or accumbens of maternal LPS-treated animals. No significant changes were observed in [(3H] SCH23390 binding to D1R. However, the level of [(125I] RTI-121 binding to DAT was selectively reduced in the nucleus accumbens core and shell at P35 in the prenatal LPS group. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that number of D2R immunopositive cells in infralimbic/prelimbic (IL/PL part of mPFC was significantly reduced in the LPS group at P60. Prenatal LPS treatment did not significantly affect either the total number of mature neurons or parvalbumin (PV-immunopositive interneurons in this region. However the number of PV and D2R co-labeled neurons was significantly reduced in the IL/PL subregion of PFC of LPS treated animals. Our data suggests D2R deficit in the PFC and PV interneurons may be relevant to understanding mechanisms of cortical dysfunctions described in prenatal infection

  10. Reactor core in FBR type reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Masumi, Ryoji; Kawashima, Katsuyuki; Kurihara, Kunitoshi.

    1989-01-01

    In a reactor core in FBR type reactors, a portion of homogenous fuels constituting the homogenous reactor core is replaced with multi-region fuels in which the enrichment degree of fissile materials is lower nearer to the axial center. This enables to condition the composition such that a reactor core having neutron flux distribution either of a homogenous reactor core or a heterogenous reactor core has substantially identical reactivity. Accordingly, in the transfer from the homogenous reactor core to the axially heterogenous reactor core, the average reactivity in the reactor core is substantially equal in each of the cycles. Further, by replacing a portion of the homogenous fuels with a multi-region fuels, thereby increasing the heat generation near the axial center, it is possiable to reduce the linear power output in the regions above and below thereof and, in addition, to improve the thermal margin in the reactor core. (T.M.)

  11. Stress hormone release is a key component of the metabolic response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS): studies in hypopituitary and healthy subjects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bach, Ermina; Møller, Andreas Buch; Jørgensen, Jens Otto Lunde

    2016-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) generates acute and chronic inflammatory and metabolic responses during acute illness and in the pathogenesis of the metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, but it is unclear whether these responses depend on intact pituitary release...... but not in HP. LPS increased whole body palmitate fluxes (3-fold) and decreased palmitate specific activity 40-50 % in CTR, but not in HP. G(0)/G(1) Switch Gene 2 (G0S2 - an inhibitor of lipolysis) adipose tissue mRNA was decreased in CTR. LPS increased phenylalanine fluxes significantly more in CTR, whereas...

  12. Indoline-3-propionate and 3-aminopropyl carbamates reduce lung injury and pro-inflammatory cytokines induced in mice by LPS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Finkin-Groner, E; Moradov, D; Shifrin, H; Bejar, C; Nudelman, A; Weinstock, M

    2015-02-01

    In the search for safer and effective anti-inflammatory agents, we investigated the effect of methyl indoline-3-propionate and indoline-3-(3-aminopropyl) carbamates on LPS-induced lung injury and pro-inflammatory cytokines in mice. Their mechanism of action was determined in murine peritoneal macrophages. Lung injury was induced by intratracheal infusion of LPS and assessed by the change in lung weight and structure by light microscopy after staining by haematoxylin and eosin. In LPS-activated macrophages, MAPK proteins and IκBα were measured by Western blotting and the transcription factors, AP-1 and NF-κB by electromobility shift assay. Cytokines in the plasma and spleen of mice injected with LPS were measured by elisa-based assay. AN917 and AN680 (1-10 pM) decreased TNF-α protein in macrophages by inhibiting phosphorylation of p38 MAPK, IκBα degradation and activation of AP-1 and NF-κB without affecting cell viability. In vivo, these compounds (10 μmol · kg(-1)) markedly decreased lung injury induced by LPS and the elevation of TNF-α and IL-6 in lung, plasma and spleen. Activation of α-7nACh receptors contributed to the reduction of TNF-α by AN917, which inhibited AChE in the spleen by 35%. Indoline carbamates are potent inhibitors of pro-inflammatory mediators in murine macrophages and in mice injected with LPS, acting via the p38 MAPK, AP-1 and NF-κB cascades. Indirect α-7nACh receptor activation by AN917, through inhibition of AChE, contributes to its anti-inflammatory effect. Indoline carbamates may have therapeutic potential for lung injury and other diseases associated with chronic inflammation without causing immunosuppression. © 2014 The British Pharmacological Society.

  13. MiR-125b Inhibits LPS-Induced Inflammatory Injury via Targeting MIP-1α in Chondrogenic Cell ATDC5

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jinling Jia

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Background/Aims: Chondrocyte apoptosis is largely responsible for cartilage degeneration in osteoarthritis (OA. MicroRNAs (miRNAs play an important role in chondrogenesis and cartilage remodeling. This study explored the effect of miR-125b on inflammatory injury in chondrogenic cells. Methods: LPS was used to simulate inflammatory injury in murine chondrogenic ATDC5 cell lines. Targeting effect of miR-125b on MIP-1α 3’UTR was assessed by dual luciferase activity assay. Regulatory effect of miR-125b on MIP-1α expression and the potential regulatory mechanism on inflammatory injury were assessed by Western blot. Results: miR-125b expression was decreased in LPS-induced ATDC5 cells and overexpression of miR-125b inhibited LPS-induced cell viability decline, the rise of apoptosis and inflammatory factors’ productions. MIP-1α expression was negatively related to miR-125b, and miR-125b directly targeted with 3’UTR of MIP-1α. Knockdown of miR-125b promoted LPS-induced inflammatory response via upregulation of MIP-1α. miR-125b expression in LPS-induced ATDC5 cells was negatively related with activations of NF-κB and JNK signaling pathways. Overexpression of miR-125b inhibited LPS-induced inflammation injury via suppressing MIP-1α expression and inhibiting activations of NF-κB and JNK signaling pathways. Conclusion: miR-125b could play an important role in inflammatory injury of chondrogenic cells and miR-125b affected inflammatory injury of ATDC5 cells via regulating expression of MIP-1α and regulating NF-κB and JNK signaling pathways.

  14. Anti-inflammatory evaluation of the methanolic extract of Taraxacum officinale in LPS-stimulated human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeon, Daun; Kim, Seok Joong; Kim, Hong Seok

    2017-11-29

    Atherosclerosis is a chronic vascular inflammatory disease. Since even low-level endotoxemia constitutes a powerful and independent risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis, it is important to find therapies directed against the vascular effects of endotoxin to prevent atherosclerosis. Taraxacum officinale (TO) is used for medicinal purposes because of its choleretic, diuretic, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-carcinogenic properties, but its anti-inflammatory effect on endothelial cells has not been established. We evaluated the anti-inflammatory activity of TO filtered methanol extracts in LPS-stimulated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) by monocyte adhesion and western blot assays. HUVECs were pretreated with 100 μg/ml TO for 1 h and then incubated with 1 μg/ml LPS for 24 h. The mRNA and protein expression levels of the targets (pro-inflammatory cytokines and adhesion molecules) were analyzed by real-time PCR and western blot assays. We also preformed HPLC analysis to identify the components of the TO methanol extract. The TO filtered methanol extracts dramatically inhibited LPS-induced endothelial cell-monocyte interactions by reducing vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression. TO suppressed the LPS-induced nuclear translocation of NF-κB, whereas it did not affect MAPK activation. Our findings demonstrated that methanol extracts of TO could attenuate LPS-induced endothelial cell activation by inhibiting the NF-κB pathway. These results indicate the potential clinical benefits and applications of TO for the prevention of vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis.

  15. Influence of the core-hole effect on optical properties of magnesium oxide (MgO) near the Mg L-edge region.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sinha, Mangalika; Modi, Mohammed H; Ghosh, Haranath; Yadav, P K; Gupta, R K

    2018-05-01

    The influence of the core-hole effect on optical properties of magnesium oxide (MgO) is established through experimental determination of optical constants and first-principles density functional theory studies. Optical constants (δ and β) of MgO thin film are measured in the spectral region 40-300 eV using reflectance spectroscopy techniques at the Indus-1 synchrotron radiation source. The obtained optical constants show strong core exciton features near the Mg L-edge region, causing significant mismatch with Henke's tabulated values. On comparing the experimentally obtained optical constants with Henke's tabulated values, an edge shift of ∼3.0 eV is also observed. Distinct evidence of effects of core exciton on optical constants (δ and β) in the near Mg L-edge absorption spectra are confirmed through first-principles simulations.

  16. EXTERNALLY HEATED PROTOSTELLAR CORES IN THE OPHIUCHUS STAR-FORMING REGION

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lindberg, Johan E.; Charnley, Steven B.; Cordiner, Martin A. [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Astrochemistry Laboratory, Mail Code 691, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Jørgensen, Jes K.; Bjerkeli, Per, E-mail: johan.lindberg@nasa.gov [Centre for Star and Planet Formation, Niels Bohr Institute and Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, DK-1350 Copenhagen K (Denmark)

    2017-01-20

    We present APEX 218 GHz observations of molecular emission in a complete sample of embedded protostars in the Ophiuchus star-forming region. To study the physical properties of the cores, we calculate H{sub 2}CO and c -C{sub 3}H{sub 2} rotational temperatures, both of which are good tracers of the kinetic temperature of the molecular gas. We find that the H{sub 2}CO temperatures range between 16 K and 124 K, with the highest H{sub 2}CO temperatures toward the hot corino source IRAS 16293-2422 (69–124 K) and the sources in the ρ Oph A cloud (23–49 K) located close to the luminous Herbig Be star S1, which externally irradiates the ρ Oph A cores. On the other hand, the c -C{sub 3}H{sub 2} rotational temperature is consistently low (7–17 K) in all sources. Our results indicate that the c -C{sub 3}H{sub 2} emission is primarily tracing more shielded parts of the envelope whereas the H{sub 2}CO emission (at the angular scale of the APEX beam; 3600 au in Ophiuchus) mainly traces the outer irradiated envelopes, apart from in IRAS 16293-2422, where the hot corino emission dominates. In some sources, a secondary velocity component is also seen, possibly tracing the molecular outflow.

  17. How cores grow by pebble accretion. I. Direct core growth

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brouwers, M. G.; Vazan, A.; Ormel, C. W.

    2018-03-01

    Context. Planet formation by pebble accretion is an alternative to planetesimal-driven core accretion. In this scenario, planets grow by the accretion of cm- to m-sized pebbles instead of km-sized planetesimals. One of the main differences with planetesimal-driven core accretion is the increased thermal ablation experienced by pebbles. This can provide early enrichment to the planet's envelope, which influences its subsequent evolution and changes the process of core growth. Aims: We aim to predict core masses and envelope compositions of planets that form by pebble accretion and compare mass deposition of pebbles to planetesimals. Specifically, we calculate the core mass where pebbles completely evaporate and are absorbed before reaching the core, which signifies the end of direct core growth. Methods: We model the early growth of a protoplanet by calculating the structure of its envelope, taking into account the fate of impacting pebbles or planetesimals. The region where high-Z material can exist in vapor form is determined by the temperature-dependent vapor pressure. We include enrichment effects by locally modifying the mean molecular weight of the envelope. Results: In the pebble case, three phases of core growth can be identified. In the first phase (Mcore mixes outwards, slowing core growth. In the third phase (Mcore > 0.5M⊕), the high-Z inner region expands outwards, absorbing an increasing fraction of the ablated material as vapor. Rainout ends before the core mass reaches 0.6 M⊕, terminating direct core growth. In the case of icy H2O pebbles, this happens before 0.1 M⊕. Conclusions: Our results indicate that pebble accretion can directly form rocky cores up to only 0.6 M⊕, and is unable to form similarly sized icy cores. Subsequent core growth can proceed indirectly when the planet cools, provided it is able to retain its high-Z material.

  18. Inhibitory effect of immature dendritic cells (iDCs phagocytizing apoptotic lymphocytes on LPS-mediated activation of iDCs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu-xiang WEI

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Objective To investigate the inhibitory effect of immature dendritic cells(iDCs on LPS-mediated maturation of iDCs phagocytizing allogeneic spleen lymphocytes after being treated bypsoralen plus ultraviolet A(PUVA. Methods Bone marrow-derived DCs were obtained from bone marrow cells of C57BL/6 mice by co-cultivation with recombinant mouse IL-4 and GM-CSF. Spleenlymphocytes(SLP of BALB/c mice were isolated and transformed to PUVA-SLP by treatment with 8-methoxy PUVA irradiation.The bone marrow-derived iDCs of C57BL/6 were co-cultured with PUVA-SLP of BALB/c mice to obtain PUVA¬SLPDCs. After incubation, iDCs and PUVA-SP DCs were induced to maturation by LPS(10ng/ml,24h, and then they were analyzed by flow cytometry.At the same time,the concentrations of the immunoreactive proteins IL-12p70,IL-12p40andIL-10 in cell supernatants were determined by ELISA kits according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Results PUVA-SLP DCs and iDCs were compared in terms of LPS responsiveness.The phenotype of iDCs(CD40,CD80, andCD86 was 50.58%, 66.29%, 71.20%, respectively, showed more rapid changes from immature to mature statein response to LPS stimulation compared with PUVA-SP DCs, the phenotype of which was 21.26%,38.50% and 39.78%, respectively(P0.05.PUVA-SPDCs secreted high levels of IL-10(435.6±13.9, but lowlevels of IL-12(p7018.56±1.3,p4015.22±1.2, as compared with those of iDCs (132.6±2.8, p70192.1±5.9, p40999.8±26.9, P<0.01 after LPS stimulation. Conclusions Although PUVA-SLPDCs do not express as immature phenotype, they can be readily induced to differentiate into mature DCs in the presence of antigen or LPS. It may be suitable to use iDCs clinically in autoimmune diseases and transplantation.

  19. BQ-123 prevents LPS-induced preterm birth in mice via the induction of uterine and placental IL-10

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Olgun, Nicole S., E-mail: Nicole.olgun02@stjohns.edu [Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. John' s University, 8000 Utopia Parkway, Jamaica, NY, 11439 (United States); Women and Children' s Research Laboratory, Winthrop University Hospital, 259 1st Street, Mineola, NY, 11501 (United States); Hanna, Nazeeh, E-mail: Nhanna@winthrop.org [Women and Children' s Research Laboratory, Winthrop University Hospital, 259 1st Street, Mineola, NY, 11501 (United States); Department of Pediatrics, Winthrop University Hospital, 259 1st Street, Mineola, NY, 11501 (United States); Reznik, Sandra E., E-mail: Rezniks@stjohns.edu [Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. John' s University, 8000 Utopia Parkway, Jamaica, NY, 11439 (United States); Department of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461 (United States); Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Women' s Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461 (United States)

    2015-02-01

    Preterm birth (PTB), defined as any delivery occurring prior to the completion of 37 weeks' gestation, currently accounts for 11–12% of all births in the United States. Maternal genito-urinary infections account for up to 40% of all PTBS and induce a pro-inflammatory state in the host. The potent vasoconstrictor Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is known to be upregulated in the setting of infection, and elicits its effect by binding to the ET{sub A} receptor. We have previously shown that antagonism of the ET{sub A} receptor with BQ-123 is capable of preventing LPS-induced PTB in mice. We hypothesize that the administration of BQ-123 post LPS exposure will dismantle a positive feedback loop observed with pro-inflammatory cytokines upstream of ET-1. On GD 15.5, pregnant C57BL/6 mice were injected with PBS, LPS, BQ-123, or LPS + BQ-123. Changes at both the level of transcription and translation were observed in uterus and placenta in the ET-1 axis and in pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines over the course of 12 h. We discovered that BQ-123, when administered 10 h post LPS, is capable of increasing production of uterine and placental Interleukin-10, causing a shift away from the pro-inflammatory state. We also observed that antagonism of the ET{sub A} receptor decreased IL-1β and TNFα in the placenta while also decreasing transcription of ET-1 in the uterus. Our results reinforce the role of ET-1 at the maternal fetal interface and highlight the potential benefit of ET{sub A} receptor blockade via the suppression of ET-1, and induction of a Th2 cytokine dominant state. - Highlights: • The pro-inflammatory response to LPS in the uterus and placenta is ET-1 dependent. • ET{sub A} blockade triggers up-regulation of IL-10 in uterus and placenta. • A positive feedback loop drives ET-1 expression in gestational tissue.

  20. BQ-123 prevents LPS-induced preterm birth in mice via the induction of uterine and placental IL-10

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Olgun, Nicole S.; Hanna, Nazeeh; Reznik, Sandra E.

    2015-01-01

    Preterm birth (PTB), defined as any delivery occurring prior to the completion of 37 weeks' gestation, currently accounts for 11–12% of all births in the United States. Maternal genito-urinary infections account for up to 40% of all PTBS and induce a pro-inflammatory state in the host. The potent vasoconstrictor Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is known to be upregulated in the setting of infection, and elicits its effect by binding to the ET A receptor. We have previously shown that antagonism of the ET A receptor with BQ-123 is capable of preventing LPS-induced PTB in mice. We hypothesize that the administration of BQ-123 post LPS exposure will dismantle a positive feedback loop observed with pro-inflammatory cytokines upstream of ET-1. On GD 15.5, pregnant C57BL/6 mice were injected with PBS, LPS, BQ-123, or LPS + BQ-123. Changes at both the level of transcription and translation were observed in uterus and placenta in the ET-1 axis and in pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines over the course of 12 h. We discovered that BQ-123, when administered 10 h post LPS, is capable of increasing production of uterine and placental Interleukin-10, causing a shift away from the pro-inflammatory state. We also observed that antagonism of the ET A receptor decreased IL-1β and TNFα in the placenta while also decreasing transcription of ET-1 in the uterus. Our results reinforce the role of ET-1 at the maternal fetal interface and highlight the potential benefit of ET A receptor blockade via the suppression of ET-1, and induction of a Th2 cytokine dominant state. - Highlights: • The pro-inflammatory response to LPS in the uterus and placenta is ET-1 dependent. • ET A blockade triggers up-regulation of IL-10 in uterus and placenta. • A positive feedback loop drives ET-1 expression in gestational tissue

  1. Induction of IgG3 to LPS via Toll-like receptor 4 co-stimulation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francisco J Quintana

    Full Text Available B-cells integrate antigen-specific signals transduced via the B-cell receptor (BCR and antigen non-specific co-stimulatory signals provided by cytokines and CD40 ligation in order to produce IgG antibodies. Toll-like receptors (TLRs also provide co-stimulation, but the requirement for TLRs to generate T-cell independent and T-cell dependent antigen specific antibody responses is debated. Little is known about the role of B-cell expressed TLRs in inducing antigen-specific antibodies to antigens that also activate TLR signaling. We found that mice lacking functional TLR4 or its adaptor molecule MyD88 harbored significantly less IgG3 natural antibodies to LPS, and required higher amounts of LPS to induce anti-LPS IgG3. In vitro, BCR and TLR4 signaling synergized, lowering the threshold for production of T-cell independent IgG3 and IL-10. Moreover, BCR and TLR4 directly associate through the transmembrane domain of TLR4. Thus, in vivo, BCR/TLR synergism could facilitate the induction of IgG3 antibodies against microbial antigens that engage both innate and adaptive B-cell receptors. Vaccines might exploit BCR/TLR synergism to rapidly induce antigen-specific antibodies before significant T-cell responses arise.

  2. Lactoferricin mediates Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Catabolic Effects via Inhibition of IL-1 and LPS Activity in the Intervertebral Disc†

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Jae-Sung; Ellman, Michael B.; Yan, Dongyao; An, Howard S.; Kc, Ranjan; Li, Xin; Chen, Di; Xiao, Guozhi; Cs-Zabo, Gabriella; Hoskin, David W.; Buechter, D.D.; Van Wijnen, Andre J.; Im, Hee-Jeong

    2013-01-01

    The catabolic cytokine interleukin-1 (IL-1) and endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) are well-known inflammatory mediators involved in degenerative disc disease, and inhibitors of IL-1 and LPS may potentially be used to slow or prevent disc degeneration in vivo. Here, we elucidate the striking anti-catabolic and anti-inflammatory effects of bovine lactoferricin (LfcinB) in the intervertebral disc (IVD) via antagonism of both IL-1 and LPS-mediated catabolic activity using in vitro and ex vivo analyses. Specifically, we demonstrate the biological counteraction of LfcinB against IL-1 and LPS-mediated proteoglycan (PG) depletion, matrix-degrading enzyme production and enzyme activity in long-term (alginate beads) and short-term (monolayer) culture models using bovine and human nucleus pulposus (NP) cells. LfcinB significantly attenuates the IL-1 and LPS-mediated suppression of PG production and synthesis, and thus restores PG accumulation and pericellular matrix formation. Simultaneously, LfcinB antagonizes catabolic factor mediated induction of multiple cartilage-degrading enzymes, including MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-13, ADAMTS-4, and ADAMTS-5, in bovine NP cells at both mRNA and protein levels. LfcinB also suppresses the catabolic factor-induced stimulation of oxidative and inflammatory factors such as iNOS, IL-6, and toll-like receptor-2 (TLR-2) and TLR-4. Finally, the ability of LfcinB to antagonize IL-1 and LPS-mediated suppression of PG is upheld in an en bloc intradiscal microinjection model followed by ex vivo organ culture using both mouse and rabbit IVD tissue, suggesting a potential therapeutic benefit of LfcinB on degenerative disc disease in the future. PMID:23460134

  3. Lactoferricin mediates anti-inflammatory and anti-catabolic effects via inhibition of IL-1 and LPS activity in the intervertebral disc.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Jae-Sung; Ellman, Michael B; Yan, Dongyao; An, Howard S; Kc, Ranjan; Li, Xin; Chen, Di; Xiao, Guozhi; Cs-Szabo, Gabriella; Hoskin, David W; Buechter, Doug D; Van Wijnen, Andre J; Im, Hee-Jeong

    2013-09-01

    The catabolic cytokine interleukin-1 (IL-1) and endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) are well-known inflammatory mediators involved in degenerative disc disease, and inhibitors of IL-1 and LPS may potentially be used to slow or prevent disc degeneration in vivo. Here, we elucidate the striking anti-catabolic and anti-inflammatory effects of bovine lactoferricin (LfcinB) in the intervertebral disc (IVD) via antagonism of both IL-1 and LPS-mediated catabolic activity using in vitro and ex vivo analyses. Specifically, we demonstrate the biological counteraction of LfcinB against IL-1 and LPS-mediated proteoglycan (PG) depletion, matrix-degrading enzyme production, and enzyme activity in long-term (alginate beads) and short-term (monolayer) culture models using bovine and human nucleus pulposus (NP) cells. LfcinB significantly attenuates the IL-1 and LPS-mediated suppression of PG production and synthesis, and thus restores PG accumulation and pericellular matrix formation. Simultaneously, LfcinB antagonizes catabolic factor mediated induction of multiple cartilage-degrading enzymes, including MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-13, ADAMTS-4, and ADAMTS-5, in bovine NP cells at both mRNA and protein levels. LfcinB also suppresses the catabolic factor-induced stimulation of oxidative and inflammatory factors such as iNOS, IL-6, and toll-like receptor-2 (TLR-2) and TLR-4. Finally, the ability of LfcinB to antagonize IL-1 and LPS-mediated suppression of PG is upheld in an en bloc intradiscal microinjection model followed by ex vivo organ culture using both mouse and rabbit IVD tissue, suggesting a potential therapeutic benefit of LfcinB on degenerative disc disease in the future. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. Ventilation-induced increases in EGFR ligand mRNA are not altered by intra-amniotic LPS or ureaplasma in preterm lambs.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Noah H Hillman

    Full Text Available Chorioamnionitis and mechanical ventilation are associated with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD in preterm infants. Mechanical ventilation at birth activates both inflammatory and acute phase responses. These responses can be partially modulated by previous exposure to intra-amniotic (IA LPS or Ureaplasma parvum (UP. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR ligands participate in lung development, and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE 1 and ACE2 contribute to lung inflammation. We asked whether brief mechanical ventilation at birth altered EGFR and ACE pathways and if antenatal exposure to IA LPS or UP could modulate these effects. Ewes were exposed to IA injections of UP, LPS or saline multiple days prior to preterm delivery at 85% gestation. Lambs were either immediately euthanized or mechanically ventilated for 2 to 3 hr. IA UP and LPS cause modest changes in the EGFR ligands amphiregulin (AREG, epiregulin (EREG, heparin binding epidermal growth factor (HB-EGF, and betacellulin (BTC mRNA expression. Mechanical ventilation greatly increased mRNA expression of AREG, EREG, and HB-EGF, with no additional increases resulting from IA LPS or UP. With ventilation AREG and EREG mRNA localized to cells in terminal airspace. EGFR mRNA also increased with mechanical ventilation. IA UP and LPS decreased ACE1 mRNA and increased ACE2 mRNA, resulting in a 4 fold change in the ACE1/ACE2 ratio. Mechanical ventilation with large tidal volumes increased both ACE1 and ACE2 expression. The alterations seen in ACE with IA exposures and EGFR pathways with mechanical ventilation may contribute to the development of BPD in preterm infants.

  5. Geostatistical analysis and isoscape of ice core derived water stable isotope records in an Antarctic macro region

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hatvani, István Gábor; Leuenberger, Markus; Kohán, Balázs; Kern, Zoltán

    2017-09-01

    Water stable isotopes preserved in ice cores provide essential information about polar precipitation. In the present study, multivariate regression and variogram analyses were conducted on 22 δ2H and 53 δ18O records from 60 ice cores covering the second half of the 20th century. Taking the multicollinearity of the explanatory variables into account, as also the model's adjusted R2 and its mean absolute error, longitude, elevation and distance from the coast were found to be the main independent geographical driving factors governing the spatial δ18O variability of firn/ice in the chosen Antarctic macro region. After diminishing the effects of these factors, using variography, the weights for interpolation with kriging were obtained and the spatial autocorrelation structure of the dataset was revealed. This indicates an average area of influence with a radius of 350 km. This allows the determination of the areas which are as yet not covered by the spatial variability of the existing network of ice cores. Finally, the regional isoscape was obtained for the study area, and this may be considered the first step towards a geostatistically improved isoscape for Antarctica.

  6. Professor Krystyna Kotełko and her contribution to the study of Proteus endotoxin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Różalski, Antoni W

    2018-04-01

    Professor Krystyna Kotełko was working as a microbiologist at the University of Łódź (Poland). Her main object of study was the LPS (endotoxin) of opportunistic urinary pathogens from the genus Proteus. She demonstrated, for the first time, the presence of uronic acids and amino acids, as well as two heptoses (L- glycero-D- manno-heptose and D- glycero-D- manno-heptose) and hexosamines in Proteus LPS, and developed a classification scheme of the Proteus LPS into chemotypes. Prof Kotełko also initiated studies on the chemical structure of Proteus O-specific polysaccharide and investigations on the serological specificity of this part of LPS, as well its core region. She also analysed the virulence factors of these bacteria, such as haemolysin and invasiveness.

  7. ST2 suppresses IL-6 production via the inhibition of IκB degradation induced by the LPS signal in THP-1 cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takezako, Naoki; Hayakawa, Morisada; Hayakawa, Hiroko; Aoki, Shinsuke; Yanagisawa, Ken; Endo, Hitoshi; Tominaga, Shin-ichi

    2006-01-01

    LPS induces the production of inflammatory cytokines via the stimulation of Toll-like receptors. In this study, we demonstrated that a soluble secreted form of the ST2 gene product (ST2), a member of the interleukin-1 receptor family, suppressed the production of IL-6 in an LPS-stimulated human monocytic leukemia cell line, THP-1. Immunofluorescence confocal microscopy revealed the binding of ST2 to the surface of the THP-1 cells, in which ST2 led to decreased binding of nuclear factor-κB to the IL-6 promoter. Furthermore, the degradation of IκB in the cytoplasm after LPS stimulation was reduced by pretreatment with ST2. These results demonstrated that ST2 negatively regulates LPS-induced IL-6 production via the inhibition of IκB degradation in THP-1 cells

  8. Experimental chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection in rats. Non-specific stimulation with LPS reduces lethality as efficiently as specific immunization

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lange, K H; Hougen, H P; Høiby, N

    1995-01-01

    In a rat model of chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection mimicking cystic fibrosis, we investigated the possibility of preventing chronic lung inflammation or decreasing the progression of the infection. We compared the lethality, pathology, bacterial clearance, and immunogenicity after...... with either E. coli LPS or P. aeruginosa sonicate. Four and two weeks prior to challenge other rats were vaccinated with either E. coli LPS or P. aeruginosa sonicate. Controls did not receive any stimulation or vaccination. The lethality after challenge was lower in rats stimulated with E. coli LPS (p = 0...... but not to prevent the chronic P. aeruginosa lung infection and inflammation caused by alginate-embedded bacteria....

  9. Propofol pretreatment attenuates LPS-induced granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor production in cultured hepatocytes by suppressing MAPK/ERK activity and NF-κB translocation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jawan, Bruno; Kao, Y.-H.; Goto, Shigeru; Pan, M.-C.; Lin, Y.-C.; Hsu, L.-W.; Nakano, Toshiaki; Lai, C.-Y.; Sun, C.-K.; Cheng, Y.-F.; Tai, M.-H.

    2008-01-01

    Propofol (PPF), a widely used intravenous anesthetic for induction and maintenance of anesthesia during surgeries, was found to possess suppressive effect on host immunity. This study aimed at investigating whether PPF plays a modulatory role in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory cytokine expression in a cell line of rat hepatocytes. Morphological observation and viability assay showed that PPF exhibits no cytotoxicity at concentrations up to 300 μM after 48 h incubation. Pretreatment with 100 μM PPF for 24 h prior to LPS stimulation was performed to investigate the modulatory effect on LPS-induced inflammatory gene production. The results of semi-quantitative RT-PCR demonstrated that PPF pretreatment significantly suppressed the LPS-induced toll-like receptor (TLR)-4, CD14, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) gene expression. Western blotting analysis showed that PPF pretreatment potentiated the LPS-induced TLR-4 downregulation. Flow cytometrical analysis revealed that PPF pretreatment showed no modulatory effect on the LPS-upregulated CD14 expression on hepatocytes. In addition, PPF pretreatment attenuated the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK) and IκBα, as well as the nuclear translocation of NF-κB primed by LPS. Moreover, addition of PD98059, a MAPK kinase inhibitor, significantly suppressed the LPS-induced NF-κB nuclear translocation and GM-CSF production, suggesting that the PPF-attenuated GM-CSF production in hepatocytes may be attributed to its suppressive effect on MAPK/ERK signaling pathway. In conclusion, PPF as an anesthetic may clinically benefit those patients who are vulnerable to sepsis by alleviating sepsis-related inflammatory response in livers

  10. Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of the major peanut allergen Ara h 1 core region

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cabanos, Cerrone; Urabe, Hiroyuki; Masuda, Taro; Tandang-Silvas, Mary Rose; Utsumi, Shigeru; Mikami, Bunzo; Maruyama, Nobuyuki

    2010-01-01

    In this study, the core region of Ara h 1, one of the major peanut allergens, has been overexpressed in Escherichia coli, purified and crystallized. Diffraction data were collected to 2.25 Å resolution. Peanuts contain some of the most potent food allergens known to date. Ara h 1 is one of the three major peanut allergens. As a first step towards three-dimensional structure elucidation, recombinant Ara h 1 core region was cloned, expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. Crystals were obtained using 0.1 M sodium citrate pH 5.6, 0.1 M NaCl, 15% PEG 400 as precipitant. The crystals diffracted to 2.25 Å resolution using synchrotron radiation and belonged to the monoclinic space group C2, with unit-cell parameters a = 156.521, b = 88.991, c = 158.971 Å, β = 107.144°. Data were collected at the BL-38B1 station of SPring-8 (Hyogo, Japan)

  11. Alliin, a Garlic (Allium sativum Compound, Prevents LPS-Induced Inflammation in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saray Quintero-Fabián

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Garlic (Allium sativum L. has been used to alleviate a variety of health problems due to its high content of organosulfur compounds and antioxidant activity. The main active component is alliin (S-allyl cysteine sulfoxide, a potent antioxidant with cardioprotective and neuroprotective actions. In addition, it helps to decrease serum levels of glucose, insulin, triglycerides, and uric acid, as well as insulin resistance, and reduces cytokine levels. However its potential anti-inflammatory effect is unknown. We examined the effects of alliin in lipopolysaccharide- (LPS- stimulated 3T3-L1 adipocytes by RT-PCR, Western blot, and microarrays analysis of 22,000 genes. Incubation of cells for 24 h with 100 μmol/L alliin prevented the increase in the expression of proinflammatory genes, IL-6, MCP-1, and Egr-1 in 3T3-L1 adipocytes exposed to 100 ng/mL LPS for 1 h. Interestingly, the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, which is involved in LPS-induced inflammation in adipocytes, was decreased following alliin treatment. Furthermore, the gene expression profile by microarrays evidentiate an upregulation of genes involved in immune response and downregulation of genes related with cancer. The present results have shown that alliin is able to suppress the LPS inflammatory signals by generating an anti-inflammatory gene expression profile and by modifying adipocyte metabolic profile.

  12. Repulsive guidance molecule a blockade exerts the immunoregulatory function in DCs stimulated with ABP and LPS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Xuxu; Gao, Yan; Zhai, Zhiyong; Zhang, Shuo; Shan, Fengping; Feng, Juan

    2016-08-02

    Repulsive guidance molecule a (RGMa) is an axonal guidance molecule that has recently found to exert function in immune system. This study evaluated the function of RGMa in modulation of dendritic cells (DCs) function stimulated with Achyranthes bidentata polysaccharide (ABP) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) using a RGMa-neutralizing antibody. Compared with the Control-IgG/ABP and Control-IgG/LPS groups, DCs in the Anti-RGMa/ABP and Anti-RGMa/LPS groups 1) showed small, round cells with a few cell processes and organelles, and many pinocytotic vesicles; 2) had decreased MHC II, CD86, CD80, and CD40 expression; 3) displayed the decreased IL-12p70, IL-1β and TNF-α levels and increased IL-10 secretion; 4) had a high percentage of FITC-dextran uptake; and 5) displayed a reduced ability to drive T cell proliferation and reinforced T cell polarization toward a Th2 cytokine pattern. We conclude that DCs treated with RGMa-neutralizing antibodies present with tolerogenic and immunoregulatory characteristics, which provides new insights into further understanding of the function of RGMa.

  13. M3 receptor is involved in the effect of penehyclidine hydrochloride reduced endothelial injury in LPS-stimulated human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cell.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Qinghong; Xiao, Fei; Liu, Qiangsheng; Zheng, Fei; Shen, Shiwen; He, Qianwen; Chen, Kai; Wang, Yanlin; Zhang, Zongze; Zhan, Jia

    2018-02-01

    LPS has been recently shown to induce muscarinic acetylcholine 3 receptor (M 3 receptor) expression and penehyclidine hydrochloride (PHC) is an anticholinergic drug which could block the expression of M 3 receptor. PHC has been demonstrated to perform protective effect on cell injury. This study is to investigate whether the effect of PHC on microvascular endothelial injury is related to its inhibition of M 3 receptor or not. HPMVECs were treated with specific M 3 receptor shRNA or PBS, and randomly divided into LPS group (A group), LPS+PHC group (B group), LPS + M 3 shRNA group (C group) and LPS + PHC + M 3 shRNA group (D group). Cells were collected at 60 min after LPS treatment to measure levels of LDH, endothelial permeability, TNF-α and IL-6 levels, NF-κB p65 activation, I-κB protein expression, p38MAPK, and ERK1/2 activations as well as M 3 mRNA expression. PHC could decrease LDH levels, cell permeability, TNF-α and IL-6 levels, p38 MAPK, ERK1/2, NF-κB p65 activations and M 3 mRNA expressions compared with LPS group. When M 3 receptor was silence, the changes of these indices were much more obvious. These findings suggest that M 3 receptor plays an important role in LPS-induced pulmonary microvascular endothelial injury, which is regulated through NF-κB p65 and MAPK activation. And knockout of M 3 receptor could attenuate LPS-induced pulmonary microvascular endothelial injury. Regulative effects of PHC on pulmonary microvascular permeability and NF-κB p65 as well as MAPK activations are including but not limited to inhibition of M 3 receptor. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. [Core competencies in public health: a regional framework for the Americas].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conejero, Juana Suárez; Godue, Charles; Gutiérrez, José Francisco García; Valladares, Laura Magaña; Rabionet, Silvia; Concha, José; Valdés, Manuel Vázquez; Gómez, Rubén Darío; Mujica, Oscar J; Cabezas, César; Lucano, Lindaura Liendo; Castellanos, Jorge

    2013-07-01

    The response is described to the 2010 call from the Pan American Health Organization to develop a Regional Framework on Core Competencies in Public Health, with a view to supporting the efforts of the countries in the Americas to build public health systems capacity as a strategy for optimal performance of the Essential Public Health Functions. The methodological process for the response was divided into four phases. In the first, a team of experts was convened who defined the methodology to be used during a workshop at the National Institute of Public Health of Mexico in 2010. The second phase involved formation of the working groups, using two criteria: experience and multidisciplinary membership, which resulted in a regional team with 225 members from 12 countries. This team prepared an initial proposal with 88 competencies. In the third phase, the competencies were cross-validated and their number reduced to 64. During the fourth phase, which included two workshops, in March 2011 (Medellín, Colombia) and June 2011 (Lima, Peru), discussions centered on analyzing the association between the results and the methodology.

  15. Antioxidation, anti-inflammation and anti-apoptosis by paeonol in LPS/d-GalN-induced acute liver failure in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gong, Xiaobao; Yang, You; Huang, Ligua; Zhang, Qingyan; Wan, Rong-Zhen; Zhang, Peng; Zhang, Baoshun

    2017-05-01

    To evaluate the hepatoprotective effects and potential mechanisms of paeonol (Pae) against acute liver failure (ALF) induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)/d-galactosamine (d-GalN) in mice, we examined anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activities of Pae. We found that Pae pretreatment markedly reduced the activities of alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase as well as the histopathological changes induced by LPS/d-GalN. Catalase, glutathione and superoxide dismutase activities increased and reactive oxygen species activity decreased after Pae treatment compared with LPS/d-GalN treatment. Pretreatment with Pae also significantly inhibited the expression levels of iNOS, nitric oxide (NO), COX-2 and prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ). In addition, Pae administration prevented the phosphorylated expression of IκB kinase, inhibitor kappa B in the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway, and suppressed the phosphorylated expression of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), c-jun-N-terminal kinase and p38 in the MAPK signaling pathway. Pretreatment with Pae also inhibited hepatocyte apoptosis by reducing the expression of caspases 3, 8, 9, and Bax, and increasing Bcl-2. In total, protective effects of Pae against LPS/d-GalN-induced ALF in mice are attributed to its antioxidative effect, inflammatory suppression in NF-κB and MARK signaling pathways, and inhibition of hepatocyte apoptosis inhibition. Therefore, Pae can be a potential therapeutic agent in attenuating LPS/d-GalN-induced ALF in the future. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  16. A core design study for 'zero-sodium-void-worth' cores

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kawashima, Masatoshi; Suzuki, Masao; Hill, R.N.

    1992-01-01

    Recently, a number of low sodium-void-worth metal-fueled core design concepts have been proposed; to provide for flexibility in transuranic nuclide management strategy, core designs which exhibit a wide range of breeding characteristics have been developed. Two core concepts, a flat annular (transuranic burning) core and an absorber-type parfait (transuranic self-sufficient) core, are selected for this study. In this paper, the excess reactivity management schemes applied in the two designs are investigated in detail. In addition, the transient effect of reactivity insertions on the parfait core design is assessed. The upper and lower core regions in the parfait design are neutronically decoupled; however, the common coolant channel creates thermalhydraulic coupling. This combination of neutronic and thermalhydraulic characteristics leads to unique behavior in anticipated transient overpower events. (author)

  17. p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase up-regulates LPS-induced NF-κB activation in the development of lung injury and RAW 264.7 macrophages

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Hee J.; Lee, Hui S.; Chong, Young H.; Kang, Jihee Lee

    2006-01-01

    Clarification of the key regulatory steps that lead to nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) under cellular and pathological conditions is very important. The action of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) on the upstream of NF-κB activation remains controversial. To examine this issue using an in vivo lung injury model, SB203580, a p38 MAPK inhibitor was given intraorally 1 h prior to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment (intratracheally). The mice were sacrificed 4 h after LPS treatment. SB203580 substantially suppressed LPS-induced rises in p38 MAPK phosphorylation, neutrophil recruitment, total protein content in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and apoptosis of bronchoalveolar cells. Furthermore, SB203580 blocked LPS-induced NF-κB activation in lung tissue through down-regulation of serine phosphorylation, degradation of IκB-α, and consequent translocation of the p65 subunit of NF-κB to the nucleus. It is likely that, in cultured RAW 264.7 macrophages, SB203580 also blocked LPS-induced NF-κB activation in a dose-dependent manner. SB203580 inhibited LPS-induced serine phosphorylation, degradation of IκB-α, and tyrosine phosphorylation of p65 NF-κB. These data indicate that p38 MAPK acts upstream of LPS-induced NF-κB activation by modulating the phosphorylation of IκB-α and p65 NF-κB during acute lung injury. Because LPS-stimulated macrophages may contribute to inflammatory lung injury, the inhibition of the p38 MAPK-mediated intracellular signaling pathway leading to NF-κB activation represents a target for the attenuation of lung inflammation and parenchymal damage

  18. Lipoxin A4 and platelet activating factor are involved in E. coli or LPS-induced lung inflammation in CFTR-deficient mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haiya Wu

    Full Text Available CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator is expressed by both neutrophils and platelets. Lack of functional CFTR could lead to severe lung infection and inflammation. Here, we found that mutation of CFTR (F508del or inhibition of CFTR in mice led to more severe thrombocytopenia, alveolar neutrocytosis and bacteriosis, and lower lipoxin A4/MIP-2 (macrophage inhibitory protein-2 or lipoxin A4/neutrophil ratios in the BAL (bronchoalveolar lavage during acute E. coli pneumonia. In vitro, inhibition of CFTR promotes MIP-2 production in LPS-stimulated neutrophils; however, lipoxin A4 could dose-dependently suppress this effect. In LPS-induced acute lung inflammation, blockade of PSGL-1 (P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 or P-selectin, antagonism of PAF by WEB2086, or correction of mutated CFTR trafficking by KM11060 could significantly increase plasma lipoxin A4 levels in F508del relevant to wildtype mice. Concurrently, F508del mice had higher plasma platelet activating factor (PAF levels and PAF-AH activity compared to wildtype under LPS challenge. Inhibiting hydrolysis of PAF by a specific PAF-AH (PAF-acetylhydrolase inhibitor, MAFP, could worsen LPS-induced lung inflammation in F508del mice compared to vehicle treated F508del group. Particularly, depletion of platelets in F508del mice could significantly decrease plasma lipoxin A4 and PAF-AH activity and deteriorate LPS-induced lung inflammation compared to control F508del mice. Taken together, lipoxin A4 and PAF are involved in E. coli or LPS-induced lung inflammation in CFTR-deficient mice, suggesting that lipoxin A4 and PAF might be therapeutic targets for ameliorating CFTR-deficiency deteriorated lung inflammation.

  19. Enteroendocrine L Cells Sense LPS after Gut Barrier Injury to Enhance GLP-1 Secretion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lorène J. Lebrun

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Summary: Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1 is a hormone released from enteroendocrine L cells. Although first described as a glucoregulatory incretin hormone, GLP-1 also suppresses inflammation and promotes mucosal integrity. Here, we demonstrate that plasma GLP-1 levels are rapidly increased by lipopolysaccharide (LPS administration in mice via a Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4-dependent mechanism. Experimental manipulation of gut barrier integrity after dextran sodium sulfate treatment, or via ischemia/reperfusion experiments in mice, triggered a rapid rise in circulating GLP-1. This phenomenon was detected prior to measurable changes in inflammatory status and plasma cytokine and LPS levels. In human subjects, LPS administration also induced GLP-1 secretion. Furthermore, GLP-1 levels were rapidly increased following the induction of ischemia in the human intestine. These findings expand traditional concepts of enteroendocrine L cell biology to encompass the sensing of inflammatory stimuli and compromised mucosal integrity, linking glucagon-like peptide secretion to gut inflammation. : Lebrun et al. demonstrate that enteroendocrine L cells sense lipopolysaccharides (pro-inflammatory bacterial compounds after gut injury and respond by secreting glucagon-like peptide 1. These findings expand concepts of L cell function to include roles as both a nutrient and pathogen sensor, linking glucagon-like peptide secretion to gut inflammation. Keywords: glucagon-like peptide 1, lipopolysaccharides, enteroendocrine cells, TLR4, gut injury, intestinal ischemia, inflammation

  20. Inhibition of breast cancer resistance protein (ABCG2 in human myeloid dendritic cells induces potent tolerogenic functions during LPS stimulation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jun-O Jin

    Full Text Available Breast cancer resistance protein (ABCG2, a member of the ATP-binding cassette transporters has been identified as a major determinant of multidrug resistance (MDR in cancer cells, but ABC transporter inhibition has limited therapeutic value in vivo. In this research, we demonstrated that inhibition of efflux transporters ABCG2 induced the generation of tolerogenic DCs from human peripheral blood myeloid DCs (mDCs. ABCG2 expression was present in mDCs and was further increased by LPS stimulation. Treatment of CD1c+ mDCs with an ABCG2 inhibitor, Ko143, during LPS stimulation caused increased production of IL-10 and decreased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and decreased expression of CD83 and CD86. Moreover, inhibition of ABCG2 in monocyte-derived DCs (MDDCs abrogated the up-regulation of co-stimulatory molecules and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in these cells in response to LPS. Furthermore, CD1c+ mDCs stimulated with LPS plus Ko143 inhibited the proliferation of allogeneic and superantigen-specific syngenic CD4+ T cells and promoted expansion of CD25+FOXP3+ regulatory T (Treg cells in an IL-10-dependent fashion. These tolerogenic effects of ABCG2 inhibition could be abolished by ERK inhibition. Thus, we demonstrated that inhibition of ABCG2 in LPS-stimulated mDCs can potently induce tolerogenic potentials in these cells, providing crucial new information that could lead to development of better strategies to combat MDR cancer.

  1. PERLINDUNGAN HUKUM TERHADAP UANG SIMPANAN NASABAH DI BANK GAGAL OLEH LEMBAGA PENJAMIN SIMPANAN (LPS MENURUT UU NOMOR 10 TAHUN 1998 DAN UU NOMOR 24 TAHUN 2004

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I Putu Indra Prastika

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The economic crisis of 1997-1998 is marked by the liquidation of 16 commercial banks which resulted the collapse of public confidence in the national banking institutions. To handle the crisis, the government issued several policies there are security for payment of all liabilities of the Bank and public deposits (blankit Guarantiee. The Deposit Insurance Agency (LPS emerged as an independent agency that serves the banking guarantee customer’s deposits in Indonesia. In this research, there are two problems to be dissussed (1 what are the steps taken by the Deposit Insurance Agency (LPS when a bank fails and how if LPS has a financial difficulties? (2 what does the authority of the Deposit Insurance Agency (LPS in the completion and management of the Bank Failure? The method for in this research are the approach of legislation (Statutes Approach and the comparative approach whereas the type of the research in this study is a normative legal research which is basically to compare and find the relationship the Deposit Insurance Agency is listed in Law No. 24 of 2004 concerning the Deposit Insurance Agency and the Law No. 10 of 1998 concerning about banking. The problems are discussed based on the government’s principles, that the government has a strong commitment to ensure the sustainability of LPS including maintain public confidence in the LPS. While one of the authority of the Deposit Insurance Agency (LPS in the completion and management for the Bank Failure are with mastering and managing the assets and liabilities of the Bank Failure which is rescued. Krisis ekonomi pada tahun 1997-1998, ditandai dengan dilikuidasinya 16 Bank Umum yang mengakibatkan runtuhnya kepercayaan masyarakat terhadap lembaga perbankan nasional. Untuk mengatasi krisis yang terjadi, pemerintah mengeluarkan beberapa kebijakan diantaranya memberikan jaminan atas seluruh kewajiban pembayaran Bank termasuk simpanan masyarakat (Blankit Guarantiee. Lembaga Penjamin

  2. Nonequilibrium phenomena and determination of plasma parameters in the hot core of the cathode region in free-burning arc discharges

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuehn, Gerrit; Kock, Manfred

    2007-01-01

    We present spectroscopic measurements of plasma parameters (electron density n e , electron temperature T e , gas temperature T g , underpopulation factor b) in the hot-core region in front of the cathode of a low-current, free-burning arc discharge in argon under atmospheric pressure. The discharge is operated in the hot-core mode, creating a hot cathode region with plasma parameters similar to high-current arcs in spite of the fact that we use comparatively low currents (less than 20 A). We use continuum emission and (optically thin) line emission to determine n e and T e . We apply relaxation measurements based on a power-interruption technique to investigate deviations from local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE). These measurements let us determine the gas temperature T g . All measurements are performed side-on with charge-coupled-device cameras as detectors, so that all measured plasma parameters are spatially resolved after an Abel inversion. This yields the first ever spatially resolved observation of the non-LTE phenomena of the hot core in the near-cathode region of free-burning arcs. The results only partly coincide with previously published predictions and measurements in the literature

  3. BQ-123 prevents LPS-induced preterm birth in mice via the induction of uterine and placental IL-10.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olgun, Nicole S; Hanna, Nazeeh; Reznik, Sandra E

    2015-02-01

    Preterm birth (PTB), defined as any delivery occurring prior to the completion of 37 weeks' gestation, currently accounts for 11-12% of all births in the United States. Maternal genito-urinary infections account for up to 40% of all PTBS and induce a pro-inflammatory state in the host. The potent vasoconstrictor Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is known to be upregulated in the setting of infection, and elicits its effect by binding to the ETA receptor. We have previously shown that antagonism of the ETA receptor with BQ-123 is capable of preventing LPS-induced PTB in mice. We hypothesize that the administration of BQ-123 post LPS exposure will dismantle a positive feedback loop observed with pro-inflammatory cytokines upstream of ET-1. On GD 15.5, pregnant C57BL/6 mice were injected with PBS, LPS, BQ-123, or LPS+BQ-123. Changes at both the level of transcription and translation were observed in uterus and placenta in the ET-1 axis and in pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines over the course of 12h. We discovered that BQ-123, when administered 10h post LPS, is capable of increasing production of uterine and placental Interleukin-10, causing a shift away from the pro-inflammatory state. We also observed that antagonism of the ETA receptor decreased IL-1β and TNFα in the placenta while also decreasing transcription of ET-1 in the uterus. Our results reinforce the role of ET-1 at the maternal fetal interface and highlight the potential benefit of ETA receptor blockade via the suppression of ET-1, and induction of a Th2 cytokine dominant state. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  4. Macrophage activation marker sCD163 correlates with accelerated lipolysis following LPS exposure: a human-randomised clinical trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nikolaj Rittig

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Macrophage activation determined by levels of soluble sCD163 is associated with obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2 and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD. This suggests that macrophage activation is involved in the pathogenesis of conditions is characterised by adaptions in the lipid metabolism. Since sCD163 is shed to serum by inflammatory signals including lipopolysaccharides (LPS, endotoxin, we investigated sCD163 and correlations with lipid metabolism following LPS exposure. Methods: Eight healthy male subjects were investigated on two separate occasions: (i following an LPS exposure and (ii following saline exposure. Each study day consisted of a four-hour non-insulin-stimulated period followed by a two-hour hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp period. A 3H-palmitate tracer was used to calculate the rate of appearance (Rapalmitate. Blood samples were consecutively obtained throughout each study day. Abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue was obtained for western blotting. Results: We observed a significant two-fold increase in plasma sCD163 levels following LPS exposure (P < 0.001, and sCD163 concentrations correlated positively with the plasma concentration of free fatty acids, Rapalmitate, lipid oxidation rates and phosphorylation of the hormone-sensitive lipase at serine 660 in adipose tissue (P < 0.05, all. Furthermore, sCD163 concentrations correlated positively with plasma concentrations of cortisol, glucagon, tumour necrosis factor (TNF-α, interleukin (IL-6 and IL-10 (P < 0.05, all. Conclusion: We observed a strong correlation between sCD163 and stimulation of lipolysis and fat oxidation following LPS exposure. These findings support preexisting theory that inflammation and macrophage activation play a significant role in lipid metabolic adaptions under conditions such as obesity, DM2 and NAFLD.

  5. Characterization of polarized THP-1 macrophages and polarizing ability of LPS and food compounds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chanput, Wasaporn; Mes, Jurriaan J; Savelkoul, Huub F J; Wichers, Harry J

    2013-02-01

    Little is known about the polarizing potential of currently used human macrophage cell lines, while a better understanding phenomena can support the prediction of effects in vivo based on in vitro analysis. To test the polarization capability of PMA differentiated-THP-1 macrophages (M0), cells were stimulated with 20 ng ml(-1) IFNγ + 1 μg ml(-1) LPS and 20 ng ml(-1) IL-4, which are known to influence macrophage polarization in vivo and ex vivo into the M1 and M2 state, respectively. Apart from several well-known M1 and M2 markers, also new possible markers for M1 and M2 polarization were analysed in this study. The expression of M1 marker genes was up-regulated in IFNγ + LPS stimulated-M0 THP-1 macrophages. The IL-4 stimulated-M0 THP-1 macrophages expressed M2 cell membrane receptor genes. However, M2 chemokine and their receptor genes were only slightly up-regulated which might be due to the complexity of the secondary cell-cell interaction of the chemokine system. Lipopolysaccharides from E. coli (LPS) and food compounds [lentinan, vitamin D3 (vD3) and the combination of lentinan + vitamin D3 (Len + vD3)] were investigated for their polarizing ability on M0 THP-1 macrophages towards either the M1 or M2 state. LPS (700 ng ml(-1)) was able to skew M0 THP-1 macrophages towards the M1 direction since all analysed M1 marker genes were strongly expressed. Lentinan, vD3 and Len + vD3 did not induce expression of either M1 or M2 markers, indicating no polarizing ability of these compounds. Based on the expression of M1 and M2 marker genes we concluded that THP-1 macrophages could be successfully polarized into either the M1 or M2 state. Therefore, they can be used as a new macrophage polarizing model to estimate the polarizing/switching ability of test food compounds.

  6. SCDAP/RELAP5 lower core plate model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coryell, E.W.; Griffin, F.P.

    1999-01-01

    The SCDAP/RELAP5 computer code is a best-estimate analysis tool for performing nuclear reactor severe accident simulations. This report describes the justification, theory, implementation, and testing of a new modeling capability which will refine the analysis of the movement of molten material from the core region to the vessel lower head. As molten material moves from the core region through the core support structures it may encounter conditions which will cause it to freeze in the region of the lower core plate, delaying its arrival to the vessel head. The timing of this arrival is significant to reactor safety, because during the time span for material relocation to the lower head, the core may be experiencing steam-limited oxidation. The time at which hot material arrives in a coolant-filled lower vessel head, thereby significantly increasing the steam flow rate through the core region, becomes significant to the progression and timing of a severe accident. This report is a revision of a report INEEL/EXT-00707, entitled ''Preliminary Design Report for SCDAP/RELAP5 Lower Core Plate Model''

  7. DMPD: LPS, TLR4 and infectious disease diversity. [Dynamic Macrophage Pathway CSML Database

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available Nat Rev Microbiol. 2005 Jan;3(1):36-46. (.png) (.svg) (.html) (.csml) Show LPS, TLR4 and infectious disease... (.png) SVG File (.svg) HTML File (.html) CSML File (.csml) Open .csml file with CIOPlayer Open .csml file w

  8. Fuel and core design study of the sodium-cooled fast reactors. Studies on metallic fuel cores in the JFY2002

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sugino, Kazuteru; Mizuno, Tomoyasu

    2003-06-01

    Based on the results obtained in the former feasibility study, the metallic fueled core of ordinary-type, that is, 2-region homogeneous core, has been established aiming at the improvement in the core performance, and subsequent comparison has been performed with the mixed oxide fueled core. Further, the attractive concept of the metallic fueled core of high outlet temperature has been constructed which has good nuclear features as a metallic fueled core and has identical outlet temperature to mixed oxide fuelled core. Following items have been found as a result of the investigation on the ordinary-type core. The metallic fueled core whose maximum fast neutron fluence (En>0.1MeV) is set identical (5x10 23 n/cm 2 ) to the mixed oxide fueled cores with core discharge burnup 150GWd/t has sufficient core performances as a metallic fueled core, e.g. higher breeding ratio and longer operation period compared with mixed oxide fueled cores, but the core discharge burnup is limited up to 100GWd/t. However effective discharge burnup including the contribution of the blanket region is comparative to mixed oxide cores under the same breeding ratio condition. In order to enlarge the core discharge burnup to 150GWd/t keeping the core performance identical to above mentioned core's, the irradiation deformation of structural material should be reduced to that of mixed oxide fueled cores. Further the maximum fast neutron fluence reaches to 7-8x10 23 n/cm 2 (En>0.1MeV). The investigations on the core of high outlet temperature have clarified following items. Even in the change of core regions by pin-diameter form 3-region to 2-region and in the limited maximum fuel pin diameter 8.5 mm, realization of the identical outlet/inlet temperatures to the mixed oxide cores (550/395degC) is feasible under the criteria of the maximum temperature 650degC at the inner surface of the cladding. The constructed core accommodates the targets of breeding ratio from about 1.0 to 1.2 only by adjusting

  9. Transcriptional profiles of Rel/NF-κB, inhibitor of NF-κB (IκB), and lipopolysaccharide-induced TNF-α factor (LITAF) in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and two Vibrio sp.-exposed intertidal copepod, Tigriopus japonicus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Bo-Mi; Jeong, Chang-Bum; Rhee, Jae-Sung; Lee, Jae-Seong

    2014-02-01

    The immune system and the role of immunity-related genes have rarely been studied in copepods, even though copepods have a primitive immune response system and also have a potential in pathogen transport higher trophic levels. In this study, we firstly cloned and characterized three core immune genes such as nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), inhibitor of NF-κB (IκB), and lipopolysaccharide-induced TNF-α factor (LITAF) genes in the intertidal copepod Tigriopus japonicus. Several in silico analyses based on conserved domains, motifs, and phylogenetic relationships were supporting their annotations. To investigate the immune-related role of three genes, we exposed lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and two Vibrio sp. to T. japonicus. After exposure of different concentrations of LPS and two Vibrio sp., transcripts of TJ-IκB and TJ-LITAF genes were significantly elevated during the time course in a dose-dependent manner, while TJ-NF-κB transcripts were not significantly changed during exposure. These findings demonstrated that the copepod T. japonicus has a conserved immunity against infection. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS Accumulates in Neocortical Neurons of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD Brain and Impairs Transcription in Human Neuronal-Glial Primary Co-cultures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuhai Zhao

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Several independent laboratories have recently reported the detection of bacterial nucleic acid sequences or bacterial-derived neurotoxins, such as highly inflammatory lipopolysaccharide (LPS, within Alzheimer’s disease (AD affected brain tissues. Whether these bacterial neurotoxins originate from the gastrointestinal (GI tract microbiome, a possible brain microbiome or some dormant pathological microbiome is currently not well understood. Previous studies indicate that the co-localization of pro-inflammatory LPS with AD-affected brain cell nuclei suggests that there may be a contribution of this neurotoxin to genotoxic events that support inflammatory neurodegeneration and failure in homeostatic gene expression. In this report we provide evidence that in sporadic AD, LPS progressively accumulates in neuronal parenchyma and appears to preferentially associate with the periphery of neuronal nuclei. Run-on transcription studies utilizing [α-32P]-uridine triphosphate incorporation into newly synthesized total RNA further indicates that human neuronal-glial (HNG cells in primary co-culture incubated with LPS exhibit significantly reduced output of DNA transcription products. These studies suggest that in AD LPS may impair the efficient readout of neuronal genetic information normally required for the homeostatic operation of brain cell function and may contribute to a progressive disruption in the read-out of genetic information.

  11. Evidence of stochastic region near a rational surface in core plasmas of LHD

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ida, K.; Tamura, N.; Tuchiya, H.

    2010-11-01

    Clear evidence of stochastization of the magnetic surfaces near a rational surface is observed in the core plasma with weak magnetic shear in the Large Helical Device (LHD) by applying heat pulses driven by modulated electron cyclotron heating (MECH). The stochastization of the magnetic surfaces is confirmed by the observation of flattening of electron temperature (T e ) profiles and very fast propagation of the heat pulse, which is in contrast to the slow heat pulse propagation observed in the T e flat region of the nested magnetic island. (author)

  12. Repeated stimulation by LPS promotes the senescence of DPSCs via TLR4/MyD88-NF-κB-p53/p21 signaling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Guijuan; Zheng, Ke; Cao, Tong; Zhang, Jinlong; Lian, Min; Huang, Dan; Wei, Changbo; Gu, Zhifeng; Feng, Xingmei

    2018-02-26

    Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs), one type of mesenchymal stem cells, are considered to be a type of tool cells for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. Our previous studies found that the stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) might introduce senescence of DPSCs, and this senescence would have a positive correlation with the concentration of LPS. The β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) staining was used to evaluate the senescence of DPSCs and immunofluorescence to show the morphology of DPSCs. Our findings suggested that the activity of SA-β-gal has increased after repeated stimulation with LPS and the morphology of DPSCs has changed with the stimulation with LPS. We also found that LPS bound to the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/myeloid differentiation factor (MyD) 88 signaling pathway. Protein and mRNA expression of TLR4, MyD88 were enhanced in DPSCs with LPS stimulation, resulting in the activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling, which exhibited the expression of p65 improved in the nucleus while the decreasing of IκB-α. Simultaneously, the expression of p53 and p21, the downstream proteins of the NF-κB signaling, has increased. In summary, DPSCs tend to undergo senescence after repeated stimulation in an inflammatory microenvironment. Ultimately, these findings may lead to a new direction for cell-based therapy in oral diseases and other regenerative medicines.

  13. The Protective Effect of Apamin on LPS/Fat-Induced Atherosclerotic Mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soo-Jung Kim

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Apamin, a peptide component of bee venom (BV, has anti-inflammatory properties. However, the molecular mechanisms by which apamin prevents atherosclerosis are not fully understood. We examined the effect of apamin on atherosclerotic mice. Atherosclerotic mice received intraperitoneal (ip injections of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 2 mg/kg to induce atherosclerotic change and were fed an atherogenic diet for 12 weeks. Apamin (0.05 mg/kg was administered by ip injection. LPS-induced THP-1-derived macrophage inflammation treated with apamin reduced expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α, vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM-1, and intracellular cell adhesion molecule (ICAM-1, as well as the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB signaling pathway. Apamin decreased the formation of atherosclerotic lesions as assessed by hematoxylin and elastic staining. Treatment with apamin reduced lipids, Ca2+ levels, and TNF-α in the serum from atherosclerotic mice. Further, apamin significantly attenuated expression of VCAM-1, ICAM-1, TGF-β1, and fibronectin in the descending aorta from atherosclerotic mice. These results indicate that apamin plays an important role in monocyte/macrophage inflammatory processing and may be of potential value for preventing atherosclerosis.

  14. Fuel assembly and reactor core

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yuchi, Yoko; Aoyama, Motoo; Haikawa, Katsumasa; Yamanaka, Akihiro; Koyama, Jun-ichi.

    1996-01-01

    In a fuel assembly of a BWR type reactor, a region substantially containing burnable poison is divided into an upper region and a lower region having different average concentrations of burnable poison along a transverse cross section perpendicular to the axial direction. The ratio of burnable poison contents of both regions is determined to not more than 80%, and the average concentration of the burnable poison in the lower region is determined to not less than 9% by weight. An infinite multiplication factor at an initial stage of the burning of the fuel assembly is controlled effectively by the burnable poisons. Namely, the ratio of the axial power can be controlled by the distribution of the enrichment degree of uranium fuels and the distribution of the burnable poison concentration in the axial direction. Since the average enrichment degree of the reactor core has to be increased in order to provide an initially loaded reactor core at high burnup degree. Distortion of the power distribution in the axial direction of the reactor core to which fuel assemblies at high enrichment degree are loaded is flattened to improve thermal margin, to extend continuous operation period and increase a burnup degree upon take-out thereby improving fuel economy without worsening the reactor core characteristics of the initially loaded reactor core. (N.H.)

  15. IAEA Regional Workshop on Development and Validation of EOP/AMG for Effective Prevention/Mitigation of Severe Core Damage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1999-01-01

    Materials of the IAEA Regional Workshop contain 24 presented lectures. Authors deal with development and validation of emergency operating procedures as well as with accident management guidelines (EOP/AMG) for effective prevention and mitigation of severe core damage

  16. SILAC-MS Based Characterization of LPS and Resveratrol Induced Changes in Adipocyte Proteomics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nøhr, Mark K; Kroager, Toke P; Sanggaard, Kristian W

    2016-01-01

    Adipose tissue inflammation is believed to play a pivotal role in the development obesity-related morbidities such as insulin resistance. However, it is not known how this (low-grade) inflammatory state develops. It has been proposed that the leakage of lipopolysaccharides (LPS), originating from...

  17. Rhizoma coptidis Inhibits LPS-Induced MCP-1/CCL2 Production in Murine Macrophages via an AP-1 and NFB-Dependent Pathway

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew Remppis

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. The Chinese extract Rhizoma coptidis is well known for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, antiviral, and antimicrobial activity. The exact mechanisms of action are not fully understood. Methods. We examined the effect of the extract and its main compound, berberine, on LPS-induced inflammatory activity in a murine macrophage cell line. RAW 264.7 cells were stimulated with LPS and incubated with either Rhizoma coptidis extract or berberine. Activation of AP-1 and NFB was analyzed in nuclear extracts, secretion of MCP-1/CCL2 was measured in supernatants. Results. Incubation with Rhizoma coptidis and berberine strongly inhibited LPS-induced monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP-1 production in RAW cells. Activation of the transcription factors AP-1 and NFB was inhibited by Rhizoma coptidis in a dose- and time-dependent fashion. Conclusions. Rhizoma coptidis extract inhibits LPS-induced MCP-1/CCL2 production in vitro via an AP-1 and NFB-dependent pathway. Anti-inflammatory action of the extract is mediated mainly by its alkaloid compound berberine.

  18. LPS-induced genes in intestinal tissue of the sea cucumber Holothuria glaberrima.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francisco Ramírez-Gómez

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available Metazoan immunity is mainly associated with specialized cells that are directly involved with the immune response. Nevertheless, both in vertebrates and invertebrates other organs might respond to immune activation and participate either directly or indirectly in the ongoing immune process. However, most of what is known about invertebrate immunity has been restricted to immune effector cells and little information is available on the immune responses of other tissues or organs. We now focus on the immune reactions of the intestinal tissue of an echinoderm. Our study employs a non-conventional model, the echinoderm Holothuria glaberrima, to identify intestinal molecules expressed after an immune challenge presented by an intra-coelomic injection of lipopolysaccharides (LPS. The expression profiles of intestinal genes expressed differentially between LPS-injected animals and control sea water-injected animals were determined using a custom-made Agilent microarray with 7209 sea cucumber intestinal ESTs. Fifty (50 unique sequences were found to be differentially expressed in the intestine of LPS-treated sea cucumbers. Seven (7 of these sequences represented homologues of known proteins, while the remaining (43 had no significant similarity with any protein, EST or RNA database. The known sequences corresponded to cytoskeletal proteins (Actin and alpha-actinin, metabolic enzymes (GAPDH, Ahcy and Gnmt, metal ion transport/metabolism (major yolk protein and defense/recognition (fibrinogen-like protein. The expression pattern of 11 genes was validated using semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Nine of these corroborated the microarray results and the remaining two showed a similar trend but without statistical significance. Our results show some of the molecular events by which the holothurian intestine responds to an immune challenge and provide important information to the study of the evolution of the immune response.

  19. γ-Oryzanol suppresses COX-2 expression by inhibiting reactive oxygen species-mediated Erk1/2 and Egr-1 signaling in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shin, Soon Young; Kim, Heon-Woong; Jang, Hwan-Hee; Hwang, Yu-Jin; Choe, Jeong-Sook; Kim, Jung-Bong; Lim, Yoongho; Lee, Young Han

    2017-09-16

    Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 produces prostanoids, which contribute to inflammatory responses. Nuclear factor (NF)-κB is a key transcription factor mediating COX-2 expression. γ-Oryzanol is an active component in rice bran oil, which inhibits lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated COX-2 expression by inhibiting NF-κB. However, the inhibition of COX-2 expression by γ-oryzanol independently of NF-κB is poorly understood. We found that LPS upregulated Egr-1 expression at the transcriptional level. Forced expression of Egr-1 trans-activated the Cox-2 promoter independently of NF-κB. In contrast, silencing of Egr-1 abrogated LPS-mediated COX-2 expression. LPS produced reactive oxygen species (ROS), which, in turn, induced Egr-1 expression via the Erk1/2 MAPK pathway. ROS scavenging activity of γ-oryzanol suppressed Egr-1 expression by inhibiting the Erk1/2 MAPK pathway. Our results suggest that γ-oryzanol inhibits LPS-mediated COX-2 expression by suppressing Erk1/2-mediated Egr-1 expression. This study supports that γ-oryzanol may be useful for ameliorating LPS-mediated inflammatory responses. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Eukaryotic elongation factor 2 controls TNF-α translation in LPS-induced hepatitis

    Science.gov (United States)

    González-Terán, Bárbara; Cortés, José R.; Manieri, Elisa; Matesanz, Nuria; Verdugo, ρngeles; Rodríguez, María E.; González-Rodríguez, ρgueda; Valverde, ρngela; Martín, Pilar; Davis, Roger J.; Sabio, Guadalupe

    2012-01-01

    Bacterial LPS (endotoxin) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of acute liver disease through its induction of the proinflammatory cytokine TNF-α. TNF-α is a key determinant of the outcome in a well-established mouse model of acute liver failure during septic shock. One possible mechanism for regulating TNF-α expression is through the control of protein elongation during translation, which would allow rapid cell adaptation to physiological changes. However, the regulation of translational elongation is poorly understood. We found that expression of p38γ/δ MAPK proteins is required for the elongation of nascent TNF-α protein in macrophages. The MKK3/6-p38γ/δ pathway mediated an inhibitory phosphorylation of eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2) kinase, which in turn promoted eEF2 activation (dephosphorylation) and subsequent TNF-α elongation. These results identify a new signaling pathway that regulates TNF-α production in LPS-induced liver damage and suggest potential cell-specific therapeutic targets for liver diseases in which TNF-α production is involved. PMID:23202732

  1. LPS-induced release of IL-6 from glia modulates production of IL-1beta in a JAK2-dependent manner

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Minogue, Aedín M

    2012-06-14

    AbstractBackgroundCompelling evidence has implicated neuroinflammation in the pathogenesis of a number of neurodegenerative conditions. Chronic activation of both astrocytes and microglia leads to excessive secretion of proinflammatory molecules such as TNFα, IL-6 and IL-1β with potentially deleterious consequences for neuronal viability. Many signaling pathways involving the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), nuclear factor κB (NFκB) complex and the Janus kinases (JAKs)\\/signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT)-1 have been implicated in the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines from glia. We sought to identify signaling kinases responsible for cytokine production and to delineate the complex interactions which govern time-related responses to lipopolysaccharide (LPS).MethodsWe examined the time-related changes in certain signaling events and the release of proinflammatory cytokines from LPS-stimulated co-cultures of astrocytes and microglia isolated from neonatal rats.ResultsTNFα was detected in the supernatant approximately 1 to 2 hours after LPS treatment while IL-1β and IL-6 were detected after 2 to 3 and 4 to 6 hours, respectively. Interestingly, activation of NFκB signaling preceded release of all cytokines while phosphorylation of STAT1 was evident only after 2 hours, indicating that activation of JAK\\/STAT may be important in the up-regulation of IL-6 production. Additionally, incubation of glia with TNFα induced both phosphorylation of JAK2 and STAT1 and the interaction of JAK2 with the TNFα receptor (TNFR1). Co-treatment of glia with LPS and recombinant IL-6 protein attenuated the LPS-induced release of both TNFα and IL-1β while potentiating the effect of LPS on suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)3 expression and IL-10 release.ConclusionsThese data indicate that TNFα may regulate IL-6 production through activation of JAK\\/STAT signaling and that the subsequent production of IL-6 may impact on the release of

  2. Chromium supplementation enhances the metabolic response of steers to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge

    Science.gov (United States)

    The effect of chromium (Cr; KemTRACE®brandChromiumProprionate 0.04%, Kemin Industries) supplementation on the metabolic response to LPS challenge was examined. Steers (n=20; 235±4 kg body weight (BW)) received a premix that added 0 (Con) or 0.2 mg/kg Cr to the total diet (DM (dry matter) basis) for ...

  3. A Core Set Based Large Vector-Angular Region and Margin Approach for Novelty Detection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiusheng Chen

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available A large vector-angular region and margin (LARM approach is presented for novelty detection based on imbalanced data. The key idea is to construct the largest vector-angular region in the feature space to separate normal training patterns; meanwhile, maximize the vector-angular margin between the surface of this optimal vector-angular region and abnormal training patterns. In order to improve the generalization performance of LARM, the vector-angular distribution is optimized by maximizing the vector-angular mean and minimizing the vector-angular variance, which separates the normal and abnormal examples well. However, the inherent computation of quadratic programming (QP solver takes O(n3 training time and at least O(n2 space, which might be computational prohibitive for large scale problems. By (1+ε  and  (1-ε-approximation algorithm, the core set based LARM algorithm is proposed for fast training LARM problem. Experimental results based on imbalanced datasets have validated the favorable efficiency of the proposed approach in novelty detection.

  4. Nicotine and caffeine alter the effects of the LPS- primed mesenchymal stem cells on the co-cultured neutrophils.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abbasi, Ardeshir; Kukia, Nasim Rahmani; Froushani, Seyyed Meysam Abtahi; Hashemi, Seyed Mahmoud

    2018-04-15

    Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) express some of the nicotinic receptor subunits and adenosine receptors. The communication between tissue MSCs with neutrophils has been shown in previous studies. The aim of the present study is to determine the role of nicotine or caffeine on MSCs and its effects on neutrophils. After the isolation, MSCs were pulsed with LPS (10 ng/ml) for 1 h. Then, MSCs were incubated with different concentrations of caffeine (0.1, 0.5 and 1 mM) and or with different concentrations of nicotine (0.1, 0.5, and 1 μM) for 48 h. Afterwards, the medium was aspirated and the cells were used for co-culture experiment with neutrophil. The obtained data showed that LPS primed MSCs could decrease neutrophil vitality, whereas the treatment of MSCs with nicotine and/or especially a treatment with caffeine reverse this effect. Obtained data showed that when the LPS-primed MSCs were treated with nicotine or caffeine, the vitality of co-cultured neutrophils was significantly increased. The rate of the respiratory burst of neutrophils after co-culture by LPS-primed MSCs was decreased compared to the respiratory burst of neutrophil alone. Nicotine and/or caffeine treatment could reverse this reduction. Generally, these findings provide a new insight into understanding the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects of nicotine and caffeine. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Reduced caveolin-1 promotes hyper-inflammation due to abnormal heme oxygenase-1 localizationin LPS challenged macrophages with dysfunctional CFTR

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Ping-Xia; Murray, Thomas S.; Villella, Valeria Rachela; Ferrari, Eleonora; Esposito, Speranza; D'Souza, Anthony; Raia, Valeria; Maiuri, Luigi; Krause, Diane S.; Egan, Marie E.; Bruscia, Emanuela M.

    2013-01-01

    We have previously reported that TLR4 signaling is increased in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) -stimulated Cystic Fibrosis (CF) macrophages (MΦs), contributing to the robust production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The heme oxygenase (HO-1)/carbon monoxide (CO) pathway modulates cellular redox status, inflammatory responses, and cell survival. The HO-1 enzyme, together with the scaffold protein caveolin 1 (CAV-1), also acts as a negative regulator of TLR4 signaling in MΦs. Here, we demonstrate that in LPS-challenged CF MΦs, HO-1 does not compartmentalize normally to the cell surface and instead accumulates intracellularly. The abnormal HO-1 localization in CF MΦs in response to LPS is due to decreased CAV-1 expression, which is controlled by the cellular oxidative state, and is required for HO-1 delivery to the cell surface. Overexpression of HO-1 or stimulating the pathway with CO-releasing molecules (CORM2)enhancesCAV-1 expression in CF MΦs, suggesting a positive-feed forward loop between HO-1/CO induction and CAV-1 expression. These manipulations reestablished HO-1 and CAV-1 cell surface localization in CF MΦ's. Consistent with restoration of HO-1/CAV-1 negative regulation of TLR4 signaling, genetic or pharmacological (CORM2)-induced enhancement of this pathway decreased the inflammatory response of CF MΦs and CF mice treated with LPS. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that the counter-regulatory HO-1/CO pathway, which is critical in balancing and limiting the inflammatory response, is defective in CF MΦs through a CAV-1-dependent mechanism, exacerbating the CF MΦ's response to LPS. This pathway could be a potential target for therapeutic intervention for CF lung disease. PMID:23606537

  6. Reactor core of nuclear reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sasagawa, Masaru; Masuda, Hiroyuki; Mogi, Toshihiko; Kanazawa, Nobuhiro.

    1994-01-01

    In a reactor core, a fuel inventory at an outer peripheral region is made smaller than that at a central region. Fuel assemblies comprising a small number of large-diameter fuel rods are used at the central region and fuel assemblies comprising a great number of smalldiameter fuel rods are used at the outer peripheral region. Since a burning degradation rate of the fuels at the outer peripheral region can be increased, the burning degradation rate at the infinite multiplication factor of fuels at the outer region can substantially be made identical with that of the fuels in the inner region. As a result, the power distribution in the direction of the reactor core can be flattened throughout the entire period of the burning cycle. Further, it is also possible to make the degradation rate of fuels at the outer region substantially identical with that of fuels at the inner side. A power peak formed at the outer circumferential portion of the reactor core of advanced burning can be lowered to improve the fuel integrity, and also improve the reactor safety and operation efficiency. (N.H.)

  7. Pro-oxidant activity of indicaxanthin from Opuntia ficus indica modulates arachidonate metabolism and prostaglandin synthesis through lipid peroxide production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Allegra

    2014-01-01

    A kinetic study investigating the redox status of LPS-stimulated macrophages between 0.5 and 12 h, either in the absence or in the presence of 50–100 µM indicaxanthin, revealed a differential control of ROS production, with early (0.5–3 h modest inhibition, followed by a progressive (3–12 h concentration-dependent enhancement over the level induced by LPS alone. In addition, indicaxanthin caused early (0.5–3 h concentration-dependent elevation of conjugated diene lipid hydroperoxides, and production of hydroxynonenal-protein adducts, over the amount induced by LPS. In LPS-stimulated macrophages indicaxanthin did not affect PG metabolism when co-incubated with either an inhibitor of NADPH oxidase or vitamin E. It is concluded that LPS-induced pro-oxidant activity of indicaxanthin at the membrane level allows formation of signaling intermediates whose accumulation modulates PG biosynthetic pathway in inflamed macrophages.

  8. TNF{alpha} and IL-1{beta} are mediated by both TLR4 and Nod1 pathways in the cultured HAPI cells stimulated by LPS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zheng, Wenwen; Zheng, Xuexing [College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, Jilin Province (China); Department of Anesthesiology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136 (United States); Liu, Shue [Department of Anesthesiology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136 (United States); Ouyang, Hongsheng [College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, Jilin Province (China); Levitt, Roy C.; Candiotti, Keith A. [Department of Anesthesiology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136 (United States); Hao, Shuanglin, E-mail: shao@med.miami.edu [Department of Anesthesiology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136 (United States)

    2012-04-20

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer LPS induces proinflammatory cytokine release in HAPI cells. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer JNK pathway is dependent on TLR4 signaling to release cytokines. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer NF-{kappa}B pathway is dependent on Nod1 signaling to release cytokines. -- Abstract: A growing body of evidence recently suggests that glial cell activation plays an important role in several neurodegenerative diseases and neuropathic pain. Microglia in the central nervous system express toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) that is traditionally accepted as the primary receptor of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). LPS activates TLR4 signaling pathways to induce the production of proinflammatory molecules. In the present studies, we verified the LPS signaling pathways using cultured highly aggressively proliferating immortalized (HAPI) microglial cells. We found that HAPI cells treated with LPS upregulated the expression of TLR4, phospho-JNK (pJNK) and phospho-NF-{kappa}B (pNF-{kappa}B), TNF{alpha} and IL-1{beta}. Silencing TLR4 with siRNA reduced the expression of pJNK, TNF{alpha} and IL-1{beta}, but not pNF-{kappa}B in the cells. Inhibition of JNK with SP600125 (a JNK inhibitor) decreased the expression of TNF{alpha} and IL-1{beta}. Unexpectedly, we found that inhibition of Nod1 with ML130 significantly reduced the expression of pNF-{kappa}B. Inhibition of NF-{kappa}B also reduced the expression of TNF{alpha} and IL-1{beta}. Nod1 ligand, DAP induced the upregulation of pNF-{kappa}B which was blocked by Nod1 inhibitor. These data indicate that LPS-induced pJNK is TLR4-dependent, and that pNF-{kappa}B is Nod1-dependent in HAPI cells treated with LPS. Either TLR4-JNK or Nod1-NF-{kappa}B pathways is involved in the expression of TNF{alpha} and IL-1{beta}.

  9. Pro-oxidant activity of indicaxanthin from Opuntia ficus indica modulates arachidonate metabolism and prostaglandin synthesis through lipid peroxide production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allegra, M; D'Acquisto, F; Tesoriere, L; Attanzio, A; Livrea, M A

    2014-01-01

    Macrophages come across active prostaglandin (PG) metabolism during inflammation, shunting early production of pro-inflammatory towards anti-inflammatory mediators terminating the process. This work for the first time provides evidence that a phytochemical may modulate the arachidonate (AA) metabolism in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages, promoting the ultimate formation of anti-inflammatory cyclopentenone 15deoxy-PGJ2. Added 1 h before LPS, indicaxanthin from Opuntia Ficus Indica prevented activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and over-expression of PGE2 synthase-1 (mPGES-1), but up-regulated cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) and PGD2 synthase (H-PGDS), with final production of the anti-inflammatory cyclopentenone. The effects were positively related with concentration between 50 and 100 µM. Indicaxanthin did not have any effect in the absence of LPS. A kinetic study investigating the redox status of LPS-stimulated macrophages between 0.5 and 12 h, either in the absence or in the presence of 50-100 µM indicaxanthin, revealed a differential control of ROS production, with early (0.5-3 h) modest inhibition, followed by a progressive (3-12 h) concentration-dependent enhancement over the level induced by LPS alone. In addition, indicaxanthin caused early (0.5-3 h) concentration-dependent elevation of conjugated diene lipid hydroperoxides, and production of hydroxynonenal-protein adducts, over the amount induced by LPS. In LPS-stimulated macrophages indicaxanthin did not affect PG metabolism when co-incubated with either an inhibitor of NADPH oxidase or vitamin E. It is concluded that LPS-induced pro-oxidant activity of indicaxanthin at the membrane level allows formation of signaling intermediates whose accumulation modulates PG biosynthetic pathway in inflamed macrophages.

  10. Reduced innate immunity of Cuban Treefrogs at leading edge of range expansion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goetz, Scott M; Romagosa, Christina M; Appel, Arthur G; Guyer, Craig; Mendonça, Mary T

    2017-12-01

    During geographic range expansion, populations of non-indigenous species at the invasion front may benefit from directing resources away from immune defense. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the strength of two innate immune components in populations of invasive Cuban Treefrogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis) in a long-colonized area (core region) and at the invasion front (leading-edge region). First, we compared the region-specific metabolic response of frogs injected with an endotoxin that induces systemic inflammation (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) to sham-injected control frogs pooled from both regions. Males and females were analyzed independently because we detected a sex-related difference in mass-independent metabolism of control frogs, with males exhibiting a significantly higher metabolic rate (F 1, 21  = 29.02, P leading-edge populations, there was no significant difference in the metabolic rate of LPS-injected and control frogs (males, P  = 0.195; females, P  = 0.132). Second, we directly compared bacterial killing ability of frog blood plasma between regions. Bactericidal ability of plasma was significantly greater in frogs from the core region in comparison with those at the leading edge (F 1, 26   = 28.67, P < 0.001). For both immune components that we examined, populations from the core exhibited stronger immune responses. Our findings support hypotheses predicting an inverse relationship between immunity and range expansion. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  11. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulates adipokine and socs3 gene expression in mouse brain and pituitary gland in vivo, and in N-1 hypothalamic neurons in vitro.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Russell; Imran, Syed A; Wilkinson, Michael

    2009-04-30

    Adipokines that modulate metabolic and inflammatory responses, such as resistin (rstn) and fasting-induced adipose factor (fiaf), are also expressed in mouse brain and pituitary gland. Since lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced endotoxinemia provokes an anorectic response via a hypothalamic-dependent mechanism we hypothesized that LPS would also modify hypothalamic adipokine expression. Challenging male CD-1 mice with LPS (5 mg/kg; s.c.) significantly reduced bodyweight (24 h) and realtime RT-PCR revealed time- and tissue-dependent increases in rstn, fiaf and suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 (socs-3) mRNA in hypothalamic, pituitary, cortical and adipose tissues. Gene expression was rapidly increased (3-6 h) in the hypothalamus and pituitary, but returned to normal within 24 h. In contrast, with the exception of rstn in fat, the expression of target genes remained elevated in cortex and visceral fat at 24 h post-injection. In order to more specifically examine the hypothalamic response to LPS we investigated its effects directly on N-1 hypothalamic neurons in vitro. LPS (25 microg/mL; 3 h) had no effect on rstn mRNA, but significantly stimulated fiaf and socs-3 expression. Although various toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) antagonists (parthenolide, PD098059, and SB202190) did not prevent the LPS-induced increases in fiaf and socs-3, they did partially attenuate its stimulatory effects. We conclude that LPS treatment increases the expression of central, and possibly neuronal, adipokine genes which may influence local tissue repair and function, but could also have downstream consequences on the hypothalamic control of appetite and energy metabolism following an inflammatory insult.

  12. Novel Mechanism of Attenuation of LPS-Induced NF-κB Activation by the Heat Shock Protein 90 Inhibitor, 17-N-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin, in Human Lung Microvascular Endothelial Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thangjam, Gagan S.; Dimitropoulou, Chistiana; Joshi, Atul D.; Barabutis, Nektarios; Shaw, Mary C.; Kovalenkov, Yevgeniy; Wallace, Chistopher M.; Fulton, David J.; Patel, Vijay

    2014-01-01

    Heat shock protein (hsp) 90 inhibition attenuates NF-κB activation and blocks inflammation. However, the precise mechanism of NF-κB regulation by hsp90 in the endothelium is not clear. We investigated the mechanisms of hsp90 inhibition by 17-N-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG) on NF-κB activation by LPS in primary human lung microvascular endothelial cells. Transcriptional activation of NF-κB was measured by luciferase reporter assay, gene expression by real-time RT-PCR, DNA binding of transcription factors by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, protein–protein interaction by coimmunoprecipitation/immunoblotting, histone deacetylase (HDAC)/histone acetyltransferase enzyme activity by fluorometry, and nucleosome eviction by partial microccocal DNase digestion. In human lung microvascular endothelial cells, 17-AAG–induced degradation of IKBα was accomplished regardless of the phosphorylation/ubiquitination state of the protein. Hence, 17-AAG did not block LPS-induced NF-κB nuclear translocation and DNA binding activity. Instead, 17-AAG blocked the recruitment of the coactivator, cAMP response element binding protein binding protein, and prevented the assembly of a transcriptionally competent RNA polymerase II complex at the κB elements of the IKBα (an NF-κB–responsive gene) promoter. The effect of LPS on IKBα mRNA expression was associated with rapid deacetylation of histone-H3(Lys9) and a dramatic down-regulation of core histone H3 binding. Even though treatment with an HDAC inhibitor produced the same effect as hsp90 inhibition, the effect of 17-AAG was independent of HDAC. We conclude that hsp90 inhibition attenuates NF-κB transcriptional activation by preventing coactivator recruitment and nucleosome eviction from the target promoter in human lung endothelial cells. PMID:24303801

  13. Progesterone is essential for protecting against LPS-induced pregnancy loss. LIF as a potential mediator of the anti-inflammatory effect of progesterone.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julieta Aisemberg

    Full Text Available Lipopolysaccharide (LPS administration to mice on day 7 of gestation led to 100% embryonic resorption after 24 h. In this model, nitric oxide is fundamental for the resorption process. Progesterone may be responsible, at least in part, for a Th2 switch in the feto-maternal interface, inducing active immune tolerance against fetal antigens. Th2 cells promote the development of T cells, producing leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF, which seems to be important due to its immunomodulatory action during early pregnancy. Our aim was to evaluate the involvement of progesterone in the mechanism of LPS-induced embryonic resorption, and whether LIF can mediate hormonal action. Using in vivo and in vitro models, we provide evidence that circulating progesterone is an important component of the process by which infection causes embryonic resorption in mice. Also, LIF seems to be a mediator of the progesterone effect under inflammatory conditions. We found that serum progesterone fell to very low levels after 24 h of LPS exposure. Moreover, progesterone supplementation prevented embryonic resorption and LPS-induced increase of uterine nitric oxide levels in vivo. Results show that LPS diminished the expression of the nuclear progesterone receptor in the uterus after 6 and 12 h of treatment. We investigated the expression of LIF in uterine tissue from pregnant mice and found that progesterone up-regulates LIF mRNA expression in vitro. We observed that LIF was able to modulate the levels of nitric oxide induced by LPS in vitro, suggesting that it could be a potential mediator of the inflammatory action of progesterone. Our observations support the view that progesterone plays a critical role in a successful pregnancy as an anti-inflammatory agent, and that it could have possible therapeutic applications in the prevention of early reproductive failure associated with inflammatory disorders.

  14. Rhizoma Coptidis Inhibits LPS-Induced MCP-1/CCL2 Production in Murine Macrophages via an AP-1 and NFκB-Dependent Pathway

    Science.gov (United States)

    Remppis, Andrew; Bea, Florian; Greten, Henry Johannes; Buttler, Annette; Wang, Hongjie; Zhou, Qianxing; Preusch, Michael R.; Enk, Ronny; Ehehalt, Robert; Katus, Hugo; Blessing, Erwin

    2010-01-01

    Introduction. The Chinese extract Rhizoma coptidis is well known for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, antiviral, and antimicrobial activity. The exact mechanisms of action are not fully understood. Methods. We examined the effect of the extract and its main compound, berberine, on LPS-induced inflammatory activity in a murine macrophage cell line. RAW 264.7 cells were stimulated with LPS and incubated with either Rhizoma coptidis extract or berberine. Activation of AP-1 and NFκB was analyzed in nuclear extracts, secretion of MCP-1/CCL2 was measured in supernatants. Results. Incubation with Rhizoma coptidis and berberine strongly inhibited LPS-induced monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 production in RAW cells. Activation of the transcription factors AP-1 and NFκB was inhibited by Rhizoma coptidis in a dose- and time-dependent fashion. Conclusions. Rhizoma coptidis extract inhibits LPS-induced MCP-1/CCL2 production in vitro via an AP-1 and NFκB-dependent pathway. Anti-inflammatory action of the extract is mediated mainly by its alkaloid compound berberine. PMID:20652055

  15. Protection against LPS-induced cartilage inflammation and degradation provided by a biological extract of Mentha spicata

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kott Laima S

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background A variety of mint [Mentha spicata] has been bred which over-expresses Rosmarinic acid (RA by approximately 20-fold. RA has demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory activity in vitro and in small rodents; thus it was hypothesized that this plant would demonstrate significant anti-inflammatory activity in vitro. The objectives of this study were: a to develop an in vitro extraction procedure which mimics digestion and hepatic metabolism, b to compare anti-inflammatory properties of High-Rosmarinic-Acid Mentha spicata (HRAM with wild-type control M. spicata (CM, and c to quantify the relative contributions of RA and three of its hepatic metabolites [ferulic acid (FA, caffeic acid (CA, coumaric acid (CO] to anti-inflammatory activity of HRAM. Methods HRAM and CM were incubated in simulated gastric and intestinal fluid, liver microsomes (from male rat and NADPH. Concentrations of RA, CA, CO, and FA in simulated digest of HRAM (HRAMsim and CM (CMsim were determined (HPLC and compared with concentrations in aqueous extracts of HRAM and CM. Cartilage explants (porcine were cultured with LPS (0 or 3 μg/mL and test article [HRAMsim (0, 8, 40, 80, 240, or 400 μg/mL, or CMsim (0, 1, 5 or 10 mg/mL, or RA (0.640 μg/mL, or CA (0.384 μg/mL, or CO (0.057 μg/mL or FA (0.038 μg/mL] for 96 h. Media samples were analyzed for prostaglandin E2 (PGE2, interleukin 1β (IL-1, glycosaminoglycan (GAG, nitric oxide (NO and cell viability (differential live-dead cell staining. Results RA concentration of HRAMsim and CMsim was 49.3 and 0.4 μg/mL, respectively. CA, FA and CO were identified in HRAMsim but not in aqueous extract of HRAM. HRAMsim (≥ 8 μg/mL inhibited LPS-induced PGE2 and NO; HRAMsim (≥ 80 μg/mL inhibited LPS-induced GAG release. RA inhibited LPS-induced GAG release. No anti-inflammatory or chondroprotective effects of RA metabolites on cartilage explants were identified. Conclusions Our biological extraction procedure produces

  16. Eupafolin inhibits PGE2 production and COX2 expression in LPS-stimulated human dermal fibroblasts by blocking JNK/AP-1 and Nox2/p47phox pathway

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsai, Ming-Horng; Lin, Zih-Chan; Liang, Chan-Jung; Yen, Feng-Lin; Chiang, Yao-Chang; Lee, Chiang-Wen

    2014-01-01

    Eupafolin, a major active component found in the methanol extracts of Phyla nodiflora, has been used to treat inflammation of skin. We examined its effects on cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression in LPS-treated human dermal fibroblasts. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) significantly increased prostaglandin-E2 (PGE2) production associated with increased COX-2 expression in Hs68 cells. This effect was blocked by eupafolin, TLR-4 antibody, antioxidants (APO and NAC), as well as inhibitors, including U0126 (ERK1/2), SB202190 (p38), SP600125 (JNK1/2), and Tanshinone IIA (AP-1). In gene regulation level, qPCR and promoter assays revealed that COX-2 expression was attenuated by eupafolin. In addition, eupafolin also ameliorated LPS-induced p47 phox activation and decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and NADPH oxidase (Nox) activity. Moreover, pretreatment with eupafolin and APO led to reduced LPS-induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2, JNK, and p38. Further, eupafolin attenuated LPS-induced increase in AP-1 transcription factor binding activity as well as the increase in the phosphorylation of c-Jun and c-Fos. In vivo studies have shown that in dermal fibroblasts of LPS treated mice, eupafolin exerted anti-inflammation effects by decreasing COX-2 protein levels. Our results reveal a novel mechanism for anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects of eupafolin that involved inhibition of LPS-induced ROS generation, suppression of MAPK phosphorylation, diminished DNA binding activity of AP-1 and attenuated COX-2 expression leading to reduced production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Our results demonstrate that eupafolin may be used to treat inflammatory responses associated with dermatologic diseases. - Highlights: • LPS activates the Nox2/p47 phox /JNK/AP-1 and induces COX2 expression in Hs68 cells. • Eupafolin inhibits LPS-induced COX-2 expression via Nox2/p47 phox inhibition. • Eupafolin may be used in the treatment of skin diseases involving inflammation

  17. Effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced inflammatory response on early embryo survival in ewes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Early pregnant ewes were used to determine the effects of endogenous (through LPS activation) and exogenous TNF-alpha tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) on embryonic loss. Thirty-eight Dorset x Texel ewes were synchronized for estrus and bred to fertile rams (d0). On d5/6, ewes were assigned t...

  18. Glucose transport and milk secretion during manipulated plasma insulin and glucose concentrations and during LPS-induced mastitis in dairy cows.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gross, J J; van Dorland, H A; Wellnitz, O; Bruckmaier, R M

    2015-08-01

    In dairy cows, glucose is essential as energy source and substrate for milk constituents. The objective of this study was to investigate effects of long-term manipulated glucose and insulin concentrations in combination with a LPS-induced mastitis on mRNA abundance of glucose transporters and factors involved in milk composition. Focusing on direct effects of insulin and glucose without influence of periparturient endocrine adaptations, 18 dairy cows (28 ± 6 weeks of lactation) were randomly assigned to one of three infusion treatments for 56 h (six animals each). Treatments included a hyperinsulinemic hypoglycaemic clamp (HypoG), a hyperinsulinemic euglycaemic clamp (EuG) and a control group (NaCl). After 48 h of infusions, an intramammary challenge with LPS from E. coli was performed and infusions continued for additional 8 h. Mammary gland biopsies were taken before, at 48 (before LPS challenge) and at 56 h (after LPS challenge) of infusion, and mRNA abundance of genes involved in mammary gland metabolism was measured by RT-qPCR. During the 48 h of infusions, mRNA abundance of glucose transporters GLUT1, 3, 4, 8, 12, SGLT1, 2) was not affected in HypoG, while they were downregulated in EuG. The mRNA abundance of alpha-lactalbumin, insulin-induced gene 1, κ-casein and acetyl-CoA carboxylase was downregulated in HypoG, but not affected in EuG. Contrary during the intramammary LPS challenge, most of the glucose transporters were downregulated in NaCl and HypoG, but not in EuG. The mRNA abundance of glucose transporters in the mammary gland seems not to be affected by a shortage of glucose, while enzymes and milk constituents directly depending on glucose as a substrate are immediately downregulated. During LPS-induced mastitis in combination with hypoglycaemia, mammary gland metabolism was more aligned to save glucose for the immune system compared to a situation without limited glucose availability during EuG. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal

  19. Dual Diverse Dynamic Reversible Actions of Ankaferd on EPCR and PAI-1 Inside Vascular Endothelial Cells With and Without LPS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Afife Karabıyık

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: Ankaferd Blood Stopper (ABS comprises a mixture of the plants Thymus vulgaris, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Vitis vinifera, Alpinia officinarum ve Urtica dioica. ABS has been used as a topical haemostatic agent because of its antihaemorrhagic effect. Its haemostatic mechanism of action remains to be investigated. ABS does not affect individual levels of the coagulation factors II, V, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI and XIII. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ABS on endothelium and immune response. So, we investigated the possible changes in EPCR and PAI-1 without and with LPS-challenge inside HUVECs. METHODS: 10 μL and 100 μL ABS is given to HUVECs in 5 min., 25 min., and 50 min.,6 hour and 24 hour time periods. 10 μg/ mL LPS has been added for one hour to observe the effects of LPS challenge on HUVECs and then the cells have been treated with ABS for the time period of 5 min., 25 min., 50 min. and 6 hours to observe ABS-effects on HUVECs. Total RNAs were isolated from HUVECs and then EPCR ve PAI-1 mRNA expression levels were investigated. RESULTS: It was microscopically observed that cells arised from the surface and adhered to each other after the ABS application to the HUVECs. Also, after 24 hours cells returned the normal growth and physiology. It suggests that the adhesive cellular functions of ABS may be reversible. 10 µl ABS have negative effect on EPCR and PAI-1 expressions. Moreover the effects increases with 100 µl ABS. EPCR and PAI-1 expression increased by time with LPS and 10 µl ABS. Expressions were very low during the first hour when LPS and 100 µl ABS were given but at the end of 6 hour, EPCR and PAI-1 expression increased similar to LPS and 10 µl ABS experiment. CONCLUSION: In this study, we observed that Ankaferd has dual diverse dynamic reversible actions depend on dose and concentration on EPCR and PAI-1 inside vascular endothelial cells in the model of HUVEC. ABS might have a role on numerous cellular

  20. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulates fresh human monocytes to lyse actinomycin D-treated WEHI-164 target cells via increased secretion of a monokine similar to tumor necrosis factor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, A.R.; McKinnon, K.P.; Koren, H.S.

    1985-01-01

    The effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on tumoricidal activity of human monocytes freshly isolated from peripheral blood were studied. Actinomycin D-treated WEHI-164 cells were used as targets because they are NK insensitive and are lysed rapidly by monocytes in 6-hr 51 Cr-release assays. Monocytes exhibited significant spontaneous activity without endotoxin. Monocytes either pretreated for 1 hr with LPS or assayed in the presence of LPS exhibited 100- to 1000-fold increased cytolytic activity. Cytolytic activity was heat labile and trypsin sensitive, and was recovered from Sepharose S-200 columns in a single peak with an apparent m.w. between 25,000 and 40,000. Actinomycin D or cycloheximide treatment of monocytes before the addition of LPS inhibited cytolytic monokine production. Cytolytic monokine activity was practically neutralized by specific rabbit antisera to human tumor necrosis factor (TNF). It was concluded that, although fresh human monocytes exhibit spontaneous tumoricidal activity, LPS is a potent activating agent. Its stimulatory effects depend on new transcription and translation and are mediated by enhanced secretion of a cytolytic monokine similar to TNF

  1. Intrinsic Connections of the Core Auditory Cortical Regions and Rostral Supratemporal Plane in the Macaque Monkey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scott, Brian H; Leccese, Paul A; Saleem, Kadharbatcha S; Kikuchi, Yukiko; Mullarkey, Matthew P; Fukushima, Makoto; Mishkin, Mortimer; Saunders, Richard C

    2017-01-01

    In the ventral stream of the primate auditory cortex, cortico-cortical projections emanate from the primary auditory cortex (AI) along 2 principal axes: one mediolateral, the other caudorostral. Connections in the mediolateral direction from core, to belt, to parabelt, have been well described, but less is known about the flow of information along the supratemporal plane (STP) in the caudorostral dimension. Neuroanatomical tracers were injected throughout the caudorostral extent of the auditory core and rostral STP by direct visualization of the cortical surface. Auditory cortical areas were distinguished by SMI-32 immunostaining for neurofilament, in addition to established cytoarchitectonic criteria. The results describe a pathway comprising step-wise projections from AI through the rostral and rostrotemporal fields of the core (R and RT), continuing to the recently identified rostrotemporal polar field (RTp) and the dorsal temporal pole. Each area was strongly and reciprocally connected with the areas immediately caudal and rostral to it, though deviations from strictly serial connectivity were observed. In RTp, inputs converged from core, belt, parabelt, and the auditory thalamus, as well as higher order cortical regions. The results support a rostrally directed flow of auditory information with complex and recurrent connections, similar to the ventral stream of macaque visual cortex. Published by Oxford University Press 2015. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

  2. NF-κB is involved in the LPS-mediated proliferation and apoptosis of MAC-T epithelial cells as part of the subacute ruminal acidosis response in cows.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Wen-Jie; Li, He-Ping; Zhu, He-Shui; Sui, Shi-Ping; Chen, Pei-Ge; Deng, Yue; Sui, Tong-Ming; Wang, Yue-Ying

    2016-11-01

    To determine the effect of NF-κB on cell proliferation and apoptosis, we investigate the expression of inflammation and apoptosis-related factors in the bovine mammary epithelial cell line, MAC-T. MAC-T cells were cultured in vitro and MTT and LDH assays used to determine the effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on proliferation and cytotoxicity respectively. RT-PCR and western blotting were used to evaluate the effect of LPS and NF-κB inhibition [pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) treatment] on the expression of inflammation and apoptosis-related factors. LPS significantly inhibited MAC-T cell proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Furthermore, LPS promoted apoptosis while the NF-кB inhibitor PDTC attenuated this effect. After LPS treatment, the NF-кB signaling pathway was activated, and the expression of inflammation and apoptosis-related factors increased. When PDTC blocked NF-кB signaling, the expression of inflammation and apoptosis-related factors were decreased in MAC-T cells. LPS activates the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway, inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis in MAC-T cells. NF-кB inhibition attenuates MAC-T cell apoptosis and TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. NF-кB inhibitor alleviating MAC-T cell apoptosis is presumably modulated by NF-кB.

  3. Validity and reliability of GPS and LPS for measuring distances covered and sprint mechanical properties in team sports.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoppe, Matthias W; Baumgart, Christian; Polglaze, Ted; Freiwald, Jürgen

    2018-01-01

    This study aimed to investigate the validity and reliability of global (GPS) and local (LPS) positioning systems for measuring distances covered and sprint mechanical properties in team sports. Here, we evaluated two recently released 18 Hz GPS and 20 Hz LPS technologies together with one established 10 Hz GPS technology. Six male athletes (age: 27±2 years; VO2max: 48.8±4.7 ml/min/kg) performed outdoors on 10 trials of a team sport-specific circuit that was equipped with double-light timing gates. The circuit included various walking, jogging, and sprinting sections that were performed either in straight-lines or with changes of direction. During the circuit, athletes wore two devices of each positioning system. From the reported and filtered velocity data, the distances covered and sprint mechanical properties (i.e., the theoretical maximal horizontal velocity, force, and power output) were computed. The sprint mechanical properties were modeled via an inverse dynamic approach applied to the center of mass. The validity was determined by comparing the measured and criterion data via the typical error of estimate (TEE), whereas the reliability was examined by comparing the two devices of each technology (i.e., the between-device reliability) via the coefficient of variation (CV). Outliers due to measurement errors were statistically identified and excluded from validity and reliability analyses. The 18 Hz GPS showed better validity and reliability for determining the distances covered (TEE: 1.6-8.0%; CV: 1.1-5.1%) and sprint mechanical properties (TEE: 4.5-14.3%; CV: 3.1-7.5%) than the 10 Hz GPS (TEE: 3.0-12.9%; CV: 2.5-13.0% and TEE: 4.1-23.1%; CV: 3.3-20.0%). However, the 20 Hz LPS demonstrated superior validity and reliability overall (TEE: 1.0-6.0%; CV: 0.7-5.0% and TEE: 2.1-9.2%; CV: 1.6-7.3%). For the 10 Hz GPS, 18 Hz GPS, and 20 Hz LPS, the relative loss of data sets due to measurement errors was 10.0%, 20.0%, and 15.8%, respectively. This study shows that

  4. Allium cepa L. and Quercetin Inhibit RANKL/Porphyromonas gingivalis LPS-Induced Osteoclastogenesis by Downregulating NF-κB Signaling Pathway

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tatiane Oliveira

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Objectives. We evaluated the in vitro modulatory effects of Allium cepa L. extract (AcE and quercetin (Qt on osteoclastogenesis under inflammatory conditions (LPS-induced. Methods. RAW 264.7 cells were differentiated with 30 ng/mL of RANKL, costimulated with PgLPS (1 µg/mL, and treated with AcE (50–1000 µg/mL or Qt (1.25, 2.5, or 5 µM. Cell viability was determined by alamarBlue and protein assays. Nuclei morphology was analysed by DAPI staining. TRAP assays were performed as follows: p-nitrophenyl phosphate was used to determine the acid phosphatase activity of the osteoclasts and TRAP staining was used to evaluate the number and size of TRAP-positive multinucleated osteoclast cells. Von Kossa staining was used to measure osteoclast resorptive activity. Cytokine levels were measured on osteoclast precursor cell culture supernatants. Using western blot analysis, p-IκBα and IκBα degradation, inhibitor of NF-kappaB, were evaluated. Results. Both AcE and Qt did not affect cell viability and significantly reduced osteoclastogenesis compared to control. We observed lower production of IL-6 and IL-1α and an increased production of IL-3 and IL-4. AcE and Qt downregulated NF-κB pathway. Conclusion. AcE and Qt may be inhibitors of osteoclastogenesis under inflammatory conditions (LPS-induced via attenuation of RANKL/PgLPS-induced NF-κB activation.

  5. The Nuclear Orphan Receptor NR4A1 is Involved in the Apoptotic Pathway Induced by LPS and Simvastatin in RAW 264.7 Macrophages.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Yong Chan; Song, Seok Bean; Lee, Sang Kyu; Park, Sang Min; Kim, Young Sang

    2014-04-01

    Macrophage death plays a role in several physiological and inflammatory pathologies such as sepsis and arthritis. In our previous work, we showed that simvastatin triggers cell death in LPS-activated RAW 264.7 mouse macrophage cells through both caspase-dependent and independent apoptotic pathways. Here, we show that the nuclear orphan receptor NR4A1 is involved in a caspase-independent apoptotic process induced by LPS and simvastatin. Simvastatin-induced NR4A1 expression in RAW 264.7 macrophages and ectopic expression of a dominant-negative mutant form of NR4A1 effectively suppressed both DNA fragmentation and the disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) during LPS- and simvastatin-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, apoptosis was accompanied by Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) translocation to the mitochondria. Our findings suggest that NR4A1 expression and mitochondrial translocation of Bax are related to simvastatin-induced apoptosis in LPS-activated RAW 264.7 macrophages.

  6. TMI-2 core boring machine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Croft, K.M.; Helbert, H.J.; Laney, W.M.

    1986-01-01

    An important and essential aspect of the TMI-2 defueling effort is to determine what occurred in the core region during the accident. Remote cameras and probes only portray a portion of the overall picture. What lies beneath the rubble bed and solidified sublayer is, as yet, unknown. This paper discusses the TMI-2 Core Boring Machine, which has been developed to drill into the damaged core of the TMI-2 reactor and extract stratified samples of the core. This machine, its unique support structure, positioning and leveling systems, and specially designed drill bits, combine to provide a unique mechanical system. In addition, the machine is controlled by a microprocessor; which actually controls the drilling operation, allowing relatively inexperienced operators to drill the core samples. A data acquisition system is data integral with the controlling system and collects data relative to system conditions and monitored parameters during drilling. Data obtained during the actual drilling operations are collected in a data base which will be used for actual mapping of the core region, identifying materials and stratification levels that are present

  7. Eupafolin inhibits PGE2 production and COX2 expression in LPS-stimulated human dermal fibroblasts by blocking JNK/AP-1 and Nox2/p47{sup phox} pathway

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tsai, Ming-Horng [Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology and Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Yunlin, Taiwan (China); Lin, Zih-Chan [Department of Fragrance and Cosmetic Science, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan (China); Liang, Chan-Jung [Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Yen, Feng-Lin [Department of Fragrance and Cosmetic Science, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan (China); Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, 70 Lienhai Rd., Kaohsiung, Taiwan (China); Chiang, Yao-Chang [Center for Drug Abuse and Addiction, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan (China); China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan (China); Lee, Chiang-Wen, E-mail: cwlee@gw.cgust.edu.tw [Department of Nursing, Division of Basic Medical Sciences, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Chia-Yi, Taiwan (China); Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion Research Center, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Chia-Yi, Taiwan (China); Research Center for Industry of Human Ecology, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Taoyuan, Taiwan (China)

    2014-09-01

    Eupafolin, a major active component found in the methanol extracts of Phyla nodiflora, has been used to treat inflammation of skin. We examined its effects on cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression in LPS-treated human dermal fibroblasts. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) significantly increased prostaglandin-E2 (PGE2) production associated with increased COX-2 expression in Hs68 cells. This effect was blocked by eupafolin, TLR-4 antibody, antioxidants (APO and NAC), as well as inhibitors, including U0126 (ERK1/2), SB202190 (p38), SP600125 (JNK1/2), and Tanshinone IIA (AP-1). In gene regulation level, qPCR and promoter assays revealed that COX-2 expression was attenuated by eupafolin. In addition, eupafolin also ameliorated LPS-induced p47 phox activation and decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and NADPH oxidase (Nox) activity. Moreover, pretreatment with eupafolin and APO led to reduced LPS-induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2, JNK, and p38. Further, eupafolin attenuated LPS-induced increase in AP-1 transcription factor binding activity as well as the increase in the phosphorylation of c-Jun and c-Fos. In vivo studies have shown that in dermal fibroblasts of LPS treated mice, eupafolin exerted anti-inflammation effects by decreasing COX-2 protein levels. Our results reveal a novel mechanism for anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects of eupafolin that involved inhibition of LPS-induced ROS generation, suppression of MAPK phosphorylation, diminished DNA binding activity of AP-1 and attenuated COX-2 expression leading to reduced production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Our results demonstrate that eupafolin may be used to treat inflammatory responses associated with dermatologic diseases. - Highlights: • LPS activates the Nox2/p47{sup phox}/JNK/AP-1 and induces COX2 expression in Hs68 cells. • Eupafolin inhibits LPS-induced COX-2 expression via Nox2/p47{sup phox} inhibition. • Eupafolin may be used in the treatment of skin diseases involving inflammation.

  8. Interseasonal movements of greater sage-grouse, migratory behavior, and an assessment of the core regions concept in Wyoming

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fedy, Bradley C.; Aldridge, Cameron L.; Doherty, Kevin E.; O'Donnell, Michael S.; Beck, Jeffrey L.; Bedrosian, Bryan; Holloran, Matthew J.; Johnson, Gregory D.; Kaczor, Nicholas W.; Kirol, Christopher P.; Mandich, Cheryl A.; Marshall, David; McKee, Gwyn; Olson, Chad; Swanson, Christopher C.; Walker, Brett L.

    2012-01-01

    Animals can require different habitat types throughout their annual cycles. When considering habitat prioritization, we need to explicitly consider habitat requirements throughout the annual cycle, particularly for species of conservation concern. Understanding annual habitat requirements begins with quantifying how far individuals move across landscapes between key life stages to access required habitats. We quantified individual interseasonal movements for greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter sage-grouse) using radio-telemetry spanning the majority of the species distribution in Wyoming. Sage-grouse are currently a candidate for listing under the United States Endangered Species Act and Wyoming is predicted to remain a stronghold for the species. Sage-grouse use distinct seasonal habitats throughout their annual cycle for breeding, brood rearing, and wintering. Average movement distances in Wyoming from nest sites to summer-late brood-rearing locations were 8.1 km (SE = 0.3 km; n = 828 individuals) and the average subsequent distances moved from summer sites to winter locations were 17.3 km (SE = 0.5 km; n = 607 individuals). Average nest-to-winter movements were 14.4 km (SE = 0.6 km; n = 434 individuals). We documented remarkable variation in the extent of movement distances both within and among sites across Wyoming, with some individuals remaining year-round in the same vicinity and others moving over 50 km between life stages. Our results suggest defining any of our populations as migratory or non-migratory is innappropriate as individual strategies vary widely. We compared movement distances of birds marked using Global Positioning System (GPS) and very high frequency (VHF) radio marking techniques and found no evidence that the heavier GPS radios limited movement. Furthermore, we examined the capacity of the sage-grouse core regions concept to capture seasonal locations. As expected, we found the core regions approach, which was

  9. Ca(OH2 action on TNF-alpha and NO release in macrophage culture stimulated by Pseudomonas aeruginosa LPS = Ação do Ca(OH2 sobre a produção de TNF-alfa e NO de cultura de macrófagos estimulada por LPS de Pseudomonas aeruginosa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Queiroz, Celso Emanoel de Souza

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Objetivo: A ação do hidróxido de cálcio [Ca(OH2] com o sistema imune e o mecanismo de neutralização das bactérias e seus subprodutos ainda não foi completamente esclarecida. Neste estudo foi avaliada a capacidade do Ca(OH2 em neutralizar o lipopolissacarídeo (LPS de Pseudomonas aeruginosa, utilizando-se duas metodologias: liberação de Óxido Nítrico (NO e Fator de Necrose Tumoral Alfa (TNF-alfa em cultura de macrófagos peritoneais de camundongos. Metodologia: No ensaio do NO, as células peritoneais foram expostas a uma solução de LPS (25mg/mL e 50mg/mL; e à suspensão de LPS/Ca(OH2 em duas concentrações (50mg/ 25mg e 25mg/25mg. Após 8 horas de incubação, foi utilizado reagente de Griess, e a liberação de NO foi quantificada. No ensaio do TNF-alfa, a solução de LPS foi usada na concentração de 25mg/mL e o LPS/Ca(OH2 a 25mg/25mg. Após 24 horas, as células foram fixadas e coradas com cristal violeta, e os valores de absorbância foram obtidos. Os resultados foram expressos em micromols. Todos os testes foram realizados em triplicata. Resultados: A presença de Ca(OH2 nas duas concentrações avaliadas reduziu significativamente a liberação de NO e TNF-alfa. Conclusão: Pode-se concluir que o LPS bacteriano representa um forte estímulo para liberação destas citocinas, mas o hidróxido de cálcio foi capaz de neutralizar este efeito

  10. Kaempferol slows intervertebral disc degeneration by modifying LPS-induced osteogenesis/adipogenesis imbalance and inflammation response in BMSCs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Jun; Tang, Haoyu; Zhang, Zhenhua; Zhang, Yong; Qiu, Chengfeng; Zhang, Ling; Huang, Pinge; Li, Feng

    2017-02-01

    Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is a common disease that represents a significant cause of socio-economic problems. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) are a potential autologous stem cell source for the nucleus pulposus regeneration. Kaempferol has been reported to exert protective effects against both osteoporosis and obesity. This study explored the effect of kaempferol on BMSCs differentiation and inflammation. The results demonstrated that kaempferol did not show any cytotoxicity at concentrations of 20, 60 and 100μM. Kaempferol enhanced cell viability by counteracting the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cell apoptosis and increasing cell proliferation. Western blot analysis of mitosis-associated nuclear antigen (Ki67) and proliferation cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) further confirmed the increased effect of kaempferol on LPS-induced decreased viability of BMSCs. Besides, kaempferol elevated LPS-induced reduced level of chondrogenic markers (SOX-9, Collagen II and Aggrecan), decreased the level of matrix-degrading enzymes, i.e., matrix metalloprotease (MMP)-3 and MMP-13, suggesting the osteogenesis of BMSC under kaempferol treatment. On the other hand, kaempferol enhanced LPS-induced decreased expression of lipid catabolism-related genes, i.e., carnitine palmitoyl transferase-1 (CPT-1). Kaempferol also suppressed the expression of lipid anabolism-related genes, i.e., peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ). The Oil red O staining further convinced the inhibition effect of kaempferol on BMSCs adipogenesis. In addition, kaempferol alleviated inflammatory by reducing the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines (i.e., interleukin (IL)-6) and increasing anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-10) via inhibiting the nucleus translocation of nuclear transcription factor (NF)-κB p65. Taken together, our research indicated that kaempferol may serve as a novel target for treatment of IVD degeneration. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights

  11. Matrix metalloproteases as maestros for the dual role of LPS- and IL-10-stimulated macrophages in cancer cell behaviour

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cardoso, Ana P.; Pinto, Marta L.; Pinto, Ana T.; Pinto, Marta T.; Monteiro, Cátia; Oliveira, Marta I.; Santos, Susana G.; Relvas, João B.; Seruca, Raquel; Mantovani, Alberto; Mareel, Marc; Barbosa, Mário A.; Oliveira, Maria J.

    2015-01-01

    The interactions established between macrophages and cancer cells are largely dependent on instructions from the tumour microenvironment. Macrophages may differentiate into populations with distinct inflammatory profiles, but knowledge on their role on cancer cell activities is still very scarce. In this work, we investigated the influence of pro-inflammatory (LPS-stimulated) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10-stimulated) macrophages on gastric and colorectal cancer cell invasion, motility/migration, angiogenesis and proteolysis, and the associated molecular mechanisms. Following exposure of gastric and colon cancer cell lines to LPS- and IL-10-stimulated human macrophages, either by indirect contact or conditioned media, we analyzed the effect of the different macrophage populations on cancer cell invasion, migration, motility and phosphorylation status of EGFR and several interacting partners. Cancer-cell induced angiogenesis upon the influence of conditioned media from both macrophage populations was assessed using the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane assay. MMP activities were evaluated by gelatin zymograhy. Our results show that IL-10-stimulated macrophages are more efficient in promoting in vitro cancer cell invasion and migration. In addition, soluble factors produced by these macrophages enhanced in vivo cancer cell-induced angiogenesis, as opposed to their LPS-stimulated counterparts. We further demonstrate that differences in the ability of these macrophage populations to stimulate invasion or angiogenesis cannot be explained by the EGFR-mediated signalling, since both LPS- and IL-10-stimulated macrophages similarly induce the phosphorylation of cancer cell EGFR, c-Src, Akt, ERK1/2, and p38. Interestingly, both populations exert distinct proteolytic activities, being the IL-10-stimulated macrophages the most efficient in inducing matrix metalloprotease (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 activities. Using a broad-spectrum MMP inhibitor, we demonstrated that proteolysis was

  12. Core Promoter Structure in the Oomycete Phytophthora infestans

    Science.gov (United States)

    McLeod, Adele; Smart, Christine D.; Fry, William E.

    2004-01-01

    We have investigated the core promoter structure of the oomycete Phytophthora infestans. The transcriptional start sites (TSS) of three previously characterized P. infestans genes, Piexo1, Piexo3, and Piendo1, were determined by primer extension analyses. The TSS regions were homologous to a previously identified 16-nucleotide (nt) core sequence that overlaps the TSS in most oomycete genes. The core promoter regions of Piexo1 and Piendo1 were investigated by using a transient protoplast expression assay and the reporter gene β-glucuronidase. Mutational analyses of the promoters of Piexo1 and Piendo1 showed that there is a putative core promoter element encompassing the TSS (−2 to + 5) that has high sequence and functional homology to a known core promoter element present in other eukaryotes, the initiator element (Inr). Downstream and flanking the Inr is a highly conserved oomycete promoter region (+7 to + 15), hereafter referred to as FPR (flanking promoter region), which is also important for promoter function. The importance of the 19-nt core promoter region (Inr and FPR) in Piexo1 and Piendo1 was further investigated through electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA). The EMSA studies showed that (i) both core promoters were able to specifically bind a protein or protein complex in a P. infestans whole-cell protein extract and (ii) the same mutations that reduced binding of the EMSA complex also reduced β-glucuronidase (GUS) levels in transient expression assays. The consistency of results obtained using two different assays (GUS transient assays [in vivo] and EMSA studies [in vitro]) supports a convergence of inference about the relative importance of specific nucleotides within the 19-nt core promoter region. PMID:14871940

  13. TADPOL: A 1.3 mm Survey of Dust Polarization in Star-forming Cores and Regions

    OpenAIRE

    Hull, Charles L. H.; Plambeck, Richard L.; Kwon, Woojin; Bower, Geoffrey C.; Carpenter, John M.; Crutcher, Richard M.; Fiege, Jason D.; Franzmann, Erica; Hakobian, Nicholas S.; Heiles, Carl; Houde, Martin; Hughes, A. Meredith; Lamb, James W.; Looney, Leslie W.; Marrone, Daniel P.

    2014-01-01

    We present λ 1.3 mm Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy observations of dust polarization toward 30 star-forming cores and eight star-forming regions from the TADPOL survey. We show maps of all sources, and compare the ~2".5 resolution TADPOL maps with ~20" resolution polarization maps from single-dish submillimeter telescopes. Here we do not attempt to interpret the detailed B-field morphology of each object. Rather, we use average B-field orientations to derive conclusi...

  14. Conceptual core model for the reactor core test

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Swenson, L.D.

    1970-01-01

    Several design options for the ZrH Flight System Reactor were investigated which involved tradeoffs of core excess reactivity, reactor control, coolant mixing and cladding thickness. A design point was selected which is to be the basis for more detailed evaluation in the preliminary design phase. The selected design utilizes 295 elements with 0.670 inch element-to-element pitch, 32 mil thick Incoloy cladding, 18.00 inches long fuel meat, hydrogen content of 6.3 x 10 22 atoms/cc fuel, 10.5 w/o uranium, and a spiraled fin configuration with alternate elements having fins with spiral to the right, spiral to the left, and no fin at all (R-L-N fin configuration). Fin height is 30 mils for the center region of the core and 15 mils for the outer region. (U.S.)

  15. Heat production, respiratory quotient, and methane loss subsequent to LPS challenge in beef heifers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Respiration calorimetry was used to measure energy utilization during an acute phase response (APR) to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Eight Angus heifers (208 +/- 29.2 kg) were randomly assigned to one of two calorimeters in four 2-day periods for measurement of heat production (HP), methane (CH4), and r...

  16. The Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Algae-Derived Lipid Extracts on Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-Stimulated Human THP-1 Macrophages.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robertson, Ruairi C; Guihéneuf, Freddy; Bahar, Bojlul; Schmid, Matthias; Stengel, Dagmar B; Fitzgerald, Gerald F; Ross, R Paul; Stanton, Catherine

    2015-08-20

    Algae contain a number of anti-inflammatory bioactive compounds such as omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) and chlorophyll a, hence as dietary ingredients, their extracts may be effective in chronic inflammation-linked metabolic diseases such as cardiovascular disease. In this study, anti-inflammatory potential of lipid extracts from three red seaweeds (Porphyra dioica, Palmaria palmata and Chondrus crispus) and one microalga (Pavlova lutheri) were assessed in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated human THP-1 macrophages. Extracts contained 34%-42% total fatty acids as n-3 PUFA and 5%-7% crude extract as pigments, including chlorophyll a, β-carotene and fucoxanthin. Pretreatment of the THP-1 cells with lipid extract from P. palmata inhibited production of the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-6 (p lipid extracts. The lipid extracts effectively inhibited the LPS-induced pro-inflammatory signaling pathways mediated via toll-like receptors, chemokines and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) signaling molecules. These results suggest that lipid extracts from P. lutheri, P. palmata, P. dioica and C. crispus can inhibit LPS-induced inflammatory pathways in human macrophages. Therefore, algal lipid extracts should be further explored as anti-inflammatory ingredients for chronic inflammation-linked metabolic diseases.

  17. Pseudane-VII Isolated from Pseudoalteromonas sp. M2 Ameliorates LPS-Induced Inflammatory Response In Vitro and In Vivo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mi Eun Kim

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available The ocean is a rich resource of flora, fauna, food, and biological products. We found a wild-type bacterial strain, Pseudoalteromonas sp. M2, from marine water and isolated various secondary metabolites. Pseudane-VII is a compound isolated from the Pseudoalteromonas sp. M2 metabolite that possesses anti-melanogenic activity. Inflammation is a response of the innate immune system to microbial infections. Macrophages have a critical role in fighting microbial infections and inflammation. Recent studies reported that various compounds derived from natural products can regulate immune responses including inflammation. However, the anti-inflammatory effects and mechanism of pseudane-VII in macrophages are still unknown. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of pseudane-VII. In present study, lipopolysaccharide (LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO production was significantly decreased by pseudane-VII treatment at 6 μM. Moreover, pseudane-VII treatment dose-dependently reduced mRNA levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines including inos, cox-2, il-1β, tnf-α, and il-6 in LPS-stimulated macrophages. Pseudane-VII also diminished iNOS protein levels and IL-1β secretion. In addition, Pseudane-VII elicited anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting ERK, JNK, p38, and nuclear factor (NF-κB-p65 phosphorylation. Consistently, pseudane-VII was also shown to inhibit the LPS-stimulated release of IL-1β and expression of iNOS in mice. These results suggest that pseudane-VII exerted anti-inflammatory effects on LPS-stimulated macrophage activation via inhibition of ERK, JNK, p38 MAPK phosphorylation, and pro-inflammatory gene expression. These findings may provide new approaches in the effort to develop anti-inflammatory therapeutics.

  18. Pseudane-VII Isolated from Pseudoalteromonas sp. M2 Ameliorates LPS-Induced Inflammatory Response In Vitro and In Vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Mi Eun; Jung, Inae; Lee, Jong Suk; Na, Ju Yong; Kim, Woo Jung; Kim, Young-Ok; Park, Yong-Duk; Lee, Jun Sik

    2017-11-01

    The ocean is a rich resource of flora, fauna, food, and biological products. We found a wild-type bacterial strain, Pseudoalteromonas sp. M2, from marine water and isolated various secondary metabolites. Pseudane-VII is a compound isolated from the Pseudoalteromonas sp. M2 metabolite that possesses anti-melanogenic activity. Inflammation is a response of the innate immune system to microbial infections. Macrophages have a critical role in fighting microbial infections and inflammation. Recent studies reported that various compounds derived from natural products can regulate immune responses including inflammation. However, the anti-inflammatory effects and mechanism of pseudane-VII in macrophages are still unknown. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of pseudane-VII. In present study, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) production was significantly decreased by pseudane-VII treatment at 6 μM. Moreover, pseudane-VII treatment dose-dependently reduced mRNA levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines including inos , cox-2 , il-1β , tnf-α , and il-6 in LPS-stimulated macrophages. Pseudane-VII also diminished iNOS protein levels and IL-1β secretion. In addition, Pseudane-VII elicited anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting ERK, JNK, p38, and nuclear factor (NF)-κB-p65 phosphorylation. Consistently, pseudane-VII was also shown to inhibit the LPS-stimulated release of IL-1β and expression of iNOS in mice. These results suggest that pseudane-VII exerted anti-inflammatory effects on LPS-stimulated macrophage activation via inhibition of ERK, JNK, p38 MAPK phosphorylation, and pro-inflammatory gene expression. These findings may provide new approaches in the effort to develop anti-inflammatory therapeutics.

  19. Estimation of the in vitro eye irritating and inflammatory potential of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and dust by using reconstituted human corneal epithelium tissue cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Yi; Bindslev, Dorthe A; Kjærgaard, Søren K

    2015-01-01

    Eye irritation is a common complaint in indoor environment, but the causes have still not been identified among the multiple exposures in house environments. To identify the potential environmental factors responsible for eye irritation and study the possible mechanisms, an in vitro model for eye irritation is suggested. In this study, reconstituted human corneal epithelium (HCE) tissue cultures were used to study the eye irritating and inflammatory potential of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and dust. HCE tissue cultures were exposed to a range of concentrations of LPS for 6 h and dust for 24 h, respectively. After exposure, viability and secretion of interleukins (IL) IL-1β, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor (TNFα) were examined. Histology was used to indicate the morphological changes after dust exposure. Both LPS and dust affected HCE viability. There was an increased level of IL-8 after LPS exposure, while the concentrations of IL-1β and TNFα remained unaffected. Dust exposure resulted in an elevation of both IL-1β and IL-8, but not TNFα. Histology study showed increased vacuolization and reduced thickness after 24 h exposure to 5 mg/mL dust. LPS and dust showed in vitro eye irritating and inflammatory potential, and cytokines/chemokines like IL-1β and IL-8 may be involved in the mechanisms of eye irritation. The HCE tissue culture may be used as an in vitro model to study environmental exposure induced eye irritation and inflammation.

  20. The pharmacological efficacy of the anti-IL17 scFv and sTNFR1 bispecific fusion protein in inflammation mouse stimulated by LPS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Yongbi; Zhang, Teng; Cao, Hongxue; Yu, Dan; Zhang, Tong; Zhao, Shaojuan; Jing, Xiaohui; Song, Liying; Liu, Yunye; Che, Ruixiang; Liu, Xin; Li, Deshan; Ren, Guiping

    2017-08-01

    Acute lung injury (ALI) is still a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. Recently, our study found that a bispecific fusion protein treatment can ameliorate the lung injury induced by LPS. However, the molecular mechanisms which bispecific fusion protein ameliorates acute lung injury remain unclear. In this study, we found that the bispecific fusion protein treatment inhibited the nuclear transcription of NF-κB in confocal laser scanning fluorescence microscopy, the bispecific fusion protein exert protective effects in the cell model of ALI induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) via inhibiting the nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway and mediate inflammation. Moreover, the treatment of the bispecific fusion protein show its efficacy in animal models stimulated by LPS, the results of real-time PCR and ELISA demonstrate that bispecific fusion protein treatment effectively inhibited the over-expression of inflammatory cytokines(tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin 1β and interleukin 17). In addition, LPS-challenged mice exhibited significant lung injury characterized by the deterioration of histopathology, which was meliorated by bispecific fusion protein treatment. Collectively, these results demonstrate that bispecific fusion protein treatment ameliorates LPS-induced ALI through reducing inflammatory cytokines and lung inflammation, which may be associated with the decreased the nuclear transcription of NF-κB. The bispecific fusion protein may be useful as a novel therapy to treat ALI. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  1. Winning Cores in Parity Games

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vester, Steen

    2016-01-01

    We introduce the novel notion of winning cores in parity games and develop a deterministic polynomial-time under-approximation algorithm for solving parity games based on winning core approximation. Underlying this algorithm are a number properties about winning cores which are interesting...... in their own right. In particular, we show that the winning core and the winning region for a player in a parity game are equivalently empty. Moreover, the winning core contains all fatal attractors but is not necessarily a dominion itself. Experimental results are very positive both with respect to quality...

  2. An apple oligogalactan prevents against inflammation and carcinogenesis by targeting LPS/TLR4/NF-κB pathway in a mouse model of colitis-associated colon cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Li; Li, Yu H; Niu, Yin B; Sun, Yang; Guo, Zhen J; Li, Qian; Li, Chen; Feng, Juan; Cao, Shou S; Mei, Qi B

    2010-10-01

    Evidence strongly supported a link between inflammation and cancer. Patients with colitis have high risk for development of colon cancer. Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), partially induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) binding to Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4, is a vital molecule in supervising the transformation of colitis to colon cancer. It could be a good strategy to prevent colitis carcinogenesis for targeting LPS/TLR4/NF-κB pathway. In the present study, we obtained an oligogalactan composed of five galacturonic acids from apple pectin and evaluated its protective efficacy on intestinal toxicities and carcinogenesis in a mouse model of colitis-associated colon cancer induced by 1,2-dimethylhydrazine and dextran sodium sulfate (DSS). The apple oligogalactan (AOG) was highly effective against intestinal toxicities and carcinogenesis and decreased the elevated levels of TLR4 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) induced by inflammation in vivo in this model system. In vitro studies, AOG alone only slightly increased the levels of protein expression and messenger RNA of TLR4, phosphorylation of IκBα and production of TNF-α in HT-29 cells. However, AOG significantly decreased the elevation of all the biomarkers induced by LPS when it was combined with LPS. The effect of AOG may be related to membrane internalization and redistribution of TLR4 from cell membrane to cytoplasm. AOG is active against inflammation and carcinogenesis through targeting LPS/TLR4/NF-κB pathway. Both AOG and LPS are agonists of TLR4 for sharing the same ligand but AOG has a much lower intrinsic activity than that of LPS. AOG may be useful for treatment of colitis and prevention of carcinogenesis in the clinics.

  3. Quince (Cydonia oblonga Miller) peel polyphenols modulate LPS-induced inflammation in human THP-1-derived macrophages through NF-{kappa}B, p38MAPK and Akt inhibition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Essafi-Benkhadir, Khadija [Laboratoire d' epidemiologie Moleculaire et Pathologie Experimentale Appliquee Aux Maladies Infectieuses, Institut Pasteur de Tunis (Tunisia); Refai, Amira [Laboratoire de Recherche sur la Transmission, le Controle et l' immunobiologie des Infections, Institut Pasteur de Tunis (Tunisia); Riahi, Ichrak [Laboratoire d' epidemiologie Moleculaire et Pathologie Experimentale Appliquee Aux Maladies Infectieuses, Institut Pasteur de Tunis (Tunisia); Fattouch, Sami [Laboratory LIP-MB National Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology, Tunis (Tunisia); Karoui, Habib [Laboratoire d' epidemiologie Moleculaire et Pathologie Experimentale Appliquee Aux Maladies Infectieuses, Institut Pasteur de Tunis (Tunisia); Essafi, Makram, E-mail: makram.essafi@pasteur.rns.tn [Laboratoire de Recherche sur la Transmission, le Controle et l' immunobiologie des Infections, Institut Pasteur de Tunis (Tunisia)

    2012-02-03

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Quince peel polyphenols inhibit LPS-induced secretion of TNF-{alpha} and IL-8. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Quince peel polyphenols augment LPS-induced secretion of IL-10 and IL-6. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Quince peel polyphenols-mediated inhibition of LPS-induced secretion of TNF-{alpha} is partially mediated by IL-6. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The anti-inflammatory effects of quince polyphenols pass through NF-{kappa}B, p38MAPK and Akt inhibition. -- Abstract: Chronic inflammation is a hallmark of several pathologies, such as rheumatoid arthritis, gastritis, inflammatory bowel disease, atherosclerosis and cancer. A wide range of anti-inflammatory chemicals have been used to treat such diseases while presenting high toxicity and numerous side effects. Here, we report the anti-inflammatory effect of a non-toxic, cost-effective natural agent, polyphenolic extract from the Tunisian quince Cydonia oblonga Miller. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment of human THP-1-derived macrophages induced the secretion of high levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-{alpha} and the chemokine IL-8, which was inhibited by quince peel polyphenolic extract in a dose-dependent manner. Concomitantly, quince polyphenols enhanced the level of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 secreted by LPS-treated macrophages. We further demonstrated that the unexpected increase in IL-6 secretion that occurred when quince polyphenols were associated with LPS treatment was partially responsible for the polyphenols-mediated inhibition of TNF-{alpha} secretion. Biochemical analysis showed that quince polyphenols extract inhibited the LPS-mediated activation of three major cellular pro-inflammatory effectors, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-{kappa}B), p38MAPK and Akt. Overall, our data indicate that quince peel polyphenolic extract induces a potent anti-inflammatory effect that may prove useful for the treatment of inflammatory diseases and that a quince

  4. Quince (Cydonia oblonga Miller) peel polyphenols modulate LPS-induced inflammation in human THP-1-derived macrophages through NF-κB, p38MAPK and Akt inhibition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Essafi-Benkhadir, Khadija; Refai, Amira; Riahi, Ichrak; Fattouch, Sami; Karoui, Habib; Essafi, Makram

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Quince peel polyphenols inhibit LPS-induced secretion of TNF-α and IL-8. ► Quince peel polyphenols augment LPS-induced secretion of IL-10 and IL-6. ► Quince peel polyphenols-mediated inhibition of LPS-induced secretion of TNF-α is partially mediated by IL-6. ► The anti-inflammatory effects of quince polyphenols pass through NF-κB, p38MAPK and Akt inhibition. -- Abstract: Chronic inflammation is a hallmark of several pathologies, such as rheumatoid arthritis, gastritis, inflammatory bowel disease, atherosclerosis and cancer. A wide range of anti-inflammatory chemicals have been used to treat such diseases while presenting high toxicity and numerous side effects. Here, we report the anti-inflammatory effect of a non-toxic, cost-effective natural agent, polyphenolic extract from the Tunisian quince Cydonia oblonga Miller. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment of human THP-1-derived macrophages induced the secretion of high levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α and the chemokine IL-8, which was inhibited by quince peel polyphenolic extract in a dose-dependent manner. Concomitantly, quince polyphenols enhanced the level of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 secreted by LPS-treated macrophages. We further demonstrated that the unexpected increase in IL-6 secretion that occurred when quince polyphenols were associated with LPS treatment was partially responsible for the polyphenols-mediated inhibition of TNF-α secretion. Biochemical analysis showed that quince polyphenols extract inhibited the LPS-mediated activation of three major cellular pro-inflammatory effectors, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), p38MAPK and Akt. Overall, our data indicate that quince peel polyphenolic extract induces a potent anti-inflammatory effect that may prove useful for the treatment of inflammatory diseases and that a quince-rich regimen may help to prevent and improve the treatment of such diseases.

  5. Isoalantolactone inhibits LPS-induced inflammation via NF-κB inactivation in peritoneal macrophages and improves survival in sepsis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Guodong; Zhang, Xu; Chen, Yanhua; Chen, Jing; Li, Li; Xie, Yubo

    2017-06-01

    Sepsis, a clinical syndrome occurring in patients following infection or injury, is a leading cause of mortality worldwide. It involves uncontrolled inflammatory response resulting in multi-organ failure and even death. Isoalantolactone (IAL), a sesquiterpene lactone, is known for its anti-cancer effects. Nevertheless, little is known about the anti-inflammatory effects of IAL, and the role of IAL in sepsis is unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that IAL decreased lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated production of nitric oxide, PEG 2 and cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α) in peritoneal macrophages and RAW 264.7 macrophages. Moreover, molecular mechanism studies indicated that IAL plays an anti-inflammatory role by inhibiting LPS-induced activation of NF-κB pathway in peritoneal macrophages. In vivo, IAL reduced the secretion of IL-6 and TNF-α in serum, and increased the survival rate of mice with LPS-induced sepsis. In addition, IAL attenuated the activation of NF-κB pathway in liver. Taken together, our data suggest that IAL may represent a potentially new drug candidate for the treatment of sepsis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  6. Chromium supplementation enhances the acute phase response of steers to a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge

    Science.gov (United States)

    The study examined the effect of chromium supplementation on the response of steers to an LPS challenge. Twenty crossbred steers (235±4 kg BW) received 0 ppb (Control; C) or 200 ppb chromium propionate (CHR) for 55 days. Steers were fitted with jugular catheters and rectal temperature (RT) recording...

  7. Nuclear reactor core

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koyama, Jun-ichi; Aoyama, Motoo; Ishibashi, Yoko; Mochida, Takaaki; Haikawa, Katsumasa; Yamanaka, Akihiro.

    1995-01-01

    A reactor core is radially divided into an inner region, an outer region and an outermost region. As a fuel, three kinds of fuels, namely, a high enrichment degree fuel at 3.4%, a middle enrichment degree fuel at 2.3% and a low enrichment degree at 1.1% of a fuel average enrichment degree of fission product are used. Each of the fuels is bisected to upper and lower portions at an axial center thereof. The difference of average enrichment degrees between upper and lower portions is 0.1% for the high enrichment degree fuel, 0.3% for the middle enrichment degree fuel and 0.2% for the low enrichment degree fuel. In addition, the composition of fuels in each of radial regions comprises 100% of the low enrichment degree fuels in the outermost region, 91% of the higher enrichment degree fuels and 9% of the middle enrichment degree fuels in the outer region, and 34% of the high enrichment degree fuels and 30% of the middle enrichment degree fuels in the inner region. With such a constitution, fuel economy can be improved while maintaining the thermal margin in an initially loaded reactor core of a BWR type reactor. (I.N.)

  8. Preliminary core design calculations for the ACPR Upgrade

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pickard, P.S.

    1976-01-01

    The goal of the Annular Core Pulse Reactor (ACPR) Upgrade design studies is to define a core configuration that provides a significant increase in pulse fluence and fission energy deposition. The reactor modification should provide as flat an energy deposition profile for experiments as feasible. The fuels examined in this study were UO 2 -BeO (5-15 w/o UO 2 ), UC-ZrC-C (200-500 mg U/cc) and U-ZrH 1.5 . The basic core concept examined was a two region core, - a high heat capacity inner core region surrounded by an outer U-ZrH 1.5 region. Survey core calculations utilizing 1D transport calculations and cross sections libraries derived from the ORNL-AMPX code examined relative fuel loadings, fuel temperatures, reactivity requirements and pulse performance improvement. Reference designs for all candidate fuels were defined utilizing 2D transport and Monte Carlo calculations. The performance implications of alternative core designs were also examined for the UO 2 -BeO and UC-ZrC-C fuel candidates. (author)

  9. Naturally occurring resistance mutations within the core and NS5B regions in hepatitis C genotypes, particularly genotype 5a, in South Africa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prabdial-Sing, N; Blackard, J T; Puren, A J; Mahomed, A; Abuelhassan, W; Mahlangu, J; Vermeulen, M; Bowyer, S M

    2016-03-01

    Approximately 1 million South Africans are infected with Hepatitis C virus (HCV). The standard of care (SOC) in South Africa is combination therapy (pegylated interferon and ribavirin). HCV genotypes and/or mutations in the core/non-structural regions have been associated with response to therapy and/or disease progression. This study examines mutations in the core (29-280 amino acids, including ∼ 90 E1 amino acids) and NS5B (241-306 amino acids) regions on pre-treatment isolates from patients attending Johannesburg hospitals or asymptomatic South African blood donors. Diversity within known CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell epitopes was also explored. Samples grouped into subtypes 1a(N = 10) 1b(N = 12), 3a(N = 5), 4a(N = 3) and 5a(N = 61). Two mutations, associated with interferon resistance-R70Q and T110N-were present in 29 genotype 5a core sequences. No resistance mutation to NS5B nucleotide inhibitors, sofosbuvir was found. Six putative CD8+ and one CD4+ T-cell epitope sequence in the core region showed binding scores of <300 IC50nM to HLA alleles frequently observed in the South African population. No known CD8+ and CD4+ T-cell epitopes were mapped in the NS5B region. The analysis begs the question whether those infected with genotype 5a will benefit better on interferon-free combination therapies. This study provides new insight into one of the lesser studied HCV genotypes and compares the diversity seen in a large pre-treatment cohort with other subtypes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Andrographolide Inhibits Inflammatory Cytokines Secretion in LPS-Stimulated RAW264.7 Cells through Suppression of NF-κB/MAPK Signaling Pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yu; He, Shengnan; Tang, Jishun; Ding, Nana; Chu, Xiaoyan; Cheng, Lianping; Ding, Xuedong; Liang, Ting; Feng, Shibin; Rahman, Sajid Ur; Wang, Xichun; Wu, Jinjie

    2017-01-01

    Andrographolide, the main active component extracted from Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Wall. ex Nees, exerts anti-inflammatory effects; however, the principal molecular mechanisms remain unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanisms of Andrographolide in modifying lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced signaling pathway in RAW264.7 cells. An in vitro model of inflammation was induced by LPS in mouse RAW264.7 cells in the presence of Andrographolide. The concentration and expression levels of proinflammatory cytokines were determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), respectively. The nuclear level of NF- κ B was measured by an electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). The expression levels of NF- κ B, p38, ERK, and JNK were determined by western blot. Andrographolide dose-dependently inhibited the release and mRNA expression of TNF- α , IL-6, and IL-1 β in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. The nuclear level of p65 protein was decreased in Andrographolide treatment group. Western blot analysis showed that Andrographolide suppressed LPS-induced NF- κ B activation and the phosphorylation of IkBa, ERK1/2, JNK, and p38. These results suggest that Andrographolide exerts an anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting the activation of NF- κ B/MAPK signaling pathway and the induction of proinflammatory cytokines.

  11. CD44-deficiency attenuates the immunologic responses to LPS and delays the onset of endotoxic shock-induced renal inflammation and dysfunction.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elena Rampanelli

    Full Text Available Acute kidney injury (AKI is a common complication during systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS, a potentially deadly clinical condition characterized by whole-body inflammatory state and organ dysfunction. CD44 is a ubiquitously expressed cell-surface transmembrane receptor with multiple functions in inflammatory processes, including sterile renal inflammation. The present study aimed to assess the role of CD44 in endotoxic shock-induced kidney inflammation and dysfunction by using CD44 KO and WT mice exposed intraperitoneally to LPS for 2, 4, and 24 hours . Upon LPS administration, CD44 expression in WT kidneys was augmented at all time-points. At 2 and 4 hours, CD44 KO animals showed a preserved renal function in comparison to WT mice. In absence of CD44, the pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in plasma and kidneys were lower, while renal expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 was higher. The cytokine levels were associated with decreased leukocyte influx and endothelial activation in CD44 KO kidneys. Furthermore, in vitro assays demonstrated a role of CD44 in enhancing macrophage cytokine responses to LPS and leukocyte migration. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that lack of CD44 impairs the early pro-inflammatory cytokine response to LPS, diminishes leukocyte migration/chemotaxis and endothelial activation, hence, delays endotoxic shock-induced AKI.

  12. Andrographolide Inhibits Inflammatory Cytokines Secretion in LPS-Stimulated RAW264.7 Cells through Suppression of NF-κB/MAPK Signaling Pathway

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu Li

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Andrographolide, the main active component extracted from Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f. Wall. ex Nees, exerts anti-inflammatory effects; however, the principal molecular mechanisms remain unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanisms of Andrographolide in modifying lipopolysaccharide- (LPS- induced signaling pathway in RAW264.7 cells. An in vitro model of inflammation was induced by LPS in mouse RAW264.7 cells in the presence of Andrographolide. The concentration and expression levels of proinflammatory cytokines were determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR, respectively. The nuclear level of NF-κB was measured by an electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA. The expression levels of NF-κB, p38, ERK, and JNK were determined by western blot. Andrographolide dose-dependently inhibited the release and mRNA expression of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. The nuclear level of p65 protein was decreased in Andrographolide treatment group. Western blot analysis showed that Andrographolide suppressed LPS-induced NF-κB activation and the phosphorylation of IkBa, ERK1/2, JNK, and p38. These results suggest that Andrographolide exerts an anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting the activation of NF-κB/MAPK signaling pathway and the induction of proinflammatory cytokines.

  13. In-Core Fuel Management with Biased Multiobjective Function Optimization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shatilla, Youssef A.; Little, David C.; Penkrot, Jack A.; Holland, Richard Andrew

    2000-01-01

    The capability of biased multiobjective function optimization has been added to the Westinghouse Electric Company's (Westinghouse's) Advanced Loading Pattern Search code (ALPS). The search process, given a user-defined set of design constraints, proceeds to minimize a global parameter called the total value associated with constraints compliance (VACC), an importance-weighted measure of the deviation from limit and/or margin target. The search process takes into consideration two equally important user-defined factors while minimizing the VACC, namely, the relative importance of each constraint with respect to the others and the optimization of each constraint according to its own objective function. Hence, trading off margin-to-design limits from where it is abundantly available to where it is badly needed can now be accomplished. Two practical methods are provided to the user for input of constraints and associated objective functions. One consists of establishing design limits based on traditional core design parameters such as assembly/pin burnup, power, or reactivity. The second method allows the user to write a program, or script, to define a logic not possible through ordinary means. This method of script writing was made possible through the application resident compiler feature of the technical user language integration processor (tulip), developed at Westinghouse. For the optimization problems studied, ALPS not only produced candidate loading patterns (LPs) that met all of the conflicting design constraints, but in cases where the design appeared to be over constrained gave a wide range of LPs that came very close to meeting all the constraints based on the associated objective functions

  14. Evaluation of effects on integral parameters, due to homogenization of one region of a core-blanket system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Assis, J.T. de

    1982-01-01

    The effects produced on the integral parameters due to the homogenization in the core-blanket inrterface, were evaluated, adopting an 1D diffusion calculation. The calculation for one plane cell with the characteristics of the critical mounting ZPR-6-5, was done using the Hetaire computer code with the Carnaval II data library for 25 energy groups. For the transport calculation the ANISN and RMAT1D computer codes were used. By the homogenization of an interface region, flux values, cross sections and reactivity are obtained for several thicknesses of this region. The results of diffusion calculation are compared with the transport calculation. (E.G.) [pt

  15. Effect of yeast biomass with high content of carotenoids on erythrocyte deformability, NO production and Na,K-ATPase activity in healthy and LPS treated rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Radosinska, J; Mezesova, L; Okruhlicova, L; Frimmel, K; Breierova, E; Bartekova, M; Vrbjar, N

    2016-11-25

    Measurements of red blood cell (RBC) deformability together with estimation of NO-synthase activity and Na,K-ATPase activity were used for characterization of RBC functionality in rats subjected to single dose of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharides (LPS) at a dose of 1 mg/kg. We hypothesized that LPS might initiate a malfunction of RBC. We also investigated the potential effect of carotenoids (10 mg/kg/day) produced in red yeast biomass of Rhodotorula glutinis on RBC in LPS-challenged rats. LPS significantly reduced the deformability of RBC (by 14%) together with decrease of NO-synthase activity by 20%. Daily supplementation of carotenoids for 10 days attenuated the LPS-induced injury, as observed by 22% increase of RBC deformability and 23% increase of NO-synthase activity. The activity of Na,K-ATPase was also improved probably due to increased number of active enzyme molecules as indicated by 66% enhancement of Vmax value, hence maintaining the activity of erythrocyte Na,K-ATPase to the level even higher as compared with healthy control animals. It may be concluded that administration of yeast biomass with high content of carotenoids resulted in advanced function of erythrocytes as concerns their ability to squeeze through narrow capillaries of the circulation, better intrinsic production of NO and improvement of intracellular homeostasis of sodium.

  16. Modulatory Mechanism of Polyphenols and Nrf2 Signaling Pathway in LPS Challenged Pregnancy Disorders

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tarique Hussain

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Early embryonic loss and adverse birth outcomes are the major reproductive disorders that affect both human and animals. The LPS induces inflammation by interacting with robust cellular mechanism which was considered as a plethora of numerous reproductive disorders such as fetal resorption, preterm birth, teratogenicity, intrauterine growth restriction, abortion, neural tube defects, fetal demise, and skeletal development retardation. LPS-triggered overproduction of free radicals leads to oxidative stress which mediates inflammation via stimulation of NF-κB and PPARγ transcription factors. Flavonoids, which exist in copious amounts in nature, possess a wide array of functions; their supplementation during pregnancy activates Nrf2 signaling pathway which encounters pregnancy disorders. It was further presumed that the development of strong antioxidant uterine environment during gestation can alleviate diseases which appear at adult stages. The purpose of this review is to focus on modulatory properties of flavonoids on oxidative stress-mediated pregnancy insult and abnormal outcomes and role of Nrf2 activation in pregnancy disorders. These findings would be helpful for providing new insights in ameliorating oxidative stress-induced pregnancy disorders.

  17. Trial coring in LLRW trenches at Chalk River

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Donders, R.E.; Killey, R.W.D.; Franklin, K.J.; Strobel, G.S.

    1996-11-01

    As part of a program to better characterize the low-hazard radioactive waste managed by AECL at Chalk River Laboratories, coring techniques in waste trenches are being assessed. Trial coring has demonstrated that sampling in waste regions is possible, and that boreholes can be placed through the waste trenches. Such coring provides a valuable information-gathering technique. Information available from trench coring includes: trench cover depth, waste region depth, waste compaction level, and detailed stratigraphic data; soil moisture content and facility drainage performance; borehole gamma logs that indicate radiation levels in the region of the borehole; biochemical conditions in the waste regions, vadose zone, and groundwater; site specific information relevant to contaminant migration modelling or remedial actions; information on contaminant releases and inventories. Boreholes through the trenches can also provide a means for early detection of potential contaminant releases. (author). 4 refs., 4 tabs., 4 figs

  18. PKB/SGK-dependent GSK3-phosphorylation in the regulation of LPS-induced Ca2+ increase in mouse dendritic cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Russo, Antonella; Schmid, Evi; Nurbaeva, Meerim K; Yang, Wenting; Yan, Jing; Bhandaru, Madhuri; Faggio, Caterina; Shumilina, Ekaterina; Lang, Florian

    2013-08-02

    The function of dendritic cells (DCs) is modified by glycogen synthase kinase GSK3 and GSK3 inhibitors have been shown to protect against inflammatory disease. Regulators of GSK3 include the phosphoinositide 3 kinase (PI3K) pathway leading to activation of protein kinase B (PKB/Akt) and serum and glucocorticoid inducible kinase (SGK) isoforms, which in turn phosphorylate and thus inhibit GSK3. The present study explored, whether PKB/SGK-dependent inhibition of GSK3 contributes to the regulation of cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration following stimulation with bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS). To this end DCs from mutant mice, in which PKB/SGK-dependent GSK3α,β regulation was disrupted by replacement of the serine residues in the respective SGK/PKB-phosphorylation consensus sequence by alanine (gsk3(KI)), were compared to DCs from respective wild type mice (gsk3(WT)). According to Western blotting, GSK3 phosphorylation was indeed absent in gsk3(KI) DCs. According to flow cytometry, expression of antigen-presenting molecule major histocompatibility complex II (MHCII) and costimulatory molecule CD86, was similar in unstimulated and LPS (1μg/ml, 24h)-stimulated gsk3(WT) and gsk3(KI) DCs. Moreover, production of cytokines IL-6, IL-10, IL-12 and TNFα was not significantly different in gsk3(KI) and gsk3(WT) DCs. In gsk3(WT) DCs, stimulation with LPS (1μg/ml) within 10min led to transient phosphorylation of GSK3. According to Fura2 fluorescence, LPS (1μg/ml) increased cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration, an effect significantly more pronounced in gsk3(KI) DCs than in gsk3(WT) DCs. Conversely, GSK3 inhibitor SB216763 (3-[2,4-Dichlorophenyl]-4-[1-methyl-1H-indol-3-yl]-1H-pyrrole-2,5-dione, 10μM, 30min) significantly blunted the increase of cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration following LPS exposure. In conclusion, PKB/SGK-dependent GSK3α,β activity participates in the regulation of Ca(2+) signaling in dendritic cells. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. On the Dynamics of Edge-core Coupling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hahm,T.S.; Diamond, P.H.; Lin, Z.; Rewoldt, G.; Gurcan, O.; Ethier, S.

    2005-08-26

    One of the nagging, unresolved questions in fusion theory is concerned with the extent of the edge. Gyrokinetic particle simulations of toroidal ion temperature gradient (ITG) turbulence spreading using the Gyrokinetic Toroidal Code (GTC) [Z. Lin et al., Science 281, 1835 (1998)] and its related dynamical model have been extended to a system with radially varying ion temperature gradient, in order to study the inward spreading of edge turbulence toward the core plasma. Due to such spreading, the turbulence intensity in the core region is significantly enhanced over the value obtained from simulations of the core region only, and the precise boundary of the edge region is blurred. Even when the core gradient is within the Dimits shift regime (i.e., dominated by self-generated zonal flows which reduce the transport to a negligible value), a significant level of turbulence can penetrate to the core due to spreading from the edge. The scaling of the turbulent front propagation speed is closer to the prediction from a nonlinear diffusion model than from one based on linear toroidal coupling.

  20. Salidroside Reduces Cell Mobility via NF-κB and MAPK Signaling in LPS-Induced BV2 Microglial Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haixia Hu

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The unregulated activation of microglia following stroke results in the production of toxic factors that propagate secondary neuronal injury. Salidroside has been shown to exhibit protective effects against neuronal death induced by different insults. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for the anti-inflammatory activity of salidroside have not been elucidated clearly in microglia. In the present study, we investigated the molecular mechanism underlying inhibiting LPS-stimulated BV2 microglial cell mobility of salidroside. The protective effect of salidroside was investigated in microglial BV2 cell, subjected to stretch injury. Moreover, transwell migration assay demonstrated that salidroside significantly reduced cell motility. Our results also indicated that salidroside suppressed LPS-induced chemokines production in a dose-dependent manner, without causing cytotoxicity in BV2 microglial cells. Moreover, salidroside suppressed LPS-induced activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB by blocking degradation of IκBα and phosphorylation of MAPK (p38, JNK, ERK1/2, which resulted in inhibition of chemokine expression. These results suggest that salidroside possesses a potent suppressive effect on cell migration of BV2 microglia and this compound may offer substantial therapeutic potential for treatment of ischemic strokes that are accompanied by microglial activation.

  1. Broadband polymer microstructured THz fiber coupler with downdoped cores

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Kristian; Rasmussen, Henrik K.; Bang, Ole

    2010-01-01

    We demonstrate a broadband THz directional coupler based on a dual core photonic crystal fiber (PCF) design with mechanically down-doped core regions. For a center frequency of 1.3 THz we demonstrate a bandwidth of 0.65 THz.......We demonstrate a broadband THz directional coupler based on a dual core photonic crystal fiber (PCF) design with mechanically down-doped core regions. For a center frequency of 1.3 THz we demonstrate a bandwidth of 0.65 THz....

  2. Rhizoma Coptidis Inhibits LPS-Induced MCP-1/CCL2 Production in Murine Macrophages via an AP-1 and NF?B-Dependent Pathway

    OpenAIRE

    Remppis, Andrew; Bea, Florian; Greten, Henry Johannes; Buttler, Annette; Wang, Hongjie; Zhou, Qianxing; Preusch, Michael R.; Enk, Ronny; Ehehalt, Robert; Katus, Hugo; Blessing, Erwin

    2010-01-01

    Introduction. The Chinese extract Rhizoma coptidis is well known for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, antiviral, and antimicrobial activity. The exact mechanisms of action are not fully understood. Methods. We examined the effect of the extract and its main compound, berberine, on LPS-induced inflammatory activity in a murine macrophage cell line. RAW 264.7 cells were stimulated with LPS and incubated with either Rhizoma coptidis extract or berberine. Activation of AP-1 and NFB was anal...

  3. Phase 1 testing of detoxified LPS/group B meningococcal outer membrane protein vaccine with and without synthetic CPG 7909 adjuvant for the prevention and treatment of sepsis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cross, Alan S; Greenberg, Nancy; Billington, Melissa; Zhang, Lei; DeFilippi, Christopher; May, Ryan C; Bajwa, Kanwaldeep K

    2015-11-27

    Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) are a leading cause of nosocomial infection and sepsis. Increasing multi-antibiotic resistance has left clinicians with fewer therapeutic options. Antibodies to GNB lipopolysaccharide (LPS, or endotoxin) have reduced morbidity and mortality as a result of infection and are not subject to the resistance mechanisms deployed by bacteria against antibiotics. In this phase 1 study, we administered a vaccine that elicits antibodies against a highly conserved portion of LPS with and without a CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) TLR9 agonist as adjuvant. A vaccine composed of the detoxified LPS (dLPS) from E. coli O111:B4 (J5 mutant) non-covalently complexed to group B meningococcal outer membrane protein (OMP). Twenty healthy adult subjects received three doses at 0, 29 and 59 days of antigen (10 μg dLPS) with or without CPG 7909 (250 or 500 μg). Subjects were evaluated for local and systemic adverse effects and laboratory findings. Anti-J5 LPS IgG and IgM antibody levels were measured by electrochemiluminesence. Due to premature study termination, not all subjects received all three doses. All vaccine formulations were well-tolerated with no local or systemic events of greater than moderate severity. The vaccine alone group achieved a ≥ 4-fold "responder" response in IgG and IgM antibody in only one of 6 subjects. In contrast, the vaccine plus CPG 7909 groups appeared to have earlier and more sustained (to 180 days) responses, greater mean-fold increases, and a higher proportion of "responders" achieving ≥ 4-fold increases over baseline. Although the study was halted before all enrolled subjects received all three doses, the J5dLPS/OMP vaccine, with or without CpG adjuvant, was safe and well-tolerated. The inclusion of CpG increased the number of subjects with a ≥ 4-fold antibody response, evident even after the second of three planned doses. A vaccine comprising J5dLPS/OMP antigen with CpG adjuvant merits further investigation. Clinical

  4. Licofelone Attenuates LPS-induced Depressive-like Behavior in Mice: A Possible Role for Nitric Oxide.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mousavi, Seyyedeh Elaheh; Saberi, Pegah; Ghasemkhani, Naeemeh; Fakhraei, Nahid; Mokhtari, Rezvan; Dehpour, Ahmad Reza

    2018-01-01

    Licofelone, a dual cyclooxygenase/5-lipoxygenase inhibitor, possesses antioxidant, antiapoptotic, neuroprotective, and anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of licofelone on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced depression in a mouse model and also a possible role for nitric oxide (NO). To elucidate the role of NO on this effect of licofelone (5 and 20 mg/kg, i.p.), L-NAME, a non-specific NO synthase (NOS) inhibitor; aminoguanidine (AG), a specific inducible NOS (iNOS) inhibitor; 7-nitroindazole (7-NI) a preferential neuronal NOS inhibitor (nNOS) and; L-arginine (L-Arg), as a NO donor, were used. The animal's behaviors were evaluated employing forced swimming test (FST), tail suspension test (TST) and open field test (OFT). LPS (0.83 mg/kg, i.p.) induced depressive-like behavior increasing immobility time in FST and TST. Conversely, licofelone (20 mg/kg i.p.) reversed the depressive effect of LPS and lowered the immobility time in FST and TST. On the other hand, pretreatment with L-Arg also reversed the antidepressant-like effect of licofelone (20 mg/kg) in FST and TST. On the other hand, L-NAME (10 and 30 mg/kg), AG (50 and 100 mg/kg) and 7-NI (60 mg/kg) could potentiate licofelone (5 mg/kg) and lowered the immobility duration. NO down-regulation possibly through iNOS and nNOS inhibition may involve in the antidepressant property of licofelone. This article is open to POST-PUBLICATION REVIEW. Registered readers (see "For Readers") may comment by clicking on ABSTRACT on the issue's contents page.

  5. Probiotics and Probiotic Metabolic Product Improved Intestinal Function and Ameliorated LPS-Induced Injury in Rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deng, Bo; Wu, Jie; Li, Xiaohui; Men, Xiaoming; Xu, Ziwei

    2017-11-01

    In the present study, we sought to determine the effects of Bacillus subtilis (BAS) and Bacillus licheniformis (BAL) in rats after lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute intestinal inflammation. We also determined whether the B. subtilis metabolic product (BASM) is as effective as the live-cell probiotic. 60 male SD rats were randomly assigned to five groups and administered a diet containing 0.05% B. licheniformis (BAL group), 0.05% B. subtilis (BAS group), 0.5% B. subtilis metabolic product (BASM group), or a basic diet (PC group and NC group) for 40 days. On day 40, BAL, BAS, BASM, and NC groups were injected with 4 mg/kg body weight LPS. 4 h later, all rats were anesthetized and sacrificed. The results showed that the administration of B. licheniformis and B. subtilis improved intestinal function as evidenced by histology, increased enzyme activity, and mucosal thickness. They also increased the number of intraepithelial lymphocytes and decreased mucosal myeloperoxidase activity and plasma TNF-α. In addition, the cecal content of B. subtilis-treated rats had significantly increased microbial diversity, decreased numbers of Firmicutes, and increased numbers of Bacteroidetes as compared to rats fed basic diets. Similar to BAS group, the cecal content of B. licheniformis-treated rats decreased the number of Firmicutes. Administration of B. subtilis metabolic product had similar effects on intestinal function, inflammation response, and microbial diversity as B. subtilis but these effects were attenuated. In conclusion, administration of probiotic strains B. licheniformis or B. subtilis improved intestinal function, ameliorated the inflammation response, and modulated microflora after LPS-induced acute inflammation in rats. Non-living cells also exerted probiotic properties but live cells tended to function better.

  6. Reactor core performance calculating device

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tominaga, Kenji; Bando, Masaru; Sano, Hiroki; Maruyama, Hiromi.

    1995-01-01

    The device of the present invention can calculate a power distribution efficiently at high speed by a plurality of calculation means while taking an amount of the reactor state into consideration. Namely, an input device takes data from a measuring device for the amount of the reactor core state such as a large number of neutron detectors disposed in the reactor core for monitoring the reactor state during operation. An input data distribution device comprises a state recognition section and a data distribution section. The state recognition section recognizes the kind and amount of the inputted data and information of the calculation means. The data distribution section analyzes the characteristic of the inputted data, divides them into a several groups, allocates them to each of the calculation means for the purpose of calculating the reactor core performance efficiently at high speed based on the information from the state recognition section. A plurality of the calculation means calculate power distribution of each of regions based on the allocated inputted data, to determine the power distribution of the entire reactor core. As a result, the reactor core can be evaluated at high accuracy and at high speed irrespective of the whole reactor core or partial region. (I.S.)

  7. Attenuation of LPS-induced inflammation by ICT, a derivate of icariin, via inhibition of the CD14/TLR4 signaling pathway in human monocytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Jinfeng; Zhou, Junmin; Chen, Xianghong; Fortenbery, Nicole; Eksioglu, Erika A; Wei, Sheng; Dong, Jingcheng

    2012-01-01

    To evaluate the anti-inflammatory potential of ICT in LPS stimulated human innate immune cells. 3, 5, 7-Trihydroxy-4'-methoxy-8-(3-hydroxy-3- methylbutyl)-flavone (ICT) is a novel derivative of icariin, the major active ingredient of Herba Epimedii, an herb used in traditional Chinese medicine. We previously demonstrated its anti-inflammatory potential in a murine macrophage cell line as well as in mouse models. We measured TNF-α production by ELISA, TLR4/CD14 expression by flow cytometry, and NF-κB and MAPK activation by western blot all in LPS-stimulated PBMC, human monocytes, or THP-1 cells after treatment with ICT. ICT inhibited LPS-induced TNF-α production in THP-1 cells, PBMCs and human monocytes in a dose-dependent manner. ICT treatment resulted in down-regulation of the expression of CD14/TLR4 and attenuated NF-κB and MAPK activation induced by LPS. We illustrate the anti-inflammatory property of ICT in human immune cells, especially in monocytes. These effects were mediated, at least partially, via inhibition of the CD14/TLR4 signaling pathway. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Improvement of SSR core design for ABWR-II

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moriwaki, Masanao; Aoyama, Motoo; Okada, Hiroyuki; Kitamura, Hideya; Sakurada, Koichi; Tanabe, Akira

    2003-01-01

    In order to enhance the spectral shift effect in the ABWR-II reactor, a novel core design to bring out better performance of spectral shift rods (SSRs) is studied. The SSR is a new type of water rod, in which the water level develops naturally during operation and changes according to the coolant flow rate through the channel. By using the SSR, the average moderator density, which is directly related to core reactivity, can be controlled over a wide range by the core flow rate. In the new SSR core design, two types of SSR bundles, in which settings for the SSR water levels are different, are utilized and loaded according to flow distribution in the core. This two-region SSR core design allows wide variation in the average SSR water level, thus improving fuel economy. Enhancement of SSR function in the two-region SSR core increases the uranium saving factor by about 25%, from the 6% of the conventional uniform SSR core to about 8%. (author)

  9. Therapeutic effect of methyl salicylate 2-O-β-d-lactoside on LPS-induced acute lung injury by inhibiting TAK1/NF-kappaB phosphorylation and NLRP3 expression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Shengqian; Yu, Ziru; Yuan, Tianyi; Wang, Lin; Wang, Xue; Yang, Haiguang; Sun, Lan; Wang, Yuehua; Du, Guanhua

    2016-11-01

    Acute lung injury (ALI), characterized by pulmonary edema and inflammatory cell infiltration, is a common syndrome of acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. Methyl salicylate 2-O-β-d-lactoside (MSL), a natural derivative of salicylate extracted from Gaultheria yunnanensis (Franch.) Rehder, was reported to have potent anti-inflammatory effects on the progression of collagen or adjuvant-induced arthritis in vivo and in vitro. The aim of this study is to investigate the therapeutic effect of MSL on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury and reveal underlying molecular mechanisms. Our results showed that MSL significantly ameliorated pulmonary edema and histological severities, and inhibited IL-6 and IL-1β production in LPS-induced ALI mice. MSL also reduced MPO activity in lung tissues and the number of inflammatory cells in BALF. Moreover, we found that MSL significantly inhibited LPS-induced TAK1 and NF-κB p65 phosphorylation, as well as the expression of NLRP3 protein in lung tissues. Furthermore, MSL significantly inhibited LPS-induced TAK1 and NF-κB p65 phosphorylation in Raw264.7 cells. In addition, MSL significantly inhibited nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 in cells treated with LPS in vitro. Taken together, our results suggested that MSL exhibited a therapeutic effect on LPS-induced ALI by inhibiting TAK1/NF-κB phosphorylation and NLRP3 expression. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Zero-bias tunneling anomaly at a vortex core

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Overhauser, A.W.; Daemen, L.L.

    1989-01-01

    The sharp peak in the tunneling conductance at a vortex core, reported by Hess et al. in NbSe 2 , is attributed to self-energy corrections of the normal electrons (in the core) caused by their coupling to excitations of the superconducting region (outside the core). The shape of the zero-bias anomaly is reproduced without benefit from adjustable parameters, though the predicted size is a little too large. If the critical currents in the superconducting region (outside the core) are recognized by letting the excitation density (at zero energy) be finite, then a perfect fit can be obtained

  11. Estimation of the in vitro eye irritating and inflammatory potential of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and dust by using reconstituted human corneal epithelium tissue cultures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cao, Yi; Arenholt-Bindslev, Dorthe; Kjærgaard, Søren K

    2015-01-01

    CONTEXT: Eye irritation is a common complaint in indoor environment, but the causes have still not been identified among the multiple exposures in house environments. To identify the potential environmental factors responsible for eye irritation and study the possible mechanisms, an in vitro model...... AND CONCLUSION: LPS and dust showed in vitro eye irritating and inflammatory potential, and cytokines/chemokines like IL-1β and IL-8 may be involved in the mechanisms of eye irritation. The HCE tissue culture may be used as an in vitro model to study environmental exposure induced eye irritation and inflammation....... for eye irritation is suggested. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, reconstituted human corneal epithelium (HCE) tissue cultures were used to study the eye irritating and inflammatory potential of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and dust. HCE tissue cultures were exposed to a range of concentrations of LPS...

  12. Development of in-core measuring method using optical techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kakuta, Tsunemi; Shikama, Tatsuo; Narui, Minoru; Sagawa, Tsutomu.

    1994-01-01

    Since applying to more severe radiation environments in nuclear plants, e.g., in-core measuring systems, diagnostics for fusion reactors, radiation related subjects should be considered by more severe radiation and environmental conditions. Owing to this, preliminary studies of heavy neutron irradiation effects on optical fibers are conducted in the core region of fission reactor. Two kinds of SiO 2 core optical fibers, highly pure SiO 2 with OH content core and SiO 2 with fluorine doped core, were irradiated in the core region of Japan Material Testing Reactor (JMTR). Both fibers were irradiated with fast neutron (E>1.0 MeV) fluence of about 1.6x10 19 n/cm 2 and gamma-ray doses of 3.3x10 9 Gy. The optical absorption and the light-emission spectrum were measured in-situ along the irradiation. This paper mainly outlines the fundamental effects of neutron irradiation and discuss the possibility of neutron detection in the core region of reactor. (J.P.N.)

  13. Forming of the regional core transport network taking into account the allocation of alternative energy sources based on artificial intelligence methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marina ZHURAVSKAYA

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available In the modern world the alternative energy sources, which considerably depend on a region, play more and more significant role. However, the transition of regions to new energy sources lead to the change of transport and logistic network configuration. The formation of optimal core transport network today is a guarantee of the successful economic development of a region tomorrow. The present article studies the issue of advanced core transport network development in a region based on the experience of European and Asian countries and the opportunity to adapt the best foreign experience to Russian conditions. On the basis of artificial intelligence methods for forest industry complex of Sverdlovskaya Oblast the algorithm of problem solution of an optimal logistic infrastructure allocation is offered and some results of a regional transport network are presented. These methods allowed to solve the set task in the conditions of information uncertainty. There are suggestions on the improvement of transport and logistic network in the territory of Sverdlovskaya Oblast. Traditionally the logistics of mineral fuel plays main role in regions development. Actually it is required to develop logistic strategic plans to be able to provide different possibilities of power-supply, flexible enough to change with the population density, transport infrastructure and demographics of different regions. The problem of logistic centers allocation was studied by many authors. The approach, offered by the authors of this paper is to solve the set of tasks by applying artificial intelligence methods, such as fuzzy set theory and genetic algorithms.

  14. Characterization of the seismically imaged Tuscarora fold system and implications for layer parallel shortening in the Pennsylvania salient

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mount, Van S.; Wilkins, Scott; Comiskey, Cody S.

    2017-12-01

    The Tuscarora fold system (TFS) is located in the Pennsylvania salient in the foreland of the Valley and Ridge province. The TFS is imaged in high quality 3D seismic data and comprises a system of small-scale folds within relatively flat-lying Lower Silurian Tuscarora Formation strata. We characterize the TFS structures and infer layer parallel shortening (LPS) directions and magnitudes associated with deformation during the Alleghany Orogeny. Previously reported LPS data in our study area are from shallow Devonian and Carboniferous strata (based on outcrop and core analyses) above the shallowest of three major detachments recognized in the region. Seismic data allows us to characterize LPS at depth in strata beneath the shallow detachment. Our LPS data (orientations and inferred magnitudes) are consistent with the shallow data leading us to surmise that LPS during Alleghanian deformation fanned around the salient and was distributed throughout the stratigraphic section - and not isolated to strata above the shallow detachment. We propose that a NW-SE oriented Alleghanian maximum principal stress was perturbed by deep structure associated with the non-linear margin of Laurentia resulting in fanning of shortening directions within the salient.

  15. L-cysteine protects intestinal integrity, attenuates intestinal inflammation and oxidant stress, and modulates NF-κB and Nrf2 pathways in weaned piglets after LPS challenge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Ze he; Tong, Guo; Xiao, Kan; Jiao, Le fei; Ke, Ya lu; Hu, Cai hong

    2016-04-01

    In this study we investigated whetherL-cysteine (L-cys) could alleviate LPS-induced intestinal disruption and its underlying mechanism. Piglets fed with anL-cys-supplemented diet had higher average daily gain.L-cys alleviated LPS-induced structural and functional disruption of intestine in weanling piglets, as demonstrated by higher villus height, villus height (VH) to crypt depth (CD) ratio, and transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) and lower FITC-dextran 4 (FD4) kDa flux in jejunum and ileum. Supplementation withL-cys up-regulated occludin and claudin-1 expression, reduced caspase-3 activity and enhanced proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression of jejunum and ileum relative to LPS group. Additionally,L-cys suppressed the LPS-induced intestinal inflammation and oxidative stress, as demonstrated by down-regulated TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-8 mRNA levels, increased catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase activity, glutathione (GSH) contents and the ratio of GSH and oxidized glutathione in jejunum and ileum. Finally, a diet supplemented withL-cys inhibited NF-κB(p65) nuclear translocation and elevated NF erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) translocation compared with the LPS group. Collectively, our results indicated the protective function ofL-cys on intestinal mucosa barrier may closely associated with its anti-inflammation, antioxidant and regulating effect on the NF-κB and Nrf2 signaling pathways. © The Author(s) 2016.

  16. Core concepts for ''zero-sodium-void-worth core'' in metal fuelled fast reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chang, Y.I.; Hill, R.N.; Fujita, E.K.; Wade, D.C.; Kumaoka, Y.; Suzuki, M.; Kawashima, M.; Nakagawa, H.

    1991-01-01

    Core design options to reduce the sodium void worth in metal fueled LMRs are investigated. Two core designs which achieve a zero sodium void worth are analyzed in detail. The first design is a ''pancaked'' and annular core with enhanced transuranic burning capabilities; the high leakage in this design yields a low breeding ratio and small void worth. The second design is an axially multilayered annular core which is fissile self-sufficient; in this design, the upper and lower core regions are neutronically decoupled for reduced void worth while fissile self-sufficiency is achieved using internal axial blankets plus external radial and axial blanket zones. The neutronic performance characteristics of these low void worth designs are assessed here; their passive safety properties are discussed in a companion paper. 16 refs., 2 figs., 3 tabs

  17. Core concepts for 'zero-sodium-void-worth core' in metal fuelled fast reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chang, Y.I.; Hill, R.N.; Fujita, E.K.; Wade, D.C.; Kumaoka, Y.; Suzuki, M.; Kawashima, M.; Nakagawa, H.

    1991-01-01

    Core design options to reduce the sodium void worth in metal fuelled LMRs are investigated. Two core designs which achieve a zero sodium void worth are analyzed in detail. The first design is a 'pancaked' and annular core with enhanced transuranic burning capabilities; the high leakage in this design yields a low breeding ratio and small void worth. The second design is an axially multilayered annular core which is fissile self-sufficient; in this design, the upper and lower core regions are neutronically decoupled for reduced void worth while fissile self-sufficiency is achieved using internal axial blankets plus external radial and axial blanket-zones. The neutronic performance characteristics of these low void worth designs are assessed here; their passive safety properties are discussed in a companion paper. (author)

  18. The core health science library in Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huntley, J L

    1974-04-01

    Core lists in Canada are characterized by regional differences. The lists of current importance are: (1) the British Columbia acquisitions guide for hospital libraries, (2) three Saskatchewan lists for hospitals of different sizes, (3) a core list recommended for Ontario hospitals, (4) Quebec core lists, including French language lists.

  19. Cardiorespiratory control and cytokine profile in response to heat stress, hypoxia, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure during early neonatal period.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDonald, Fiona B; Chandrasekharan, Kumaran; Wilson, Richard J A; Hasan, Shabih U

    2016-02-01

    Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is one of the most common causes of postneonatal infant mortality in the developed world. An insufficient cardiorespiratory response to multiple environmental stressors (such as prone sleeping positioning, overwrapping, and infection), during a critical period of development in a vulnerable infant, may result in SIDS. However, the effect of multiple risk factors on cardiorespiratory responses has rarely been tested experimentally. Therefore, this study aimed to quantify the independent and possible interactive effects of infection, hyperthermia, and hypoxia on cardiorespiratory control in rats during the neonatal period. We hypothesized that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration will negatively impact cardiorespiratory responses to increased ambient temperature and hypoxia in neonatal rats. Sprague-Dawley neonatal rat pups were studied at postnatal day 6-8. Rats were examined at an ambient temperature of 33°C or 38°C. Within each group, rats were allocated to control, saline, or LPS (200 μg/kg) treatments. Cardiorespiratory and thermal responses were recorded and analyzed before, during, and after a hypoxic exposure (10% O2). Serum samples were taken at the end of each experiment to measure cytokine concentrations. LPS significantly increased cytokine concentrations (such as TNFα, IL-1β, MCP-1, and IL-10) compared to control. Our results do not support a three-way interaction between experimental factors on cardiorespiratory control. However, independently, heat stress decreased minute ventilation during normoxia and increased the hypoxic ventilatory response. Furthermore, LPS decreased hypoxia-induced tachycardia. Herein, we provide an extensive serum cytokine profile under various experimental conditions and new evidence that neonatal cardiorespiratory responses are adversely affected by dual interactions of environmental stress factors. © 2016 The Authors. Physiological Reports published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on

  20. Heroin use is associated with suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokine response after LPS exposure in HIV-infected individuals.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hinta Meijerink

    Full Text Available Opioid use is associated with increased incidence of infectious diseases. Although experimental studies have shown that opioids affect various functions of immune cells, only limited data are available from human studies. Drug use is an important risk factor for HIV transmission; however no data are available whether heroin and/or methadone modulate immune response. Therefore, we examined the effect of heroin and methadone use among HIV-infected individuals on the production of cytokines after ex vivo stimulation with various pathogens.Treatment naïve HIV-infected individuals from Indonesia were recruited. Several cohorts of individuals were recruited: 1 using heroin 2 receiving methadone opioid substitution 3 using heroin over 1 year ago and 4 controls (never used opioids. Whole blood was stimulated with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Candida albicans and LPS for 24 to 48 hours. Cytokine production (IL-1 β, IL-6, IL-10, IFN-α, IFN-γ and TNF-α was determined using multiplex beads assay.Among 82 individuals, the cytokine levels in unstimulated samples did not differ between groups. Overall, heroin users had significantly lower cytokine response after exposure to LPS (p<0.05. After stimulation with either M. tuberculosis or C. albicans the cytokine production of all groups were comparable.The cytokine production after exposure to LPS is significantly down-regulated in HIV-infected heroin users. Interesting, methadone use did not suppress cytokine response, which could have implications guidelines of opioid substitution.

  1. Synthetic antimicrobial and LPS-neutralising peptides suppress inflammatory and immune responses in skin cells and promote keratinocyte migration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pfalzgraff, Anja; Heinbockel, Lena; Su, Qi; Gutsmann, Thomas; Brandenburg, Klaus; Weindl, Günther

    2016-08-11

    The stagnation in the development of new antibiotics and the concomitant high increase of resistant bacteria emphasize the urgent need for new therapeutic options. Antimicrobial peptides are promising agents for the treatment of bacterial infections and recent studies indicate that Pep19-2.5, a synthetic anti-lipopolysaccharide (LPS) peptide (SALP), efficiently neutralises pathogenicity factors of Gram-negative (LPS) and Gram-positive (lipoprotein/-peptide, LP) bacteria and protects against sepsis. Here, we investigated the potential of Pep19-2.5 and the structurally related compound Pep19-4LF for their therapeutic application in bacterial skin infections. SALPs inhibited LP-induced phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 and p38 MAPK and reduced cytokine release and gene expression in primary human keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts. In LPS-stimulated human monocyte-derived dendritic cells and Langerhans-like cells, the peptides blocked IL-6 secretion, downregulated expression of maturation markers and inhibited dendritic cell migration. Both SALPs showed a low cytotoxicity in all investigated cell types. Furthermore, SALPs markedly promoted cell migration via EGFR transactivation and ERK1/2 phosphorylation and accelerated artificial wound closure in keratinocytes. Peptide-induced keratinocyte migration was mediated by purinergic receptors and metalloproteases. In contrast, SALPs did not affect proliferation of keratinocytes. Conclusively, our data suggest a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of patients with acute and chronic skin infections.

  2. Anti-inflammatory activity of standardized dichloromethane extract of Salvia connivens on macrophages stimulated by LPS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    González-Chávez, Marco Martín; Ramos-Velázquez, Cinthia Saraí; Serrano-Vega, Roberto; Pérez-González, Cuauhtemoc; Sánchez-Mendoza, Ernesto; Pérez-Gutiérrez, Salud

    2017-12-01

    A previous study demonstrated that the chloroform extract of Salvia connivens Epling (Lamiaceae) has anti-inflammatory activity. Identification of the active components in the dicholorometane extract (DESC), and, standardization of the extract based in ursolic acid. DESC was prepared by percolation with dichlromethane and after washed with hot hexane, its composition was determined by CG-MS and NMR, and standardized by HPLC. The anti-inflammatory activity was tested on acute TPA-induced mouse ear oedema at doses of 2.0 mg/ear. The cell viability of macrophages was evaluated by MTT method, and pro- and anti-inflammatory interleukin levels were measured using an ELISA kit. Ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, dihydroursolic acid and eupatorin were identified in DESC, which was standardized based on the ursolic acid concentration (126 mg/g). The anti-inflammatory activities of DESC, the acid mixture, and eupatorin (2 mg/ear) were 60.55, 57.20 and 56.40% inhibition, respectively, on TPA-induced ear oedema. The IC 50 of DESC on macrophages was 149.4 μg/mL. DESC (25 μg/mL) significantly reduced TNF-α (2.0-fold), IL-1β (2.2-fold) and IL-6 (2.0-fold) in macrophages stimulated with LPS and increased the production of IL-10 (1.9-fold). Inflammation is a basic response to injuries, and macrophages are involved in triggering inflammation. Macrophage cells exhibit a response to LPS, inducing inflammatory mediators, and DESC inhibits the biosynthesis of the pro-inflammatory and promote anti-inflammatory cytokines. DESC has an anti-inflammatory effect; reduced the levels of IL-1β, Il-6 and TNF-α; and increases IL-10 in macrophages stimulated with LPS. Ursolic acid is a good phytochemical marker.

  3. Enhancement of the acute phase response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge in steers supplemented with chromium

    Science.gov (United States)

    The study examined the effect of chromium supplementation on the response of steers to an LPS challenge. Twenty steers received a premix that added 0 (control) or 0.2 mg/kg of chromium (KemTRACE®brandChromiumProprionate 0.04%, Kemin Industries) to the total diet on a dry matter basis for 55 d. Steer...

  4. Glutamine and alanine-induced differential expression of intracellular IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α in LPS-stimulated monocytes in human whole-blood.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raspé, C; Czeslick, E; Weimann, A; Schinke, C; Leimert, A; Kellner, P; Simm, A; Bucher, M; Sablotzki, A

    2013-04-01

    To investigate the effects of the commonly-used immunomodulators l-glutamine, l-alanine, and the combination of both l-alanyl-l-glutamine (Dipeptamin(®)) on intracellular expression of IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α during endotoxemia, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated human monocytes in a whole blood system were investigated by flow cytometry. Whole blood of twenty-seven healthy volunteers was stimulated with LPS and incubated with three different amino acid solutions (1. l-glutamine, 2. l-alanine, 3. l-alanyl-l-glutamine, each concentration 2 mM, 5 mM, incubation time 3 h). CD14(+) monocytes were phenotyped in whole-blood and intracellular expression of cytokines was assessed by flow cytometry. Our investigations showed for the first time in whole blood probes, imitating best physiologically present cellular interactions, that l-glutamine caused a dose-independent inhibitory effect on IL-6 and TNF-α production in human monocytes stimulated with LPS. However, l-alanine had contrary effects on IL-6 expression, significantly upregulating expression of IL-6 in LPS-treated monocytes. The impact of l-alanine on the expression of TNF-α was comparable with glutamine. Neither amino acid was able to affect IL-8 production in LPS-stimulated monocytes. The combination of both did not influence significantly IL-6 and IL-8 expression in monocytes during endotoxemia, however strongly reduced TNF-α production. For the regulation of TNF-α, l-glutamine, l-alanine and the combination of both show a congruent and exponentiated downregulating effect during endotoxemia, for the modulation of IL-6, l-glutamine and l-alanine featured opposite regulation leading to a canceling impact of each other when recombining both amino acids. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Anti-inflammatory effect of a selective 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 inhibitor via the stimulation of heme oxygenase-1 in LPS-activated mice and J774.1 murine macrophages

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sung Bum Park

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available 11β-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1 converts inactive cortisone to the active cortisol. 11β-HSD1 may be involved in the resolution of inflammation. In the present study, we investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of 2-(3-benzoyl-4-hydroxy-1,1-dioxo-2H-1,2-benzothiazine-2-yl-1-phenylethanone (KR-66344, a selective 11β-HSD1 inhibitor, in lipopolysaccharide (LPS-activated C57BL/6J mice and macrophages. LPS increased 11β-HSD1 activity and expression in macrophages, which was inhibited by KR-66344. In addition, KR-66344 increased survival rate in LPS treated C57BL/6J mice. HO-1 mRNA expression level was increased by KR-66344, and this effect was reversed by the HO competitive inhibitor, ZnPP, in macrophages. Moreover, ZnPP reversed the suppression of ROS formation and cell death induced by KR-66344. ZnPP also suppressed animal survival rate in LPS plus KR-66344 treated C57BL/6J mice. In the spleen of LPS-treated mice, KR-66344 prevented cell death via suppression of inflammation, followed by inhibition of ROS, iNOS and COX-2 expression. Furthermore, LPS increased NFκB-p65 and MAPK phosphorylation, and these effects were abolished by pretreatment with KR-66344. Taken together, KR-66344 protects against LPS-induced animal death and spleen injury by inhibition of inflammation via induction of HO-1 and inhibition of 11β-HSD1 activity. Thus, we concluded that the selective 11β-HSD1 inhibitor may provide a novel strategy in the prevention/treatment of inflammatory disorders in patients.

  6. Benfotiamine attenuates inflammatory response in LPS stimulated BV-2 microglia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bozic, Iva; Savic, Danijela; Laketa, Danijela; Bjelobaba, Ivana; Milenkovic, Ivan; Pekovic, Sanja; Nedeljkovic, Nadezda; Lavrnja, Irena

    2015-01-01

    Microglial cells are resident immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS), recognized as key elements in the regulation of neural homeostasis and the response to injury and repair. As excessive activation of microglia may lead to neurodegeneration, therapeutic strategies targeting its inhibition were shown to improve treatment of most neurodegenerative diseases. Benfotiamine is a synthetic vitamin B1 (thiamine) derivate exerting potentially anti-inflammatory effects. Despite the encouraging results regarding benfotiamine potential to alleviate diabetic microangiopathy, neuropathy and other oxidative stress-induced pathological conditions, its activities and cellular mechanisms during microglial activation have yet to be elucidated. In the present study, the anti-inflammatory effects of benfotiamine were investigated in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated murine BV-2 microglia. We determined that benfotiamine remodels activated microglia to acquire the shape that is characteristic of non-stimulated BV-2 cells. In addition, benfotiamine significantly decreased production of pro-inflammatory mediators such as inducible form of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and NO; cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), heat-shock protein 70 (Hsp70), tumor necrosis factor alpha α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), whereas it increased anti-inflammatory interleukin-10 (IL-10) production in LPS stimulated BV-2 microglia. Moreover, benfotiamine suppressed the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2), c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) and protein kinase B Akt/PKB. Treatment with specific inhibitors revealed that benfotiamine-mediated suppression of NO production was via JNK1/2 and Akt pathway, while the cytokine suppression includes ERK1/2, JNK1/2 and Akt pathways. Finally, the potentially protective effect is mediated by the suppression of translocation of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) in the nucleus. Therefore, benfotiamine may

  7. Observations of exotic inner core waves

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Waszek, Lauren; Deuss, A.F.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/412396610

    2015-01-01

    The seismic structure of Earth’s inner core is highly complex, displaying strong anisotropy and further regional variations. However, few seismic waves are sensitive to the inner core and fundamental questions regarding the origin of the observed seismic features remain unanswered. Thus, new

  8. Stable water isotopes of precipitation and firn cores from the northern Antarctic Peninsula region as a proxy for climate reconstruction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. Fernandoy

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available In order to investigate the climate variability in the northern Antarctic Peninsula region, this paper focuses on the relationship between stable isotope content of precipitation and firn, and main meteorological variables (air temperature, relative humidity, sea surface temperature, and sea ice extent. Between 2008 and 2010, we collected precipitation samples and retrieved firn cores from several key sites in this region. We conclude that the deuterium excess oscillation represents a robust indicator of the meteorological variability on a seasonal to sub-seasonal scale. Low absolute deuterium excess values and the synchronous variation of both deuterium excess and air temperature imply that the evaporation of moisture occurs in the adjacent Southern Ocean. The δ18O-air temperature relationship is complicated and significant only at a (multiseasonal scale. Backward trajectory calculations show that air-parcels arriving at the region during precipitation events predominantly originate at the South Pacific Ocean and Bellingshausen Sea. These investigations will be used as a calibration for ongoing and future research in the area, suggesting that appropriate locations for future ice core research are located above 600 m a.s.l. We selected the Plateau Laclavere, Antarctic Peninsula as the most promising site for a deeper drilling campaign.

  9. Task-based core-periphery organization of human brain dynamics.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Danielle S Bassett

    Full Text Available As a person learns a new skill, distinct synapses, brain regions, and circuits are engaged and change over time. In this paper, we develop methods to examine patterns of correlated activity across a large set of brain regions. Our goal is to identify properties that enable robust learning of a motor skill. We measure brain activity during motor sequencing and characterize network properties based on coherent activity between brain regions. Using recently developed algorithms to detect time-evolving communities, we find that the complex reconfiguration patterns of the brain's putative functional modules that control learning can be described parsimoniously by the combined presence of a relatively stiff temporal core that is composed primarily of sensorimotor and visual regions whose connectivity changes little in time and a flexible temporal periphery that is composed primarily of multimodal association regions whose connectivity changes frequently. The separation between temporal core and periphery changes over the course of training and, importantly, is a good predictor of individual differences in learning success. The core of dynamically stiff regions exhibits dense connectivity, which is consistent with notions of core-periphery organization established previously in social networks. Our results demonstrate that core-periphery organization provides an insightful way to understand how putative functional modules are linked. This, in turn, enables the prediction of fundamental human capacities, including the production of complex goal-directed behavior.

  10. Polyphenolic extracts from cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) protect colonic myofibroblasts (CCD18Co cells) from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation--modulation of microRNA 126.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ojwang, Leonnard O; Banerjee, Nivedita; Noratto, Giuliana D; Angel-Morales, Gabriela; Hachibamba, Twambo; Awika, Joseph M; Mertens-Talcott, Susanne U

    2015-01-01

    Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is a drought tolerant crop with several agronomic advantages over other legumes. This study evaluated varieties from four major cowpea phenotypes (black, red, light brown and white) containing different phenolic profiles for their anti-inflammatory property on non-malignant colonic myofibroblasts (CCD18Co) cells challenged with an endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS). Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) assay on the LPS-stimulated cells revealed antioxidative potential of black and red cowpea varieties. Real-time qRT-PCR analysis in LPS-stimulated cells revealed down-regulation of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-8, TNF-α, VCAM-1), transcription factor NF-κB and modulation of microRNA-126 (specific post-transcriptional regulator of VCAM-1) by cowpea polyphenolics. The ability of cowpea polyphenols to modulate miR-126 signaling and its target gene VCAM-1 were studied in LPS-stimulated endothelial cells transfected with a specific inhibitor of miR-126, and treated with 10 mg GAE/L black cowpea extract where the extract in part reversed the effect of the miR-126 inhibitor. This suggests that cowpea may exert their anti-inflammatory activities at least in part through induction of miR-126 that then down-regulate VCAM-1 mRNA and protein expressions. Overall, Cowpea therefore is promising as an anti-inflammatory dietary component.

  11. Secretory Products of the Human GI Tract Microbiome and Their Potential Impact on Alzheimer's Disease (AD: Detection of Lipopolysaccharide (LPS in AD Hippocampus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuhai Zhao

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Although the potential contribution of the human gastrointestinal (GI tract microbiome to human health, aging, and disease is becoming increasingly acknowledged, the molecular mechanics and signaling pathways of just how this is accomplished is not well-understood. Major bacterial species of the GI tract, such as the abundant Gram-negative bacilli Bacteroides fragilis (B. fragilis and Escherichia coli (E. coli, secrete a remarkably complex array of pro-inflammatory neurotoxins which, when released from the confines of the healthy GI tract, are pathogenic and highly detrimental to the homeostatic function of neurons in the central nervous system (CNS. For the first time here we report the presence of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS in brain lysates from the hippocampus and superior temporal lobe neocortex of Alzheimer's disease (AD brains. Mean LPS levels varied from two-fold increases in the neocortex to three-fold increases in the hippocampus, AD over age-matched controls, however some samples from advanced AD hippocampal cases exhibited up to a 26-fold increase in LPS over age-matched controls. This “Perspectives” paper will further highlight some very recent research on GI tract microbiome signaling to the human CNS, and will update current findings that implicate GI tract microbiome-derived LPS as an important internal contributor to inflammatory degeneration in the CNS.

  12. Inhibition of LPS binding to MD-2 co-receptor for suppressing TLR4-mediated expression of inflammatory cytokine by 1-dehydro-10-gingerdione from dietary ginger

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Sun Hong; Kyeong, Min Sik; Hwang, Yuri; Ryu, Shi Yong; Han, Sang-Bae; Kim, Youngsoo

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► 1-Dehydro-10-gingerdione (1D10G) from ginger inhibits LPS binding to MD-2. ► 1D10G suppresses MyD88- or TRIF-dependent signaling in LPS-activated macrophages. ► 1D10G down-regulates the expression of NF-κB-, AP1- or IRF3-target genes. ► MD-2 is a molecular target in the anti-inflammatory action of 1D10G. -- Abstract: Myeloid differentiation protein 2 (MD-2) is a co-receptor of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) for innate immunity. Here, we delineated a new mechanism of 1-dehydro-10-gingerdione (1D10G), one of pungent isolates from ginger (Zingiber officinale), in the suppression of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced gene expression of inflammatory cytokines. 1D10G inhibited LPS binding to MD-2 with higher affinity than gingerol and shogaol from dietary ginger. Moreover, 1D10G down-regulated TLR4-mediated expression of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) or activating protein 1 (AP1)-target genes such as tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β, as well as those of interferon (IFN) regulatory factor 3 (IRF3)-target IFN-β gene and IFN-γ inducible protein 10 (IP-10) in LPS-activated macrophages. Taken together, MD-2 is a molecular target in the anti-inflammatory action of 1D10G.

  13. Inhibition of LPS binding to MD-2 co-receptor for suppressing TLR4-mediated expression of inflammatory cytokine by 1-dehydro-10-gingerdione from dietary ginger

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Sun Hong; Kyeong, Min Sik; Hwang, Yuri [College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 361-763 (Korea, Republic of); Ryu, Shi Yong [Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 305-600 (Korea, Republic of); Han, Sang-Bae [College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 361-763 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Youngsoo, E-mail: youngsoo@chungbuk.ac.kr [College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 361-763 (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-03-23

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer 1-Dehydro-10-gingerdione (1D10G) from ginger inhibits LPS binding to MD-2. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer 1D10G suppresses MyD88- or TRIF-dependent signaling in LPS-activated macrophages. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer 1D10G down-regulates the expression of NF-{kappa}B-, AP1- or IRF3-target genes. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer MD-2 is a molecular target in the anti-inflammatory action of 1D10G. -- Abstract: Myeloid differentiation protein 2 (MD-2) is a co-receptor of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) for innate immunity. Here, we delineated a new mechanism of 1-dehydro-10-gingerdione (1D10G), one of pungent isolates from ginger (Zingiber officinale), in the suppression of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced gene expression of inflammatory cytokines. 1D10G inhibited LPS binding to MD-2 with higher affinity than gingerol and shogaol from dietary ginger. Moreover, 1D10G down-regulated TLR4-mediated expression of nuclear factor-{kappa}B (NF-{kappa}B) or activating protein 1 (AP1)-target genes such as tumor necrosis factor {alpha} (TNF-{alpha}) and interleukin-1{beta}, as well as those of interferon (IFN) regulatory factor 3 (IRF3)-target IFN-{beta} gene and IFN-{gamma} inducible protein 10 (IP-10) in LPS-activated macrophages. Taken together, MD-2 is a molecular target in the anti-inflammatory action of 1D10G.

  14. The influence of age and repeated LPS administration on body temperature and the relation with interleukin-6 and IgM antibodies in broiler chickens

    OpenAIRE

    De Boever , Sandra; Beyaert , Rudi; Vandemaele , Fréderic; Baert , Kris; Duchateau , Luc; Goddeeris , Bruno; De Backer , Patrick; Croubels , Siska

    2008-01-01

    Abstract Our objective was to create a standardized and reproducible inflammation model in chickens in order to study the pharmacodynamics of several anti-pyretic and anti-inflammatory drugs. We studied the influence of age and repeated lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration on body temperature and the correlation of this with concentrations of interleukin 6 (IL-6) and IgM antibodies against LPS in plasma of chickens. Three and five week old broilers were injected intravenously...

  15. Temporal Change of Seismic Earth's Inner Core Phases: Inner Core Differential Rotation Or Temporal Change of Inner Core Surface?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, J.; Tian, D.; Sun, L.; Wen, L.

    2017-12-01

    the observed temporal changes of the inner core phases are caused by temporal changes of inner core surface. The temporal changes of inner core surface are found to occur in some localized regions within a short time scale (years to months), a phenomenon that should provide important clues to a potentially fundamental change of our understanding of core dynamics.

  16. Recommendations for a first Core Outcome Measurement set for complex regional PAin syndrome Clinical sTudies (COMPACT)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grieve, Sharon; Perez, Roberto SGM; Birklein, Frank; Brunner, Florian; Bruehl, Stephen; Harden R, Norman; Packham, Tara; Gobeil, Francois; Haigh, Richard; Holly, Janet; Terkelsen, Astrid; Davies, Lindsay; Lewis, Jennifer; Thomassen, Ilona; Connett, Robyn; Worth, Tina; Vatine, Jean-Jacques; McCabe, Candida S

    2017-01-01

    Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a persistent pain condition that remains incompletely understood and challenging to treat. Historically, a wide range of different outcome measures have been used to capture the multidimensional nature of CRPS. This has been a significant limiting factor in the advancement of our understanding of the mechanisms and management of CRPS. In 2013, an international consortium of patients, clinicians, researchers and industry representatives was established, to develop and agree on a minimum core set of standardised outcome measures for use in future CRPS clinical research, including but not limited to clinical trials within adult populations The development of a core measurement set was informed through workshops and supplementary work, using an iterative consensus process. ‘What is the clinical presentation and course of CRPS, and what factors influence it?’ was agreed as the most pertinent research question that our standardised set of patient-reported outcome measures should be selected to answer. The domains encompassing the key concepts necessary to answer the research question were agreed as: pain, disease severity, participation and physical function, emotional and psychological function, self efficacy, catastrophizing and patient's global impression of change. The final core measurement set included the optimum generic or condition-specific patient-reported questionnaire outcome measures, which captured the essence of each domain, and one clinician reported outcome measure to capture the degree of severity of CRPS. The next step is to test the feasibility and acceptability of collecting outcome measure data using the core measurement set in the CRPS population internationally. PMID:28178071

  17. Reactor core performance estimating device

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanabe, Akira; Yamamoto, Toru; Shinpuku, Kimihiro; Chuzen, Takuji; Nishide, Fusayo.

    1995-01-01

    The present invention can autonomously simplify a neural net model thereby enabling to conveniently estimate various amounts which represents reactor core performances by a simple calculation in a short period of time. Namely, a reactor core performance estimation device comprises a nerve circuit net which divides the reactor core into a large number of spacial regions, and receives various physical amounts for each region as input signals for input nerve cells and outputs estimation values of each amount representing the reactor core performances as output signals of output nerve cells. In this case, the nerve circuit net (1) has a structure of extended multi-layered model having direct coupling from an upper stream layer to each of downstream layers, (2) has a forgetting constant q in a corrected equation for a joined load value ω using an inverse error propagation method, (3) learns various amounts representing reactor core performances determined using the physical models as teacher signals, (4) determines the joined load value ω decreased as '0' when it is to less than a predetermined value upon learning described above, and (5) eliminates elements of the nerve circuit net having all of the joined load value decreased to 0. As a result, the neural net model comprises an autonomously simplifying means. (I.S.)

  18. Fort St. Vrain core performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McEachern, D.W.; Brown, J.R.; Heller, R.A.; Franek, W.J.

    1977-07-01

    The Fort St. Vrain High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor core performance has been evaluated during the startup testing phase of the reactor operation. The reactor is graphite moderated, helium cooled, and uses coated particle fuel and on-line flow control to each of the 37 refueling regions. Principal objectives of startup testing were to determine: core and control system reactivity, radial power distribution, flow control capability, and initial fission product release. Information from the core demonstrates that Technical Specifications are being met, performance of the core and fuel is as expected, flow and reactivity control are predictable and simple for the operator to carry out

  19. Conceptual core designs for a 1200 MWe sodium cooled fast reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Joo, H. K.; Lee, K. B.; Yoo, J. W.; Kim, Y. I.

    2008-01-01

    The conceptual core design for a 1200 MWe sodium cooled fast reactor is being developed under the framework of the Gen-IV SFR development program. To this end, three core concepts have been tested during the development of a core concept: a core with an enrichment split fuel, a core with a single-enrichment fuel with a region-wise varying clad thickness, and a core with a single-enrichment fuel with non-fuel rods. In order to optimize a conceptual core configuration which satisfies the design targets, a sensitivity study of the core design parameters has been performed. Two core concepts, the core with an enrichment-split fuel and the core with a single-enrichment fuel with a region-wise varying clad thickness, have been proposed as the candidates of the conceptual core for a 1200 MWe sodium cooled fast reactor. The detailed core neutronic, fuel behavior, thermal, and safety analyses will be performed for the proposed candidate core concepts to finalize the core design concept. (authors)

  20. Genome-wide association study of genetic variants in LPS-stimulated IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-1ra and TNF-α cytokine response in a Danish Cohort

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Margit Hørup; Albrechtsen, Anders; Thørner, Lise Wegner

    2013-01-01

    Cytokine response plays a vital role in various human lipopolysaccharide (LPS) infectious and inflammatory diseases. This study aimed to find genetic variants that might affect the levels of LPS-induced interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-1ra and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α cytokine production....

  1. Modelling the regional climate and isotopic composition of Svalbard precipitation using REMOiso: a comparison with available GNIP and ice core data

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Divine, D.V.; Sjolte, J.; Isaksson, E.; Meijer, H.A.J.; van de Wal, R.S.W.; Martma, T.; Pohjola, V.; Sturm, C.; Godtliebsen, F.

    2011-01-01

    Simulations of a regional (approx. 50 km resolution) circulation model REMOiso with embedded stable water isotope module covering the period 1958-2001 are compared with the two instrumental climate and four isotope series (δ18O) from western Svalbard. We examine the data from ice cores drilled on

  2. Modelling the regional climate and isotopic composition of Svalbard precipitation using REMOiso : a comparison with available GNIP and ice core data

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Divine, D. V.; Sjolte, J.; Isaksson, E.; Meijer, H. A. J.; van de Wal, R. S. W.; Martma, T.; Pohjola, V.; Sturm, C.; Godtliebsen, F.

    2011-01-01

    Simulations of a regional (approx. 50 km resolution) circulation model REMOiso with embedded stable water isotope module covering the period 1958-2001 are compared with the two instrumental climate and four isotope series (d18O) from western Svalbard. We examine the data from ice cores drilled on

  3. Immunomodulatory Effect of Flavonoids of Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) Leaves via the NF-κB Signal Pathway in LPS-Stimulated RAW 264.7 Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Dazhi; Xu, Mengyi; Ren, Mengyue; Pan, Enshan; Luo, Chaohua; Zhang, Wei; Tang, Qingfa

    2017-01-01

    This study aimed to explore the immunoregulatory effect of flavonoids of blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum L.) leaves (FBL). The flavonoids of blueberry leaves were prepared with 70% ethanol and were identified by ultraperformance liquid chromatography/quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/Q-Tof-MS). The immunoregulatory effect and possible regulatory mechanisms of FBL were investigated in lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced RAW 264.7 cells. According to the results of UPLC/Q-Tof-MS, nine flavonoids of blueberry leaves were identified. FBL showed a significant reduction in the production of TNF- α in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. FBL significantly decreased the expression of NF- κ B p65 and P-NF- κ B p65 in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Our study showed the immunoregulatory effect of FBL through the suppression of TNF- α via the NF- κ B signal pathway.

  4. Early-life inflammation with LPS delays fear extinction in adult rodents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doenni, V M; Song, C M; Hill, M N; Pittman, Q J

    2017-07-01

    A large body of evidence has been brought forward connecting developmental immune activation to abnormal fear and anxiety levels. Anxiety disorders have extremely high lifetime prevalence, yet susceptibility factors that contribute to their emergence are poorly understood. In this research we investigated whether an inflammatory insult early in life can alter the response to fear conditioning in adulthood. Fear learning and extinction are important and adaptive behaviors, mediated largely by the amygdala and its interconnectivity with cortico-limbic circuits. Male and female rat pups were given LPS (100μg/kg i.p.) or saline at postnatal day 14; LPS activated cFos expression in the central amygdala 2.5h after exposure, but not the basal or lateral nuclei. When tested in adulthood, acquisition of an auditory cued or contextual learned fear memory was largely unaffected as was the extinction of fear to a conditioned context. However, we detected a deficit in auditory fear extinction in male and female rats that experienced early-life inflammation, such that there is a significant delay in fear extinction processes resulting in more sustained fear behaviors in response to a conditioned cue. This response was specific to extinction training and did not persist into extinction recall. The effect could not be explained by differences in pain threshold (unaltered) or in baseline anxiety, which was elevated in adolescent females only and unaltered in adolescent males and adult males and females. This research provides further evidence for the involvement of the immune system during development in the shaping of fear and anxiety related behaviors. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Core burn-up calculation method of JRR-3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kato, Tomoaki; Yamashita, Kiyonobu

    2007-01-01

    SRAC code system is utilized for core burn-up calculation of JRR-3. SRAC code system includes calculation modules such as PIJ, PIJBURN, ANISN and CITATION for making effective cross section and calculation modules such as COREBN and HIST for core burn-up calculation. As for calculation method for JRR-3, PIJBURN (Cell burn-up calculation module) is used for making effective cross section of fuel region at each burn-up step. PIJ, ANISN and CITATION are used for making effective cross section of non-fuel region. COREBN and HIST is used for core burn-up calculation and fuel management. This paper presents details of NRR-3 core burn-up calculation. FNCA Participating countries are expected to carry out core burn-up calculation of domestic research reactor by SRAC code system by utilizing the information of this paper. (author)

  6. Recombinant Salmonella Expressing Burkholderia mallei LPS O Antigen Provides Protection in a Murine Model of Melioidosis and Glanders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moustafa, Dina A; Scarff, Jennifer M; Garcia, Preston P; Cassidy, Sara K B; DiGiandomenico, Antonio; Waag, David M; Inzana, Thomas J; Goldberg, Joanna B

    2015-01-01

    Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia mallei are the etiologic agents of melioidosis and glanders, respectively. These bacteria are highly infectious via the respiratory route and can cause severe and often fatal diseases in humans and animals. Both species are considered potential agents of biological warfare; they are classified as category B priority pathogens. Currently there are no human or veterinary vaccines available against these pathogens. Consequently efforts are directed towards the development of an efficacious and safe vaccine. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is an immunodominant antigen and potent stimulator of host immune responses. B. mallei express LPS that is structurally similar to that expressed by B. pseudomallei, suggesting the possibility of constructing a single protective vaccine against melioidosis and glanders. Previous studies of others have shown that antibodies against B. mallei or B. pseudomallei LPS partially protect mice against subsequent lethal virulent Burkholderia challenge. In this study, we evaluated the protective efficacy of recombinant Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium SL3261 expressing B. mallei O antigen against lethal intranasal infection with Burkholderia thailandensis, a surrogate for biothreat Burkholderia spp. in a murine model that mimics melioidosis and glanders. All vaccine-immunized mice developed a specific antibody response to B. mallei and B. pseudomallei O antigen and to B. thailandensis and were significantly protected against challenge with a lethal dose of B. thailandensis. These results suggest that live-attenuated SL3261 expressing B. mallei O antigen is a promising platform for developing a safe and effective vaccine.

  7. Recombinant Salmonella Expressing Burkholderia mallei LPS O Antigen Provides Protection in a Murine Model of Melioidosis and Glanders.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dina A Moustafa

    Full Text Available Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia mallei are the etiologic agents of melioidosis and glanders, respectively. These bacteria are highly infectious via the respiratory route and can cause severe and often fatal diseases in humans and animals. Both species are considered potential agents of biological warfare; they are classified as category B priority pathogens. Currently there are no human or veterinary vaccines available against these pathogens. Consequently efforts are directed towards the development of an efficacious and safe vaccine. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS is an immunodominant antigen and potent stimulator of host immune responses. B. mallei express LPS that is structurally similar to that expressed by B. pseudomallei, suggesting the possibility of constructing a single protective vaccine against melioidosis and glanders. Previous studies of others have shown that antibodies against B. mallei or B. pseudomallei LPS partially protect mice against subsequent lethal virulent Burkholderia challenge. In this study, we evaluated the protective efficacy of recombinant Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium SL3261 expressing B. mallei O antigen against lethal intranasal infection with Burkholderia thailandensis, a surrogate for biothreat Burkholderia spp. in a murine model that mimics melioidosis and glanders. All vaccine-immunized mice developed a specific antibody response to B. mallei and B. pseudomallei O antigen and to B. thailandensis and were significantly protected against challenge with a lethal dose of B. thailandensis. These results suggest that live-attenuated SL3261 expressing B. mallei O antigen is a promising platform for developing a safe and effective vaccine.

  8. A novel liposome-based nanocarrier loaded with an LPS-dsRNA cocktail for fish innate immune system stimulation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Angels Ruyra

    Full Text Available Development of novel systems of vaccine delivery is a growing demand of the aquaculture industry. Nano- and micro- encapsulation systems are promising tools to achieve efficient vaccines against orphan vaccine fish diseases. In this context, the use of liposomal based-nanocarriers has been poorly explored in fish; although liposomal nanocarriers have successfully been used in other species. Here, we report a new ∼125 nm-in-diameter unilamellar liposome-encapsulated immunostimulant cocktail containing crude lipopolysaccharide (LPS from E. coli and polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid [poly (I:C], a synthetic analog of dsRNA virus, aiming to be used as a non-specific vaccine nanocarrier in different fish species. This liposomal carrier showed high encapsulation efficiencies and low toxicity not only in vitro using three different cellular models but also in vivo using zebrafish embryos and larvae. We showed that such liposomal LPS-dsRNA cocktail is able to enter into contact with zebrafish hepatocytes (ZFL cell line and trout macrophage plasma membranes, being preferentially internalized through caveolae-dependent endocytosis, although clathrin-mediated endocytosis in ZFL cells and macropinocytocis in macrophages also contribute to liposome uptake. Importantly, we also demonstrated that this liposomal LPS-dsRNA cocktail elicits a specific pro-inflammatory and anti-viral response in both zebrafish hepatocytes and trout macrophages. The design of a unique delivery system with the ability to stimulate two potent innate immunity pathways virtually present in all fish species represents a completely new approach in fish health.

  9. Moringa fruit inhibits LPS-induced NO/iNOS expression through suppressing the NF-κ B activation in RAW264.7 cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Hyo-Jin; Jeong, Yun-Jeong; Lee, Tae-Sung; Park, Yoon-Yub; Chae, Whi-Gun; Chung, Il-Kyung; Chang, Hyeun-Wook; Kim, Cheorl-Ho; Choi, Yung-Hyun; Kim, Wun-Jae; Moon, Sung-Kwon; Chang, Young-Chae

    2013-01-01

    In this study, we evaluated the anti-inflammatory effects of moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam.), a natural biologically active substance, by determining its inhibitory effects on pro-inflammatory mediators in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophage RAW264.7 cells. Extracts from different parts of moringa (root, leaf, and fruit) reduced LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) release in a dose-dependent manner. The moringa fruit extract most effectively inhibited LPS-induced NO production and levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). The moringa fruit extract also was shown to suppress the production of inflammatory cytokines including IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6. Furthermore, moringa fruit extract inhibited the cytoplasmic degradation of I κ B -α and the nuclear translocation of p65 proteins, resulting in lower levels of NF -κ B transactivation. Collectively, the results of this study demonstrate that moringa fruit extract reduces the levels of pro-inflammatory mediators including NO , IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 via the inhibition of NF -κ B activation in RAW264.7 cells. These findings reveal, in part, the molecular basis underlying the anti-inflammatory properties of moringa fruit extract.

  10. Effect of two active compounds obtained from the essential oil of Cordia verbenacea on the acute inflammatory responses elicited by LPS in the rat paw.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Medeiros, R; Passos, G F; Vitor, C E; Koepp, J; Mazzuco, T L; Pianowski, L F; Campos, M M; Calixto, J B

    2007-07-01

    alpha-Humulene and trans-caryophyllene are sesquiterpene compounds identified in the essential oil of Cordia verbenacea which display topical and systemic anti-inflammatory effects in different experimental models. However, the molecular mechanisms through which they exert their anti-inflammatory activity still remain unclear. Here, we evaluate the effects of alpha-humulene and trans-caryophyllene on the acute inflammatory responses elicited by LPS. The biological activities of alpha-humulene and trans-caryophyllene were investigated in a model of acute inflammation in rat paw, induced by LPS and characterized by paw oedema, neutrophil recruitment, cytokine production, activation of MAP kinases and NF-kappaB and up-regulated expression of kinin B(1) receptors. Treatment with either alpha-humulene or trans-caryophyllene effectively reduced neutrophil migration and activation of NF-kappaB induced by LPS in the rat paw. However, only alpha-humulene significantly reduced the increase in TNF-alpha and IL-1beta levels, paw oedema and the up-regulation of B(1) receptors following treatment with LPS. Both compounds failed to interfere with the activation of the MAP kinases, ERK, p38 and JNK. Both alpha-humulene and trans-caryophyllene inhibit the LPS-induced NF-kappaB activation and neutrophil migration, although only alpha-humulene had the ability to prevent the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-1beta and the in vivo up-regulation of kinin B(1) receptors. These data provide additional molecular and functional insights into the beneficial effects of the sesquiterpenes alpha-humulene and trans-caryophyllene isolated from the essential oil of Cordia verbenacea as agents for the management of inflammatory diseases.

  11. Imidacloprid intensifies its impact on honeybee and bumblebee cellular immune response when challenged with LPS (lippopolysacharide) of Escherichia coli.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walderdorff, Louise; Laval-Gilly, Philippe; Bonnefoy, Antoine; Falla-Angel, Jaïro

    2018-05-16

    Insect hemocytes play an important role in insects' defense against environmental stressors as they are entirely dependent on their innate immune system for pathogen defense. In recent years a dramatic decline of pollinators has been reported in many countries. The drivers of this declines appear to be associated with pathogen infections like viruses, bacteria or fungi in combination with pesticide exposure. The aim of this study was thus to investigate the impact of imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid insecticide, on the cellular immune response of two pollinators (Apis mellifera and Bombus terrestris) during simultaneous immune activation with LPS (lipopolysaccharide) of Escherichia coli. For this purpose the phagocytosis capacity as well as the production of H 2 O 2 and NO of larval hemocytes, exposed to five different imidacloprid concentrations in vitro, was measured. All used pesticide concentrations showed a weakening effect on phagocytosis with but also without LPS activation. Imidacloprid decreased H 2 O 2 and increased NO production in honeybees. Immune activation by LPS clearly reinforced the effect of imidacloprid on the immune response of hemocytes in all three immune parameters tested. Bumblebee hemocytes appeared more sensitive to imidacloprid during phagocytosis assays while imidacloprid showed a greater impact on honeybee hemocytes during H 2 O 2 and NO production. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Emu Oil Reduces LPS-Induced Production of Nitric Oxide and TNF-α but not Phagocytosis in RAW 264 Macrophages.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miyashita, Tadayoshi; Minami, Kazuhiro; Ito, Minoru; Koizumi, Ryosuke; Sagane, Yoshimasa; Watanabe, Toshihiro; Niwa, Koichi

    2018-04-01

    Emu is the second-largest extant bird native to Australia. Emu oil, obtained from the emu's fat deposits, is used as an ingredient in cosmetic skincare products. Emu oil has been reported to improve several inflammatory symptoms; however, the mechanisms of these anti-inflammatory effects are largely unknown. This study investigated the effects of emu oil on the inflammatory macrophage response in vitro. A murine macrophage cell line, RAW 264, was incubated in culture media supplemented with or without emu oil and stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We determined phagocytic activity by measuring the number of fluorescent microspheres taken up by the cells. The phagocytic activity of RAW 264 cells in the presence of LPS was unaffected by emu oil. We also determined production of nitric oxide (NO) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in the culture medium using the Griess reaction and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively, and the protein expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) using western blotting. The results indicated that emu oil reduced the LPS-induced production of NO, TNF-α, and iNOS expression in a dose-dependent manner. The results suggested that emu oil does not reduce the phagocytic clearance rate of inflammatory matter; however, it does reduce the production of NO and TNF-α in macrophages. These latter products enhance the inflammatory response and emu oil thereby demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties.

  13. Protective effects of total alkaloids from Dendrobium crepidatum against LPS-induced acute lung injury in mice and its chemical components.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Yang; Ren, Jie; Wang, Lei; Zhao, Xin; Zhang, Mian; Shimizu, Kuniyoshi; Zhang, Chaofeng

    2018-05-01

    Dendrobium crepidatum was one of the sources of Herba Dendrobii, a famous and precious traditional Chinese medicine. Indolizine-type alkaloids are the main characteristic ingredients of D. crepidatum, which possesses a variety of changeable skeletons. In the present study, we found that the total alkaloids of D. crepidatum (TAD) can inhibit the production of nitric oxide (NO) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated macrophages and showed protective effects against LPS-induced acute lung injury (ALI) in mice through downregulating the TLR4-mediated MyD88/MAPK signaling pathway. Further phytochemical study showed that six previously undescribed indolizine-type compounds, including a racemic mixture (dendrocrepidine A-E) were isolated from TAD. Meanwhile, dendrocrepidine F was separated into a pair of enantiomers by a chiral chromatography, and their absolute configurations were assigned by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The isomer (-)-dendrocrepidine F showed higher anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting NO production in LPS-treated macrophages with an IC 50 value of 13.3 μM. Taken together, indolizine-type alkaloids are the active components of D. crepidatum through downregulating the TLR4-mediated pathway, indicating some kind of therapy of TAD for ALI treatment. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Evidence for CB2 receptor involvement in LPS-induced reduction of cAMP intracellular levels in uterine explants from pregnant mice: pathophysiological implications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salazar, Ana Inés; Carozzo, Alejandro; Correa, Fernando; Davio, Carlos; Franchi, Ana María

    2017-07-01

    What is the role of the endocannabinoid system (eCS) on the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) effects on uterine explants from 7-day pregnant mice in a murine model of endotoxin-induced miscarriage? We found evidence for cannabinoid receptor type2 (CB2) involvement in LPS-induced increased prostaglandin-F2α (PGF2α) synthesis and diminished cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) intracellular content in uterine explants from early pregnant mice. Genital tract infections by Gram-negative bacteria are a common complication of human pregnancy that results in an increased risk of pregnancy loss. LPS, the main component of the Gram-negative bacterial wall, elicits a strong maternal inflammatory response that results in embryotoxicity and embryo resorption in a murine model endotoxin-induced early pregnancy loss. We have previously shown that the eCS mediates the embryotoxic effects of LPS, mainly via CB1 receptor activation. An in vitro study of mice uterine explants was performed to investigate the eCS in mediating the effects of LPS on PGF2α production and cAMP intracellular content. Eight to 12-week-old virgin female BALB/c or CD1 (wild-type [WT] or CB1-knockout [CB1-KO]) mice were paired with 8- to 12-week-old BALB/c or CD1 (WT or CB1-KO) males, respectively. On day 7 of pregnancy, BALB/c, CD1 WT or CD1 CB1-KO mice were euthanized, the uteri were excised, implantation sites were removed and the uterine tissues were separated from decidual and embryo tissues. Uterine explants were cultured and exposed for an appropriate amount of time to different pharmacological treatments. The tissues were then collected for cAMP assay and PGF2α content determination by radioimmunoassay. In vitro treatment of uteri explants from 7-day pregnant BALB/c or CD1 (WT or CB1-KO) mice with LPS induced an increased production of PGF2α (P Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (PIP 2012/0061). Dr Carlos Davio was funded by Agencia Nacional para la Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (PICT 2013

  15. Impairment of interferon regulatory factor-3 activation by hepatitis C virus core protein basic amino acid region 1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inoue, Kazuaki; Tsukiyama-Kohara, Kyoko; Matsuda, Chiho; Yoneyama, Mitsutoshi; Fujita, Takashi; Kuge, Shusuke; Yoshiba, Makoto; Kohara, Michinori

    2012-11-30

    Interferon regulatory factor-3 (IRF-3), a key transcriptional factor in the type I interferon system, is frequently impaired by hepatitis C virus (HCV), in order to establish persistent infection. However, the exact mechanism by which the virus establishes persistent infection has not been fully understood yet. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of various HCV proteins on IRF-3 activation, and elucidate the underlying mechanisms. To achieve this, full-length HCV and HCV subgenomic constructs corresponding to structural and each of the nonstructural proteins were transiently transfected into HepG2 cells. IFN-β induction, plaque formation, and IRF-3 dimerization were elicited by Newcastle disease virus (NDV) infection. The expressions of IRF-3 homodimer and its monomer, Ser386-phosphorylated IRF-3, and HCV core protein were detected by immunofluorescence and western blotting. IFN-β mRNA expression was quantified by real-time PCR (RT-PCR), and IRF-3 activity was measured by the levels of IRF-3 dimerization and phosphorylation, induced by NDV infection or polyriboinosinic:polyribocytidylic acid [poly(I:C)]. Switching of the expression of the complete HCV genome as well as the core proteins, E1, E2, and NS2, suppressed IFN-β mRNA levels and IRF-3 dimerization, induced by NDV infection. Our study revealed a crucial region of the HCV core protein, basic amino acid region 1 (BR1), to inhibit IRF-3 dimerization as well as its phosphorylation induced by NDV infection and poly (I:C), thus interfering with IRF-3 activation. Therefore, our study suggests that rescue of the IRF-3 pathway impairment may be an effective treatment for HCV infection. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Mesenchymal Stem Cells Alleviate LPS-Induced Acute Lung Injury in Mice by MiR-142a-5p-Controlled Pulmonary Endothelial Cell Autophagy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zichao Zhou

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Background/Aims: Damages of pulmonary endothelial cells (PECs represent a critical pathological process during acute lung injury (ALI, and precede pulmonary epithelial cell injury, and long-term lung dysfunction. Transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs has proven therapeutic effects on ALI, whereas the underlying mechanisms remain ill-defined. Method: We transplanted MSCs in mice and then induced ALI using Lipopolysaccharides (LPS. We analyzed the changes in permeability index and lung histology. Mouse PECs were isolated by flow cytometry based on CD31 expression and then analyzed for autophagy-associated factors LC3 and Beclin-1 by Western blot. Beclin-1 mRNA was determined by RT-qPCR. In vitro, we performed bioinformatics analyses to identify the MSCs-regulated miRNAs that target Beclin-1, and confirmed that the binding was functional by 3'-UTR luciferase reporter assay. Results: We found that MSCs transplantation significantly reduced the severity of LPS-induced ALI in mice. MSCs increased autophagy of PECs to promote PEC survival. MSCs increased Beclin-1 protein but not mRNA. MiR-142a-5p was found to target the 3'-UTR of Beclin-1 mRNA to inhibit its protein translation in PECs. MSCs reduced the levels of miR-142a-5p in PECs from LPS-treated mice. Conclusion: MSCs may alleviate LPS-ALI through downregulation of miR-142a-5p, which allows PECs to increase Beclin-1-mediated cell autophagy.

  17. Soft magnetic characteristics of laminated magnetic block cores assembled with a high Bs nanocrystalline alloy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Atsushi Yao

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper focuses on an evaluation of core losses in laminated magnetic block cores assembled with a high Bs nanocrystalline alloy in high magnetic flux density region. To discuss the soft magnetic properties of the high Bs block cores, the comparison with amorphous (SA1 block cores is also performed. In the high Bs block core, both low core losses and high saturation flux densities Bs are satisfied in the low frequency region. Furthermore, in the laminated block core made of the high Bs alloy, the rate of increase of iron losses as a function of the magnetic flux density remains small up to around 1.6 T, which cannot be realized in conventional laminated block cores based on amorphous alloy. The block core made of the high Bs alloy exhibits comparable core loss with that of amorphous alloy core in the high-frequency region. Thus, it is expected that this laminated high Bs block core can achieve low core losses and high saturation flux densities in the high-frequency region.

  18. Crystallite-conjugation regions in polycrystalline transition and noble metals. 1. Composition and properties of point defects in the cores of crystallite-conjugation regions in polycrystalline Cr, Ta and W

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klotsman, S.M.; Kajgorodov, V.N.; Ermakov, A.V.; Rudenko, V.K.

    2004-01-01

    With the use of available results of theoretical investigations on structure and properties of crystallite conjugation regions (CCR) the types and relaxation volumes of point defects arising in a core of the CCR of polycrystalline Ta, W and Cr after vacuum annealing (10 -6 - 10 -5 torr) are determined. Temperature dependences are studied for isomer shifts δ 1 and δ 2 of -1 and -2 components of emission spectra of NGR-irradiation 57 Co( 57 Fe) atomic probes localized in a core of the CCR and in adjacent zones of the lattice of polycrystalline solid solutions of O(Ta), O(W) and O(Cr). A comparison of the dependences obtained is carried and the specific features observed are explained for O(Cr) [ru

  19. Metabolically induced liver inflammation leads to NASH and differs from LPS-or IL-1β-induced chronic inflammation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Liang, W.; Lindeman, J.H.; Menke, A.L.; Koonen, D.P.; Morrison, M.; Havekes, L.M.; Hoek, A.M. van den; Kleemann, R.

    2014-01-01

    The nature of the chronic inflammatory component that drives the development of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is unclear and possible inflammatory triggers have not been investigated systematically. We examined the effect of non-metabolic triggers (lipopolysaccharide (LPS), interleukin-1β

  20. Metabolically induced liver inflammation leads to NASH and differs from LPS- or IL-1 beta-induced chronic inflammation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Liang, Wen; Lindeman, Jan H.; Menke, Aswin L.; Koonen, Debby P.; Morrison, Martine; Havekes, Louis M.; van den Hoek, Anita M.; Kleemann, Robert

    The nature of the chronic inflammatory component that drives the development of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is unclear and possible inflammatory triggers have not been investigated systematically. We examined the effect of non-metabolic triggers (lipopolysaccharide (LPS), interleukin-1 beta

  1. Introducing FACETS, the Framework Application for Core-Edge Transport Simulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cary, John R.; Candy, Jeff; Cohen, Ronald H.; Krasheninnikov, Sergei I.; McCune, Douglas C.; Estep, Donald J.; Larson, Jay W.; Malony, Allen; Worley, Patrick H.; Carlsson, Johann Anders; Hakim, A.H.; Hamill, P.; Kruger, Scott E.; Muzsala, S.; Pletzer, Alexander; Shasharina, Svetlana; Wade-Stein, D.; Wang, N.; McInnes, Lois C.; Wildey, T.; Casper, T.A.; Diachin, Lori A.; Epperly, Thomas; Rognlien, T.D.; Fahey, Mark R.; Kuehn, Jeffery A.; Morris, A.; Shende, Sameer; Feibush, E.; Hammett, Gregory W.; Indireshkumar, K.; Ludescher, C.; Randerson, L.; Stotler, D.; Pigarov, A.; Bonoli, P.; Chang, C.S.; D'Ippolito, D.A.; Colella, Philip; Keyes, David E.; Bramley, R.

    2007-01-01

    The FACETS (Framework Application for Core-Edge Transport Simulations) project began in January 2007 with the goal of providing core to wall transport modeling of a tokamak fusion reactor. This involves coupling previously separate computations for the core, edge, and wall regions. Such a coupling is primarily through connection regions of lower dimensionality. The project has started developing a component-based coupling framework to bring together models for each of these regions. In the first year, the core model will be a 1 dimensional model (1D transport across flux surfaces coupled to a 2D equilibrium) with fixed equilibrium. The initial edge model will be the fluid model, UEDGE, but inclusion of kinetic models is planned for the out years. The project also has an embedded Scientific Application Partnership that is examining embedding a full-scale turbulence model for obtaining the crosssurface fluxes into a core transport code.

  2. Neutronic characteristics of FLWR in the transition phase changing from high conversion core to breeder core

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akie, Hiroshi; Nakano, Yoshihiro; Okubo, Tsutomu

    2009-01-01

    Innovative Water Reactor for Flexible Fuel Cycle (FLWR) is a low moderation type boiling water reactor which can realize plutonium multiple recycling and breeding. For the introduction stage of FLWR, a high conversion (HC) type FLWR is proposed to keep technical continuity from current light water reactors. The HC core of FLWR has a less tight fuel lattice with lower coolant void fraction than the breeder (BR) type core. The HC type FLWR core is to be shifted to the BR core by only replacing the fuel assemblies of the same outer shape and size in the same reactor system. In the HC to BR transition phase of FLWR, there exist both types of fuel assemblies in the same core configuration. In the HC assembly, neutron spectrum is softer than in the BR assembly, and the axial fuel and blanket arrangement is different from the BR assembly. Due to these differences, there might appear a power peaking in the adjacent region between HC and BR assemblies. The power distribution in the HC + BR assemblies mixed core configuration is studied by performing assembly calculations and core calculations on a few assemblies local geometry and the whole core geometry. As a result, although a power peaking can be locally very large in the HC and BR assemblies adjacent regions, such local power peakings are shown to be effectively reduced by considering a rod-wise fuel enrichment distribution. In the whole core calculation, it seems possible to optimize the fuel assembly loading and shuffling pattern to avoid large power level mismatch between the assemblies. It is expected that FLWR can be shifted from HC type to BR type without major neutronic difficulties. (author)

  3. Immunomodulatory Effect of Flavonoids of Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L. Leaves via the NF-κB Signal Pathway in LPS-Stimulated RAW 264.7 Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dazhi Shi

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective. This study aimed to explore the immunoregulatory effect of flavonoids of blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L. leaves (FBL. Methods. The flavonoids of blueberry leaves were prepared with 70% ethanol and were identified by ultraperformance liquid chromatography/quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/Q-Tof-MS. The immunoregulatory effect and possible regulatory mechanisms of FBL were investigated in lipopolysaccharide- (LPS- induced RAW 264.7 cells. Results. According to the results of UPLC/Q-Tof-MS, nine flavonoids of blueberry leaves were identified. FBL showed a significant reduction in the production of TNF-α in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. FBL significantly decreased the expression of NF-κB p65 and P-NF-κB p65 in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion. Our study showed the immunoregulatory effect of FBL through the suppression of TNF-α via the NF-κB signal pathway.

  4. Pro-oxidant activity of indicaxanthin from Opuntia ficus indica modulates arachidonate metabolism and prostaglandin synthesis through lipid peroxide production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages

    OpenAIRE

    M. Allegra; F. D’Acquisto; L. Tesoriere; A. Attanzio; M.A. Livrea

    2014-01-01

    Macrophages come across active prostaglandin (PG) metabolism during inflammation, shunting early production of pro-inflammatory towards anti-inflammatory mediators terminating the process. This work for the first time provides evidence that a phytochemical may modulate the arachidonate (AA) metabolism in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages, promoting the ultimate formation of anti-inflammatory cyclopentenone 15deoxy-PGJ2. Added 1 h before LPS, indicaxanthin from Opuntia ...

  5. Human Milk Shows Immunological Advantages Over Organic Milk Samples For Infants in the Presence of Lipopolysaccharide (LPS in 3D Energy Maps Using an Organic Nanobiomimetic Memristor/Memcapacitor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S-H. DUH

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Human milk is well known for its immunological advantages of protection and support for healthy early childhood cognitive development and prevention of chronic diseases over cow milk for infants. However, little is known about how the immunological advantages are linked to reduce Pathological High Frequency Oscillation (pHFO regarding neural synapse net energy outcomes when lipopolysaccharide (LPS attacks at a clinical concentration range compared with that in cow milk in a 3D energy map. We developed a nanostructure biomimetic memristor/memcapacitor device with a dual function of chronoamperometric (CA sensing/voltage sensing for the direct quantitative evaluation of immunological advantages between human milk and organic cow milk for infants in the presence of wide LPS concentration ranges; those ranges were between 5.0 pg/mL to 500 ng/mL and from 50 ng/mL to 1 µg/mL for both a CA and a voltage method, respectively. The Detection of Limit (DOL results are as follows: 3.73×10-18 g LPS vs. 1.2×10-16 g LPS in 40 µL milk samples using the 3.11×10-7cm3 voltage sensor and the 0.031cm2 CA sensor, respectively, under antibody-free and reagent-free conditions. The 3D energy map results show that cow milk is ten-times more prone to E. Coli attack, and the positive link was revealed that Pathological High Frequency Oscillation (pHFO formations occurred over the studied LPS concentration range from 50 ng/mL up to 1000 ng/mL from Rapid Eye Movement (REM sleep frequency, fast gamma frequency to Sharp Wave-Ripple Complexes (SPW- R frequency. There had no pHFO with human milk samples at Slow Wave Sleeping (SWS, REM and SPW- R frequencies. The microbiota in the human milk samples successfully overcame the endotoxin attack from E. coli bacteria, however the pHFO only occurred at fast gamma frequency linked with the LPS level ≥ 500 ng/mL. Organic milk samples show an order of magnitude lower synapse energy density compared with human milk at SWS for with

  6. DMPD: Induction of proliferation and cytokine production in human T lymphocytes bylipopolysaccharide (LPS). [Dynamic Macrophage Pathway CSML Database

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available bylipopolysaccharide (LPS). Ulmer AJ, Flad H, Rietschel T, Mattern T. Toxicology. 2000 Nov 2;152(1-3):37-45....el T, Mattern T. Publication Toxicology. 2000 Nov 2;152(1-3):37-45. Pathway - PNG File (.png) SVG File (.svg

  7. Precipitation and ice core isotopes from the Asian Summer Monsoon region reflect coherent ENSO variability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, Z.; Tian, L.; Bowen, G. J.

    2017-12-01

    Oxygen isotope signals (δ18O) from paleo-archives are important proxies for past Asian Summer Monsoon (ASM) climate reconstruction. However, causes of interannual variation in the δ18O values of modern precipitation across the ASM region remain in argument. We report interannual δ18O variation in southern Tibetan Plateau precipitation based on long-term observations at Lhasa. These data, together with precipitation δ18O records from five Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation (GNIP) stations and two ice core δ18O records, were used to define a regional metric of ASM precipitation δ18O (ASMOI). Back-trajectory analyses for rainy season precipitation events indicate that moisture sources vary little between years with relatively high and low δ18O values, a result that is consistent for the south (Lhasa), southeast (Bangkok), and east ASM regions (Hong Kong). In contrast, δ18O values at these three locations are significantly correlated with convection in the estimated source regions and along transport paths. These results suggest that upstream convection, rather than moisture source change, causes interannual variation in ASM precipitation δ18O values. Contrasting values of the ASMOI in El Niño and La Niña years reveal a positive isotope-El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) response (e.g., high values corresponding to warm phases), which we interpret as a response to changes in regional convection. We show that the isotope-ENSO response is amplified at high elevation sites and during La Niña years. These findings should improve interpretations of paleo-δ18O data as a proxy for past ASM variation and provide new opportunities to use data from this region to study paleo-ENSO activity.

  8. 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-beta-4-ribofuranoside (AICAR attenuates the expression of LPS- and Aβ peptide-induced inflammatory mediators in astroglia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giri Shailendra

    2005-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Alzheimer's disease (AD pathology shows characteristic 'plaques' rich in amyloid beta (Aβ peptide deposits. Inflammatory process-related proteins such as pro-inflammatory cytokines have been detected in AD brain suggesting that an inflammatory immune reaction also plays a role in the pathogenesis of AD. Glial cells in culture respond to LPS and Aβ stimuli by upregulating the expression of cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, and also the expression of proinflammatory genes iNOS and COX-2. We have earlier reported that LPS/Aβ stimulation-induced ceramide and ROS generation leads to iNOS expression and nitric oxide production in glial cells. The present study was undertaken to investigate the neuroprotective function of AICAR (a potent activator of AMP-activated protein kinase in blocking the pro-oxidant/proinflammatory responses induced in primary glial cultures treated with LPS and Aβ peptide. Methods To test the anti-inflammatory/anti-oxidant functions of AICAR, we tested its inhibitory potential in blocking the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and iNOS, expression of COX-2, generation of ROS, and associated signaling following treatment of glial cells with LPS and Aβ peptide. We also investigated the neuroprotective effects of AICAR against the effects of cytokines and inflammatory mediators (released by the glia, in blocking neurite outgrowth inhibition, and in nerve growth factor-(NGF induced neurite extension by PC-12 cells. Results AICAR blocked LPS/Aβ-induced inflammatory processes by blocking the expression of proinflammatory cytokine, iNOS, COX-2 and MnSOD genes, and by inhibition of ROS generation and depletion of glutathione in astroglial cells. AICAR also inhibited down-stream signaling leading to the regulation of transcriptional factors such as NFκB and C/EBP which are critical for the expression of iNOS, COX-2, MnSOD and cytokines (TNF-α/IL-1β and IL-6. AICAR promoted NGF-induced neurite growth

  9. Benfotiamine attenuates inflammatory response in LPS stimulated BV-2 microglia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iva Bozic

    Full Text Available Microglial cells are resident immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS, recognized as key elements in the regulation of neural homeostasis and the response to injury and repair. As excessive activation of microglia may lead to neurodegeneration, therapeutic strategies targeting its inhibition were shown to improve treatment of most neurodegenerative diseases. Benfotiamine is a synthetic vitamin B1 (thiamine derivate exerting potentially anti-inflammatory effects. Despite the encouraging results regarding benfotiamine potential to alleviate diabetic microangiopathy, neuropathy and other oxidative stress-induced pathological conditions, its activities and cellular mechanisms during microglial activation have yet to be elucidated. In the present study, the anti-inflammatory effects of benfotiamine were investigated in lipopolysaccharide (LPS-stimulated murine BV-2 microglia. We determined that benfotiamine remodels activated microglia to acquire the shape that is characteristic of non-stimulated BV-2 cells. In addition, benfotiamine significantly decreased production of pro-inflammatory mediators such as inducible form of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS and NO; cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2, heat-shock protein 70 (Hsp70, tumor necrosis factor alpha α (TNF-α, interleukin-6 (IL-6, whereas it increased anti-inflammatory interleukin-10 (IL-10 production in LPS stimulated BV-2 microglia. Moreover, benfotiamine suppressed the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2, c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK and protein kinase B Akt/PKB. Treatment with specific inhibitors revealed that benfotiamine-mediated suppression of NO production was via JNK1/2 and Akt pathway, while the cytokine suppression includes ERK1/2, JNK1/2 and Akt pathways. Finally, the potentially protective effect is mediated by the suppression of translocation of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB in the nucleus. Therefore

  10. Contribution of the C-terminal region within the catalytic core domain of HIV-1 integrase to yeast lethality, chromatin binding and viral replication

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    Belhumeur Pierre

    2008-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background HIV-1 integrase (IN is a key viral enzymatic molecule required for the integration of the viral cDNA into the genome. Additionally, HIV-1 IN has been shown to play important roles in several other steps during the viral life cycle, including reverse transcription, nuclear import and chromatin targeting. Interestingly, previous studies have demonstrated that the expression of HIV-1 IN induces the lethal phenotype in some strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In this study, we performed mutagenic analyses of the C-terminal region of the catalytic core domain of HIV-1 IN in order to delineate the critical amino acid(s and/or motif(s required for the induction of the lethal phenotype in the yeast strain HP16, and to further elucidate the molecular mechanism which causes this phenotype. Results Our study identified three HIV-1 IN mutants, V165A, A179P and KR186,7AA, located in the C-terminal region of the catalytic core domain of IN that do not induce the lethal phenotype in yeast. Chromatin binding assays in yeast and mammalian cells demonstrated that these IN mutants were impaired for the ability to bind chromatin. Additionally, we determined that while these IN mutants failed to interact with LEDGF/p75, they retained the ability to bind Integrase interactor 1. Furthermore, we observed that VSV-G-pseudotyped HIV-1 containing these IN mutants was unable to replicate in the C8166 T cell line and this defect was partially rescued by complementation with the catalytically inactive D64E IN mutant. Conclusion Overall, this study demonstrates that three mutations located in the C-terminal region of the catalytic core domain of HIV-1 IN inhibit the IN-induced lethal phenotype in yeast by inhibiting the binding of IN to the host chromatin. These results demonstrate that the C-terminal region of the catalytic core domain of HIV-1 IN is important for binding to host chromatin and is crucial for both viral replication and the promotion of

  11. Benzyl alcohol derivatives from the mushroom Hericium erinaceum attenuate LPS-stimulated inflammatory response through the regulation of NF-κB and AP-1 activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noh, Hyung Jun; Yoon, Ju Young; Kim, Geum Sook; Lee, Seung Eun; Lee, Dae Young; Choi, Je Hun; Kim, Seung Yu; Kang, Ki Sung; Cho, Jae Youl; Kim, Ki Hyun

    2014-10-01

    On the search for anti-inflammatory compounds from natural Korean medicinal sources, a bioassay-guided fractionation and chemical investigation of the MeOH extract from the fruiting bodies of Hericium erinaceum resulted in the isolation and identification of five benzyl alcohol derivatives (1-5). In this study, their anti-inflammatory effects on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced production of pro-inflammatory mediators were examined using RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. The structures of isolates were identified by comparing their spectroscopic data with previously reported values. The analysis of their inhibitory activities on LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells showed that erinacerin B (2) and hericenone E (4) decreased the levels of NO and PGE2 production in a concentration-dependent manner. Next, this study was performed to examine their mechanism of action on the regulation of NO and PGE2 production. Compounds 2 and 4 were found to block the LPS-induced phosphorylation of two major inflammatory transcription factors, NF-κB (p65/p50) and AP-1 (c-Jun and c-Fos). Taken together, these results suggest that down-regulation of LPS-induced NO and PGE2 production by compounds 2 and 4 is mediated through the modulation of NF-κB and AP-1 activation in macrophage cells. These results impact the development of potential health products for preventing and treating inflammatory diseases.

  12. Nogo-B Facilitates LPS-Mediated Immune Responses by Up-Regulation of TLR4-Signaling in Macrophage RAW264.7

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ying Zhu

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Background/Aims: Nogo-B, a member of the reticulon family of proteins, is mainly located in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER. Here, we investigate the function and mechanism of Nogo-B in the regulation of TLR4-associated immune responses in the macrophage cell line of RAW264.7. Methods: Nogo-B was up- and down-regulated through the use of appropriate adenoviral vectors or siRNA, and the effects of Nogo-B on macrophages under liposaccharide (LPS stimulation were evaluated via western blotting, immunofluorescence, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA, flow cytometric analysis, and transwell assay. Results: Our data indicates that the protein of Nogo-B was down-regulated in a time- and dose-dependent manner following LPS administration in the macrophage. Nogo-B overexpression increased the production of inflammatory cytokines (MCP-1, TNF-α, IL-1β, and TGF-β, enhanced macrophage migration activities, activated major histocompatibility complex II (MHC II, and elevated the expression of macrophage scavenger receptor 1(MSR1, all of which suggest that Nogo-B is necessary for immune responses and plays an important role in regulating macrophage recruitment. Mechanistically, Nogo-B may enhance TLR4 expression in macrophage surfaces, activate mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK pathways, and initiate inflammatory responses. Conclusion: These findings illustrate the key regulatory functions of Nogo-B in facilitating LPS-mediated immune responses through promoting the phosphorylation of MAP kinase.

  13. Plant Polyphenols and Exendin-4 Prevent Hyperactivity and TNF-α Release in LPS-Treated In vitro Neuron/Astrocyte/Microglial Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francesca Gullo

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Increasing evidence supports a decisive role for neuroinflammation in the neurodegenerative process of several central nervous system (CNS disorders. Microglia are essential mediators of neuroinflammation and can regulate a broad spectrum of cellular responses by releasing reactive oxygen intermediates, nitric oxide, proteases, excitatory amino acids, and cytokines. We have recently shown that also in ex-vivo cortical networks of neurons, astrocytes and microglia, an increased level of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α was detected a few hours after exposure to the bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS. Simultaneously, an atypical “seizure-like” neuronal network activity was recorded by multi-electrode array (MEA electrophysiology. These effects were prevented by minocycline, an established anti-inflammatory antibiotic. We show here that the same inhibitory effect against LPS-induced neuroinflammation is exerted also by natural plant compounds, polyphenols, such as curcumin (CU, curcuma longa, crocin (CR, saffron, and resveratrol (RE, grape, as well as by the glucagon like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R agonist exendin-4 (EX-4. The drugs tested also caused per-se early transient (variable changes of network activity. Since it has been reported that LPS-induced neuroinflammation causes rearrangements of glutamate transporters in astrocytes and microglia, we suggest that neural activity could be putatively increased by an imbalance of glial glutamate transporter activity, leading to prolonged synaptic glutamatergic dysregulation.

  14. BWR type reactor core

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tatemichi, Shin-ichiro.

    1981-01-01

    Purpose: To eliminate the variation in the power distribution of a BWR type reactor core in the axial direction even if the flow rate is increased or decreased by providing a difference in the void coefficient between the upper part and the lower parts of the reactor core, and increasing the void coefficient at the lower part of the reactor core. Constitution: The void coefficient of the lower region from the center to the lower part along the axial direction of a nuclear fuel assembly is increased to decrease the dependence on the flow rate of the axial power distribution of the nuclear fuel assembly. That is, a water/fuel ratio is varied, the water in non-boiled region is increased or the neutron spectrum is varied so as to vary the void coefficient. In order to exemplify it, the rate of the internal pellets of the fuel rod of the nuclear fuel assembly or the shape of the channel box is varied. Accordingly, the power does not considerably vary even if the flow rate is altered since the power is varied in the power operation. (Yoshihara, H.)

  15. Teuvincenone F Suppresses LPS-Induced Inflammation and NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation by Attenuating NEMO Ubiquitination

    OpenAIRE

    Xibao Zhao; Xibao Zhao; Debing Pu; Debing Pu; Zizhao Zhao; Huihui Zhu; Hongrui Li; Hongrui Li; Yaping Shen; Xingjie Zhang; Ruihan Zhang; Jianzhong Shen; Weilie Xiao; Weilie Xiao; Weilin Chen

    2017-01-01

    Inflammation causes many diseases that are serious threats to human health. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying regulation of inflammation and inflammasome activation are not fully understood which has delayed the discovery of new anti-inflammatory drugs of urgent clinic need. Here, we found that the natural compound Teuvincenone F, which was isolated and purified from the stems and leaves of Premna szemaoensis, could significantly inhibit lipopolysaccharide (LPS)–induced pro-inflamm...

  16. Teuvincenone F Suppresses LPS-Induced Inflammation and NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation by Attenuating NEMO Ubiquitination

    OpenAIRE

    Zhao, Xibao; Pu, Debing; Zhao, Zizhao; Zhu, Huihui; Li, Hongrui; Shen, Yaping; Zhang, Xingjie; Zhang, Ruihan; Shen, Jianzhong; Xiao, Weilie; Chen, Weilin

    2017-01-01

    Inflammation causes many diseases that are serious threats to human health. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying regulation of inflammation and inflammasome activation are not fully understood which has delayed the discovery of new anti-inflammatory drugs of urgent clinic need. Here, we found that the natural compound Teuvincenone F, which was isolated and purified from the stems and leaves of Premna szemaoensis, could significantly inhibit lipopolysaccharide (LPS)?induced pro-inflamm...

  17. The effect of waaL genes deletion from Yersinia enterocolitica O:3 genome on bacteria LPS’ phenotype

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shevchenko J. I.

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Aim. To estimate WaaL ligase contribution in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS phenotype profile formation of Y. enterocolitica O:3 (YeO3 bacteria. Methods. The waaL-knock-out mutants were created by an allelic exchange strategy. The LPS phenotypes of created mutants were visualized by silver-stained DOC-PAGE and immunoblotting with specific outer core (core oligosaccharide, hexasaccharide, OC and O-polysaccharide (OPS or O-Ag monoclonal antibodies. Results. Deletion of waaLOS gene from YeO3 genome has a marked effect on OC ligation in either single or double mutants. The waaLPS deletion has an opposite effect on the OPS ligation – barely detected increasing of OPS bands. Conclusions. The LPS ligases of YeO3 exhibit relaxed donor substrate specificity. Under given conditions the effect of WaaLOS ligase is more significant for OC and OPS ligation onto lipid A than that of WaaLPS.

  18. 8-Hydroxyquinoline inhibits iNOS expression and nitric oxide production by down-regulating LPS-induced activity of NF-κB and C/EBPβ in Raw 264.7 cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Young-Ho; Woo, Kyung Jin; Lim, Jun Hee; Kim, Shin; Lee, Tae Jin; Jung, Eun Mi; Lee, Jin-Man; Park, Jong-Wook; Kwon, Taeg Kyu

    2005-01-01

    In activated macrophage, large amounts of nitric oxide (NO) are generated by inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), resulting in acute or chronic inflammatory disorders. In Raw 264.7 cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to mimic inflammation, 8-hydroxyquinoline (8HQ) inhibited the LPS-induced expression of both iNOS protein and mRNA in a parallel dose-dependent manner. 8HQ did not enhance the degradation of iNOS mRNA. To investigate the mechanism by which 8HQ inhibits iNOS gene expression, we examined the activation of MAP kinases in Raw 264.7 cells. We did not observe any significant change in the phosphorylation of MAPKs between LPS alone and LPS plus 8HQ-treated cells. Moreover, 8HQ significantly inhibited the DNA-binding activity of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein β (C/EBPβ), but not activator protein-1 and cAMP response element-binding protein. Taken together, these results suggest that 8HQ acts to inhibit inflammation through inhibition of NO production and iNOS expression through blockade of C/EBPβ DNA-binding activity and NF-κB activation

  19. Immunochemical analyses of serum antibodies from pig herds in a Salmonella non-endemic region

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wiuff, Camilla; Thorberg, Britt-Marie; Engvall, Anders

    2002-01-01

    the reactivity of the Swedish sera in the mix-ELISA. Reactivities against other related bacterial LPS such as Citrobacter freundii LPS and Yersinia enterocolitica 0:3 LPS were observed in the Swedish sera, but these LPS antigens were unable to inhibit the reactivities in: the m_ix-ELISA as efficiently as S...

  20. Anti-inflammatory effect of garlic 14-kDa protein on LPS-stimulated-J774A.1 macrophages.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rabe, Shahrzad Zamani Taghizadeh; Ghazanfari, Tooba; Siadat, Zahra; Rastin, Maryam; Rabe, Shahin Zamani Taghizadeh; Mahmoudi, Mahmoud

    2015-04-01

    Garlic 14-kDa protein is purified from garlic (Allium sativum L.) which is used in traditional medicine and exerts various immunomodulatory activities. The present study investigated the suppressive effect of garlic 14-kDa protein on LPS-induced expression of pro-inflammatory mediators and underlying mechanism in inflammatory macrophages. J774A.1 macrophages were treated with 14-kDa protein (5-30 μg/ml) with/without LPS (1 μg/ml) and the production of inflammatory mediators such as prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), TNF-α, and IL-1β released were measured using ELISA. Nitric oxide (NO) production was determined using the Griess method. The anti-inflammatory activity of 14-kDa protein was examined by measuring inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 proteins using western blot. The expression of nuclear NF-κB p65 subunit was assessed by western blot. Garlic 14-kDa protein significantly inhibited the excessive production of NO, PGE, TNF-α, and IL-1β in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated J774A.1 macrophages in a concentration-related manner without cytotoxic effect. Western blot analysis demonstrated that garlic 14-kDa protein suppressed corresponding inducible NO synthase expression and activated cyclooxygenase-2 protein expression. The inhibitory effect was mediated partly by a reduction in the activity and expression of transcription factor NF-κB protein. Our results suggested, for the first time, garlic 14-kDa protein exhibits anti-inflammatory properties in macrophages possibly by suppressing the inflammatory mediators via the inhibition of transcription factor NF-κB signaling pathway. The traditional use of garlic as anti-inflammatory remedy could be ascribed partly to 14-kDa protein content. This protein might be a useful candidate for controlling inflammatory diseases and further investigations in vivo.

  1. Aloe vera downregulates LPS-induced inflammatory cytokine production and expression of NLRP3 inflammasome in human macrophages.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Budai, Marietta M; Varga, Aliz; Milesz, Sándor; Tőzsér, József; Benkő, Szilvia

    2013-12-01

    Aloe vera has been used in traditional herbal medicine as an immunomodulatory agent inducing anti-inflammatory effects. However, its role on the IL-1β inflammatory cytokine production has not been studied. IL-1β production is strictly regulated both at transcriptional and posttranslational levels through the activity of Nlrp3 inflammasome. In this study we aimed to determine the effect of Aloe vera on the molecular mechanisms of Nlrp3 inflammasome-mediated IL-1β production in LPS-activated human THP-1 cells and monocyte-derived macrophages. Our results show that Aloe vera significantly reduced IL-8, TNFα, IL-6 and IL-1β cytokine production in a dose dependent manner. The inhibitory effect was substantially more pronounced in the primary cells. We found that Aloe vera inhibited the expression of pro-IL-1β, Nlrp3, caspase-1 as well as that of the P2X7 receptor in the LPS-induced primary macrophages. Furthermore, LPS-induced activation of signaling pathways like NF-κB, p38, JNK and ERK were inhibited by Aloe vera in these cells. Altogether, we show for the first time that Aloe vera-mediated strong reduction of IL-1β appears to be the consequence of the reduced expression of both pro-IL-1β as well as Nlrp3 inflammasome components via suppressing specific signal transduction pathways. Furthermore, we show that the expression of the ATP sensor P2X7 receptor is also downregulated by Aloe vera that could also contribute to the attenuated IL-1β cytokine secretion. These results may provide a new therapeutic approach to regulate inflammasome-mediated responses. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. OPAL- the in-core fuel management code system for WWER reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krysl, V.; Mikolas, P.; Sustek, J.; Svarny, J.; Vlachovsky, K.

    2002-01-01

    Fuel management optimization is a complex problem namely for WWER reactors, which at present are utilizing burnable poisons (BP) to great extent. In this paper, first the concept and methodologies of a fuel management system for WWER 440 (NPP Dukovany) and NPP WWER 1000 (NPP Temelin) under development in Skoda JS a.s. are described and followed by some practical applications. The objective of this advanced system is to minimize fuel cost by preserving all safety constraints and margins. Future enhancements of the system will allow is it to perform fuel management optimization in the multi-cycle mode. The general objective functions of the system are the maximization of EOC reactivity, the maximization of discharge burnup, the minimization of fresh fuel inventory / or the minimization of feed enrichment, the minimization of the BP inventory. There are also safety related constraints, in which the minimization of power peaking plays a dominant role. The core part of the system requires meeting the major objective: maximizing the EOC Keff for a given fuel cycle length and consists of four coupled calculation steps. The first is the calculation of a Loading Priority Scheme (LPS). which is used to rank the core positions in terms of assembly Kinf values. In the second step the Haling power distribution is calculated and by using fuel shuffle and/or enrichment splitting algorithms and heuristic rules the core pattern is modified to meet core constraints. In this second step a directive/evolutionary algorithm with expert rules based optimization code is used. The optimal BP assignment is alternatively considered to be a separate third step of the procedure. In the fourth step the core is depleted in normal up to 3D pin wise level using the BP distribution developed in step three and meeting all constraints is checked. One of the options of this optimization system is expert friendly interactive mode (Authors)

  3. Suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 expression during LPS-induced inflammation and bone loss in rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    João Antonio Chaves de SOUZA

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract This study aimed to characterize the dynamics of suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS1 expression in a rat model of lipopolysaccharide-induced periodontitis. Wistar rats in the experimental groups were injected three times/week with LPS from Escherichia coli on the palatal aspect of the first molars, and control animals were injected with vehicle (phosphate-buffered saline. Animals were sacrificed 7, 15, and 30 days after the first injection to analyze inflammation (stereometric analysis, bone loss (macroscopic analysis, gene expression (qRT-PCR, and protein expression/activation (Western blotting. The severity of inflammation and bone loss associated with LPS-induced periodontitis increased from day 7 to day 15, and it was sustained through day 30. Significant (p < 0.05 increases in SOCS1, RANKL, OPG, and IFN-γ gene expression were observed in the experimental group versus the control group at day 15. SOCS1 protein expression and STAT1 and NF-κB activation were increased throughout the 30-day experimental period. Gingival tissues affected by experimental periodontitis express SOCS1, indicating that this protein may potentially downregulate signaling events involved in inflammatory reactions and bone loss and thus may play a relevant role in the development and progression of periodontal disease.

  4. Polymyxin B as inhibitor of LPS contamination of Schistosoma mansoni recombinant proteins in human cytokine analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pacífico Lucila G

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Recombinant proteins expressed in Escherichia coli vectors are generally contaminated with endotoxin. In this study, we evaluated the ability of Polymyxin B to neutralize the effect of LPS present as contaminant on Schistosoma mansoni recombinant proteins produced in E. coli in inducing TNF-α and IL-10. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from individuals chronically infected with S. mansoni were stimulated in vitro with recombinant Sm22.6, Sm14 and P24 antigens (10 μg/mL in the presence of Polymyxin B (10 μg/mL. Results The levels of cytokines were measured using ELISA. There was greater than 90 % reduction (p S. mansoni recombinant proteins in the presence of Polymyxin B, a reduction in the levels of TNF-α and IL-10 was also observed. However, the percentage of reduction was lower when compared to the cultures stimulated with LPS, probably because these proteins are able to induce the production of these cytokines by themselves. Conclusion This study showed that Polymyxin B was able to neutralize the effect of endotoxin, as contaminant in S. mansoni recombinant antigens produced in E. coli, in inducing TNF-α and IL-10 production.

  5. Investigating the translation of Earth's inner core

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Day, Elizabeth A; Cormier, Vernon F; Geballe, Zachary M

    2012-01-01

    The Earth’s inner core provides unique insights into processes that are occurring deep within our Earth today, as well as processes that occurred in the past. The seismic structure of the inner core is complex, and is dominated by anisotropic and isotropic differences between the Eastern...... for models of a translating inner core. Additionally, we investigate the structure at the base of the outer core and the inner core boundary by analyzing PKP-Cdiff waves. The search for observable PKP-Cdiff is particularly concentrated in regions that are predicted to be actively freezing and melting...... and Western ‘hemispheres’ of the inner core. Recent geodynamical models suggest that this hemispherical dichotomy can be explained by a fast translation of the inner core. In these models one side of the inner core is freezing, while the other side is melting, leading to the development of different seismic...

  6. Pleurotus giganteus (Berk. Karun & Hyde), the giant oyster mushroom inhibits NO production in LPS/H2O2 stimulated RAW 264.7 cells via STAT 3 and COX-2 pathways.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baskaran, Asweni; Chua, Kek Heng; Sabaratnam, Vikineswary; Ravishankar Ram, Mani; Kuppusamy, Umah Rani

    2017-01-13

    Pleurotus giganteus (Berk. Karunarathna and K.D. Hyde), has been used as a culinary mushroom and is known to have medicinal properties but its potential as an anti-inflammatory agent to mitigate inflammation triggered diseases is untapped. In this study, the molecular mechanism underlying the protective effect of ethanol extract of P. giganteus (EPG) against lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and combination of LPS and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 )-induced inflammation on RAW 264.7 macrophages was investigated. The effect of EPG on nitric oxide (NO) production as an indicator of inflammation in RAW 264.7 macrophages was estimated based on Griess reaction that measures nitrite level. The expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), NF-kB activating protein (NKAP), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 protein (STAT 3) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) genes were assessed using real time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) approach. EPG (10 μg/ml) showed the highest reduction in the LPS-induced NO production in RAW 264.7 macrophages and significantly suppressed (p < 0.05) the expression iNOS, STAT 3 and COX-2. There was a significant increase (p < 0.05) in combination of LPS and H 2 O 2 - induced iNOS production when compared to the LPS-induced iNOS production in RAW 264.7 macrophages and this concurred with the NO production which was attenuated by EPG at 10 μg/ml. A significant (p < 0.05) down regulation was observed in the combination of LPS and H 2 O 2 -induced iNOS and GPx expression by EPG. Our data suggest that the anti-inflammatory activity of EPG is mediated via the suppression of the STAT 3 and COX-2 pathways and can serve as potential endogenous antioxidant stimulant.

  7. Reflood behavior at low initial clad temperature in Slab Core Test Facility Core-II

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akimoto, Hajime; Sobajima, Makoto; Abe, Yutaka; Iwamura, Takamichi; Ohnuki, Akira; Okubo, Tsutomu; Murao, Yoshio; Okabe, Kazuharu; Adachi, Hiromichi.

    1990-07-01

    In order to study the reflood behavior with low initial clad temperature, a reflood test was performed using the Slab Core Test Facility (SCTF) with initial clad temperature of 573 K. The test conditions of the test are identical with those of SCTF base case test S2-SH1 (initial clad temperature 1073 K) except the initial clad temperature. Through the comparison of results from these two tests, the following conclusions were obtained. (1) The low initial clad temperature resulted in the low differential pressures through the primary loops due to smaller steam generation in the core. (2) The low initial clad temperature caused the accumulated mass in the core to be increased and the accumulated mass in the downcomer to be decreased in the period of the lower plenum injection with accumulator (before 50s). In the later period of the cold leg injection with LPCI (after 100s), the water accumulation rates in the core and the downcomer were almost the same between both tests. (3) The low initial clad temperature resulted in the increase of the core inlet mass flow rate in the lower plenum injection period. However, the core inlet mass flow rate was almost the same regardless of the initial clad temperature in the later period of the cold leg injection period. (4) The low initial clad temperature resulted in the low turnaround temperature, high temperature rise and fast bottom quench front propagation. (5) In the region apart from the quench front, low initial clad temperature resulted in the lower heat transfer. In the region near the quench front, almost the same heat transfer coefficient was observed between both tests. (6) No flow oscillation with a long period was observed in the SCTF test with low initial clad temperature of 573 K, while it was remarkable in the Cylindrical Core Test Facility (CCTF) test which was performed with the same initial clad temperature. (J.P.N.)

  8. Cell rejuvenation and social behaviors promoted by LPS exchange in myxobacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vassallo, Christopher; Pathak, Darshankumar T; Cao, Pengbo; Zuckerman, David M; Hoiczyk, Egbert; Wall, Daniel

    2015-06-02

    Bacterial cells in their native environments must cope with factors that compromise the integrity of the cell. The mechanisms of coping with damage in a social or multicellular context are poorly understood. Here we investigated how a model social bacterium, Myxococcus xanthus, approaches this problem. We focused on the social behavior of outer membrane exchange (OME), in which cells transiently fuse and exchange their outer membrane (OM) contents. This behavior requires TraA, a homophilic cell surface receptor that identifies kin based on similarities in a polymorphic region, and the TraB cohort protein. As observed by electron microscopy, TraAB overexpression catalyzed a prefusion OM junction between cells. We then showed that damage sustained by the OM of one population was repaired by OME with a healthy population. Specifically, LPS mutants that were defective in motility and sporulation were rescued by OME with healthy donors. In addition, a mutant with a conditional lethal mutation in lpxC, an essential gene required for lipid A biosynthesis, was rescued by Tra-dependent interactions with a healthy population. Furthermore, lpxC cells with damaged OMs, which were more susceptible to antibiotics, had resistance conferred to them by OME with healthy donors. We also show that OME has beneficial fitness consequences to all cells. Here, in merged populations of damaged and healthy cells, OME catalyzed a dilution of OM damage, increasing developmental sporulation outcomes of the combined population by allowing it to reach a threshold density. We propose that OME is a mechanism that myxobacteria use to overcome cell damage and to transition to a multicellular organism.

  9. Neuroanatomical characterization of the cellular and axonal architecture of subcortical band heterotopia in the BXD29-Tlr4lps-2J/J mouse cortex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramos, Raddy L; Toia, Alyssa R; Pasternack, Daniel M; Dotzler, Timothy P; Cuoco, Joshua A; Esposito, Anthony W; Le, Megan M; Parker, Alexander K; Goodman, Jeffrey H; Sarkisian, Matthew R

    2016-11-19

    Subcortical band heterotopia (SBH) are malformations of the human cerebral cortex typically associated with epilepsy and cognitive delay/disability. Rodent models of SBH have demonstrated strong face validity as they are accompanied by both cognitive deficits and spontaneous seizures or reduced seizure threshold. BXD29-Tlr4 lps-2J /J recombinant inbred mice display striking bilateral SBH, partial callosal agenesis, morphological changes in subcortical structures of the auditory pathway, and display sensory deficits in behavioral tests (Rosen et al., 2013; Truong et al., 2013, 2015). Surprisingly, these mice show no cognitive deficits and have a higher seizure threshold to chemi-convulsive treatment (Gabel et al., 2013) making them different than other rodent SBH models described previously. In the present report, we perform a detailed characterization of the cellular and axonal constituents of SBH in BXD29-Tlr4 lps-2J /J mice and demonstrate that various types of interneurons and glia as well as cortical and subcortical projections are found in SBH. In addition, the length of neuronal cilia was reduced in SBH compared to neurons in the overlying and adjacent normotopic cortex. Finally, we describe additional and novel malformations of the hippocampus and neocortex present in BXD29-Tlr4 lps-2J /J mice. Together, our findings in BXD29-Tlr4 lps-2J /J mice are discussed in the context of the known neuroanatomy and phenotype of other SBH rodent models. Copyright © 2016 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Characteristics of Misclassified CT Perfusion Ischemic Core in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ralph R E G Geuskens

    Full Text Available CT perfusion (CTP is used to estimate the extent of ischemic core and penumbra in patients with acute ischemic stroke. CTP reliability, however, is limited. This study aims to identify regions misclassified as ischemic core on CTP, using infarct on follow-up noncontrast CT. We aim to assess differences in volumetric and perfusion characteristics in these regions compared to areas that ended up as infarct on follow-up.This study included 35 patients with >100 mm brain coverage CTP. CTP processing was performed using Philips software (IntelliSpace 7.0. Final infarct was automatically segmented on follow-up noncontrast CT and used as reference. CTP and follow-up noncontrast CT image data were registered. This allowed classification of ischemic lesion agreement (core on CTP: rMTT≥145%, aCBV<2.0 ml/100g and infarct on follow-up noncontrast CT and misclassified ischemic core (core on CTP, not identified on follow-up noncontrast CT regions. False discovery ratio (FDR, defined as misclassified ischemic core volume divided by total CTP ischemic core volume, was calculated. Absolute and relative CTP parameters (CBV, CBF, and MTT were calculated for both misclassified CTP ischemic core and ischemic lesion agreement regions and compared using paired rank-sum tests.Median total CTP ischemic core volume was 49.7ml (IQR:29.9ml-132ml; median misclassified ischemic core volume was 30.4ml (IQR:20.9ml-77.0ml. Median FDR between patients was 62% (IQR:49%-80%. Median relative mean transit time was 243% (IQR:198%-289% and 342% (IQR:249%-432% for misclassified and ischemic lesion agreement regions, respectively. Median absolute cerebral blood volume was 1.59 (IQR:1.43-1.79 ml/100g (P<0.01 and 1.38 (IQR:1.15-1.49 ml/100g (P<0.01 for misclassified ischemic core and ischemic lesion agreement, respectively. All CTP parameter values differed significantly.For all patients a considerable region of the CTP ischemic core is misclassified. CTP parameters significantly

  11. Ganglioside mimicry of Campylobacter jejuni lipopolysaccharides determines antiganglioside specificity in rabbits

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    C.W. Ang (Wim); P.G. Noordzij (Peter); M.A. de Klerk; H.P. Endtz (Hubert); P.A. van Doorn (Pieter); J.D. Laman (Jon)

    2002-01-01

    textabstractThe core oligosaccharides of Campylobacter jejuni lipopolysaccharides (LPS) display molecular mimicry with gangliosides. Cross-reactive anti-LPS-antiganglioside antibodies have been implicated to show a crucial role in the pathogenesis of the Guillain-Barre and Miller

  12. Annular core liquid-salt cooled reactor with multiple fuel and blanket zones

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peterson, Per F.

    2013-05-14

    A liquid fluoride salt cooled, high temperature reactor having a reactor vessel with a pebble-bed reactor core. The reactor core comprises a pebble injection inlet located at a bottom end of the reactor core and a pebble defueling outlet located at a top end of the reactor core, an inner reflector, outer reflector, and an annular pebble-bed region disposed in between the inner reflector and outer reflector. The annular pebble-bed region comprises an annular channel configured for receiving pebble fuel at the pebble injection inlet, the pebble fuel comprising a combination of seed and blanket pebbles having a density lower than the coolant such that the pebbles have positive buoyancy and migrate upward in said annular pebble-bed region toward the defueling outlet. The annular pebble-bed region comprises alternating radial layers of seed pebbles and blanket pebbles.

  13. Extra virgin olive oil polyphenolic extracts downregulate inflammatory responses in LPS-activated murine peritoneal macrophages suppressing NFκB and MAPK signalling pathways.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cárdeno, A; Sánchez-Hidalgo, M; Aparicio-Soto, M; Sánchez-Fidalgo, S; Alarcón-de-la-Lastra, C

    2014-06-01

    Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is obtained from the fruit of the olive tree Olea europaea L. Phenolic compounds present in EVOO have recognized anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the activity of the total phenolic fraction extracted from EVOO and the action mechanisms involved are not well defined. The present study was designed to evaluate the potential anti-inflammatory mechanisms of the polyphenolic extract (PE) from EVOO on LPS-stimulated peritoneal murine macrophages. Nitric oxide (NO) production was analyzed by the Griess method and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) by fluorescence analysis. Moreover, changes in the protein expression of the pro-inflammatory enzymes, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1), as well as the role of nuclear transcription factor kappa B (NFκB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathways, were analyzed by Western blot. PE from EVOO reduced LPS-induced oxidative stress and inflammatory responses through decreasing NO and ROS generation. In addition, PE induced a significant down-regulation of iNOS, COX-2 and mPGES-1 protein expressions, reduced MAPK phosphorylation and prevented the nuclear NFκB translocation. This study establishes that PE from EVOO possesses anti-inflammatory activities on LPS-stimulated murine macrophages.

  14. 3-hydroxymorphinan is neurotrophic to dopaminergic neurons and is also neuroprotective against LPS-induced neurotoxicity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Wei; Qin, Liya; Wang, Tongguang; Wei, Sung-Jen; Gao, Hui-ming; Liu, Jie; Wilson, Belinda; Liu, Bin; Zhang, Wanqin; Kim, Hyoung-Chun; Hong, Jau-Shyong

    2005-03-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop a novel therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD). We recently reported that dextromethorphan (DM), an active ingredient in a variety of widely used anticough remedies, protected dopaminergic neurons in rat primary mesencephalic neuron-glia cultures against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated degeneration and provided potent protection for dopaminergic neurons in a MPTP mouse model. The underlying mechanism for the protective effect of DM was attributed to its anti-inflammatory activity through inhibition of microglia activation. In an effort to develop more potent compounds for the treatment of PD, we have screened a series of analogs of DM, and 3-hydroxymorphinan (3-HM) emerged as a promising candidate for this purpose. Our study using primary mesencephalic neuron-glia cultures showed that 3-HM provided more potent neuroprotection against LPS-induced dopaminergic neurotoxicity than its parent compound. The higher potency of 3-HM was attributed to its neurotrophic effect in addition to the anti-inflammatory effect shared by both DM and 3-HM. First, we showed that 3-HM exerted potent neuroprotective and neurotrophic effects on dopaminergic neurons in rat primary mesencephalic neuron-glia cultures treated with LPS. The neurotrophic effect of 3-HM was glia-dependent since 3-HM failed to show any protective effect in the neuron-enriched cultures. We subsequently demonstrated that it was the astroglia, not the microglia, that contributed to the neurotrophic effect of 3-HM. This conclusion was based on the reconstitution studies, in which we added different percentages of microglia (10-20%) or astroglia (40-50%) back to the neuron-enriched cultures and found that 3-HM was neurotrophic after the addition of astroglia, but not microglia. Furthermore, 3-HM-treated astroglia-derived conditioned media exerted a significant neurotrophic effect on dopaminergic neurons. It appeared likely that 3-HM caused the release of neurotrophic factor

  15. 7-cell core hollow-core photonic crystal fibers with low loss in the spectral region around 2 mu m

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lyngsøe, Jens Kristian; Mangan, B.J.; Jakobsen, C.

    2009-01-01

    Several 7 cell core hollow-core photonic crystal fibers with bandgaps in the spectral range of 1.4 μm to 2.3 μm have been fabricated. The transmission loss follows the ≈ λ−3 dependency previously reported, with a minimum measured loss of 9.5 dB/km at 1.99 μm. One fiber with a transmission loss...... of 26 dB/km at 2.3 μm is reported, which is significantly lower than the transmission loss of solid silica fibers at this wavelength....

  16. Hydroxysafflor Yellow A Inhibits LPS-Induced NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation via Binding to Xanthine Oxidase in Mouse RAW264.7 Macrophages

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaolong Xu

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA is an effective therapeutic agent for inflammatory diseases and autoimmune disorders; however, its regulatory effect on NLRP3 inflammasome activation in macrophages has not been investigated. In this study, we predicted the potential interaction between HSYA and xanthine oxidase (XO via PharmMapper inverse docking and confirmed the binding inhibition via inhibitory test (IC50 = 40.04 μM. Computation docking illustrated that, in this HSYA-XO complex, HSYA was surrounded by Leu 648, Leu 712, His 875, Leu 873, Ser 876, Glu 879, Phe 649, and Asn 650 with a binding energy of −5.77 kcal/M and formed hydrogen bonds with the hydroxyl groups of HSYA at Glu 879, Asn 650, and His 875. We then found that HSYA significantly decreased the activity of XO in RAW264.7 macrophages and suppressed LPS-induced ROS generation. Moreover, we proved that HSYA markedly inhibited LPS-induced cleaved caspase-1 activation via suppressing the sensitization of NLRP3 inflammasome and prevented the mature IL-1β formation from pro-IL-1β form. These findings suggest that XO may be a potential target of HSYA via direct binding inhibition and the combination of HSYA-XO suppresses LPS-induced ROS generation, contributing to the depression of NLRP3 inflammasome and inhibition of IL-1β secretion in macrophages.

  17. In whole blood, LPS, TNF-alpha and GM-CSF increase monocyte uptake of {sup 99m}technetium stannous colloid but do not affect neutrophil uptake

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramsay, Stuart C. [Townsville Nuclear Medicine, Mater Hospital, Pimlico, Queensland 4812 (Australia) and School of Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811 (Australia)]. E-mail: stuart.ramsay1@jcu.edu.au; Maggs, Jacqueline [Department of Nuclear Medicine, Townsville Hospital, Townsville, Queensland 4814 (Australia); Powell, Kellie [School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811 (Australia); School of Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811 (Australia); Barnes, Jodie [School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811 (Australia); Ketheesan, Natkunam [School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811 (Australia); School of Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811 (Australia)

    2006-07-15

    Introduction: {sup 99m}Technetium stannous colloid (TcSnC) is used in white cell scanning. It labels neutrophils and monocytes via phagocytosis, with uptake mediated by the phagocytic receptor CD11b/CD18 in neutrophils. Uptake of TcSnC is altered by gram-negative infection, possibly due to the endotoxin component lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or to cytokines released during infection (e.g., TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma). Endotoxemia and increased TNF-alpha levels also occur in inflammatory bowel disease. Another potential confounder in cell labeling is that sepsis patients may be treated with GM-CSF and G-CSF, which alter phagocytic cell function. This study aimed to determine how these factors affect TcSnC cellular uptake. Methods: Whole blood from six healthy volunteers was incubated with LPS, TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, GM-CSF or G-CSF. Samples were then mixed with TcSnC. Blood was separated across density gradients and imaged using a gamma camera. Three radioactive count peaks were observed in each tube: free plasma activity, mononuclear cell uptake and neutrophil uptake. Results: Compared with controls, significant increases in mononuclear cell uptake were induced by LPS, TNF-alpha and GM-CSF stimulation. It was incidentally noted that exogenous estrogens appear to affect TcSnC labeling and may influence the neutrophil response to stimulation. Neutrophil uptake and plasma activity were not significantly affected. IFN-gamma and G-CSF had no significant effect. Conclusions: In whole blood, the effect of LPS on TcSnC monocyte uptake is different to its effect on neutrophils, consistent with previously reported differences in CD11b/CD18 expression. TNF-alpha response parallels LPS response. GM-CSF also increases TcSnC uptake by monocytes. These effects should be considered when using TcSnC for imaging purposes, as they will tend to increase monocyte labeling. Estrogens may also affect TcSnC labeling. Responses to IFN-gamma and G-CSF are consistent with previously reported effects

  18. Neisseria meningitidis expressing lgtB lipopolysaccharide targets DC-SIGN and modulates dendritic cell function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steeghs, Liana; van Vliet, Sandra J; Uronen-Hansson, Heli; van Mourik, Andries; Engering, Anneke; Sanchez-Hernandez, Martha; Klein, Nigel; Callard, Robin; van Putten, Jos P M; van der Ley, Peter; van Kooyk, Yvette; van de Winkel, Jan G J

    2006-02-01

    Neisseria meningitidis lipopolysaccharide (LPS) has been identified as a major determinant of dendritic cell (DC) function. Here we report that one of a series of meningococcal mutants with defined truncations in the lacto-N-neotetraose outer core of the LPS exhibited unique strong adhesion and internalization properties towards DC. These properties were mediated by interaction of the GlcNAc(beta1-3)-Gal(beta1-4)-Glc-R oligosaccharide outer core of lgtB LPS with the dendritic-cell-specific ICAM-3 grabbing non-integrin (DC-SIGN) lectin receptor. Activation of DC-SIGN with this novel oligosaccharide ligand skewed T-cell responses driven by DC towards T helper type 1 activity. Thus, the use of lgtB LPS may provide a powerful instrument to selectively induce the desired arm of the immune response and potentially increase vaccine efficacy.

  19. Mutual augmentation of the induction of the histamine-forming enzyme, histidine decarboxylase, between alendronate and immuno-stimulants (IL-1, TNF, and LPS), and its prevention by clodronate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deng Xue; Yu Zhiqian; Funayama, Hiromi; Shoji, Noriaki; Sasano, Takashi; Iwakura, Yoichiro; Sugawara, Shunji; Endo, Yasuo

    2006-01-01

    Nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates (N-BPs), powerful anti-bone-resorptive drugs, have inflammatory side effects, while histamine is not only an inflammatory mediator, but also an immuno-modifier. In murine models, a single intraperitoneal injection of an N-BP induces various inflammatory reactions, including the induction of the histamine-forming enzyme histidine decarboxylase (HDC) in tissues important in immune responses (such as liver, lungs, spleen, and bone marrow). Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1 and TNF are also capable of inducing HDC. We reported previously that in mice (i) the inflammatory actions of N-BPs depend on IL-1 (ii) N-BP pretreatment augments both LPS-stimulated IL-1 production and HDC induction, and (iii) the co-administration of clodronate (a non-N-BP) with an N-BP inhibits the latter's inflammatory actions (including HDC induction). Here, we add the new findings that (a) pretreatment with alendronate (a typical N-BP) augments both IL-1- and TNF-induced HDC elevations, (b) LPS pretreatment augments the alendronate-induced HDC elevation, (c) co-administration of clodronate with alendronate abolishes these augmentations, (d) alendronate does not induce HDC in IL-1-deficient mice even if they are pretreated with LPS, and (e) alendronate increases IL-1β in all tissues tested, but not in the serum. These results suggest that (1) there are mutual augmentations between alendronate and immuno-stimulants (IL-1, TNF, and LPS) in HDC induction, (2) tissue IL-1β is important in alendronate-stimulated HDC induction, and (3) combination use of clodronate may have the potential to reduce the inflammatory effects of alendronate (we previously found that clodronate, conveniently, does not inhibit the anti-bone-resorptive activity of alendronate)

  20. A relationship between ion balance and the chemical compounds of salt inclusions found in the Greenland Ice Core Project and Dome Fuji ice cores

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Johnsen, Sigfus Johann; Dahl-Jensen, Dorthe; Steffensen, Jørgen Peder

    2008-01-01

    We have proposed a method of deducing the chemical compounds found in deep polar ice cores by analyzing the balance between six major ions (Cl-, NO3 -, SO4 2-, Na+, Mg2+, and Ca2+). The method is demonstrated for the Holocene and last glacial maximum regions of the Dome Fuji and GRIP ice cores...... on individual salt inclusions. The abundances in the ice cores are shown to reflect differences in climatic periods (the acidic environment of the Holocene versus the reductive environment of the last glacial maximum) and regional conditions (the marine environment of Antarctica versus the continental...

  1. SOCS3 Expression Correlates with Severity of Inflammation, Expression of Proinflammatory Cytokines, and Activation of STAT3 and p38 MAPK in LPS-Induced Inflammation In Vivo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    João Antônio Chaves de Souza

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available SOCS3 is an inducible endogenous negative regulator of JAK/STAT pathway, which is relevant in inflammatory conditions. We used a model of LPS-induced periodontal disease in rats to correlate SOCS3 expression with the inflammatory status. In vitro we used a murine macrophage cell line to assess the physical interaction between SOCS3 and STAT3 by coimmunoprecipitation. 30 ug of LPS from Escherichia coli were injected in the gingival tissues on the palatal aspect of first molars of the animals 3x/week for up to 4 weeks. Control animals were injected with the vehicle (PBS. The rats were sacrificed at 7, 15, and 30 days. Inflammation and gene expression were assessed by stereometric analysis, immunohistochemistry, RT-qPCR, and western blot. LPS injections increased inflammation, paralleled by an upregulation of SOCS3, of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α and increased phosphorylation of STAT3 and p38 MAPK. SOCS3 expression accompanied the severity of inflammation and the expression of proinflammatory cytokines, as well as the activation status of STAT3 and p38 MAPK. LPS stimulation in a macrophage cell line in vitro induced transient STAT3 activation, which was inversely correlated with a dynamic physical interaction with SOCS3, suggesting that this may be a mechanism for SOCS3 regulatory function.

  2. NURSING PROCESS, ACCORDING TO THE CONCEPTUAL MODEL OF WANDA HORTA, APPLIED TO A FAMILY MET BY THE REGIONAL CORE OF HOME CARE, DISTRITO FEDERAL.

    OpenAIRE

    Prince Vangeris Silva Fernandes de Lima; Ana Karoliny Couto Nascimento; Hellen Cristina Seganfredo; Isabella Cristina Ribeiro; Anne Caroline Coelho Leal Árias Amorim; Elioenai Dornelles Alves

    2014-01-01

    The case report describes the nursing care, systematized according to the conceptual model of Wanda Horta, who was dismissed to a family accompanied by a core team of Regional home care, an administrative region of the Federal District through prioritization, based on the scale of Cascavel, a member of this for such a public service. The context part according to reports from the Discipline community health nursing in ' 02 and ' Stage, mandatory mode sold to students from the undergraduat...

  3. The AGB bump: a calibrator for core mixing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bossini Diego

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The efficiency of convection in stars affects many aspects of their evolution and remains one of the key-open questions in stellar modelling. In particular, the size of the mixed core in core-He-burning low-mass stars is still uncertain and impacts the lifetime of this evolutionary phase and, e.g., the C/O profile in white dwarfs. One of the known observables related to the Horizontal Branch (HB and Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB evolution is the AGB bump. Its luminosity depends on the position in mass of the helium-burning shell at its first ignition, that is affected by the extension of the central mixed region. In this preliminary work we show how various assumptions on near-core mixing and on the thermal stratification in the overshooting region affect the luminosity of the AGB bump, as well as the period spacing of gravity modes in core-He-burning models.

  4. Potentiation of LPS-Induced Apoptotic Cell Death in Human Hepatoma HepG2 Cells by Aspirin via ROS and Mitochondrial Dysfunction: Protection by N-Acetyl Cysteine.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haider Raza

    Full Text Available Cytotoxicity and inflammation-associated toxic responses have been observed to be induced by bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS in vitro and in vivo respectively. Use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, such as aspirin, has been reported to be beneficial in inflammation-associated diseases like cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disorders. Their precise molecular mechanisms, however, are not clearly understood. Our previous studies on aspirin treated HepG2 cells strongly suggest cell cycle arrest and induction of apoptosis associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. In the present study, we have further demonstrated that HepG2 cells treated with LPS alone or in combination with aspirin induces subcellular toxic responses which are accompanied by increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS production, oxidative stress, mitochondrial respiratory dysfunction and apoptosis. The LPS/Aspirin induced toxicity was attenuated by pre-treatment of cells with N-acetyl cysteine (NAC. Alterations in oxidative stress and glutathione-dependent redox-homeostasis were more pronounced in mitochondria compared to extra- mitochondrial cellular compartments. Pre-treatment of HepG2 cells with NAC exhibited a selective protection in redox homeostasis and mitochondrial dysfunction. Our results suggest that the altered redox metabolism, oxidative stress and mitochondrial function in HepG2 cells play a critical role in LPS/aspirin-induced cytotoxicity. These results may help in better understanding the pharmacological, toxicological and therapeutic properties of NSAIDs in cancer cells exposed to bacterial endotoxins.

  5. Korrelasjon mellom core styrke, core stabilitet og utholdende styrke i core

    OpenAIRE

    Berg-Olsen, Andrea Marie; Fugelsøy, Eivor; Maurstad, Ann-Louise

    2010-01-01

    Formålet med studien var å se hvilke korrelasjon det er mellom core styrke, core stabilitet og utholdende styrke i core. Testingen bestod av tre hoveddeler hvor vi testet core styrke, core stabilitet og utholdende styrke i core. Innenfor core styrke og utholdende styrke i core ble tre ulike tester utført. Ved måling av core stabilitet ble det gjennomført kun en test. I core styrke ble isometrisk abdominal fleksjon, isometrisk rygg ekstensjon og isometrisk lateral fleksjon testet. Sit-ups p...

  6. Metabolically induced liver inflammation leads to NASH and differs from LPS- or IL-1β-induced chronic inflammation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Wen; Lindeman, Jan H; Menke, Aswin L; Koonen, Debby P; Morrison, Martine; Havekes, Louis M; van den Hoek, Anita M; Kleemann, Robert

    2014-05-01

    The nature of the chronic inflammatory component that drives the development of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is unclear and possible inflammatory triggers have not been investigated systematically. We examined the effect of non-metabolic triggers (lipopolysaccharide (LPS), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), administered by slow-release minipumps) and metabolic dietary triggers (carbohydrate, cholesterol) of inflammation on the progression of bland liver steatosis (BS) to NASH. Transgenic APOE3*Leiden.huCETP (APOE3L.CETP) mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) developed BS after 10 weeks. Then, inflammatory triggers were superimposed or not (control) for six more weeks. Mouse livers were analyzed with particular emphasis on hallmarks of inflammation which were defined in human liver biopsies with and without NASH. Livers of HFD-treated control mice remained steatotic and did not progress to NASH. All four inflammatory triggers activated hepatic nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) significantly and comparably (≥5-fold). However, HFD+LPS or HFD+IL-1β did not induce a NASH-like phenotype and caused intrahepatic accumulation of almost exclusively mononuclear cells. By contrast, mice treated with metabolic triggers developed NASH, characterized by enhanced steatosis, hepatocellular hypertrophy, and formation of mixed-type inflammatory foci containing myeloperoxidase-positive granulocytes (neutrophils) as well as mononuclear cells, essentially as observed in human NASH. Specific for the metabolic inducers was an activation of the proinflammatory transcription factor activator protein-1 (AP-1), neutrophil infiltration, and induction of risk factors associated with human NASH, that is, dyslipidemia (by cholesterol) and insulin resistance (by carbohydrate). In conclusion, HFD feeding followed by NF-κB activation per se (LPS, IL-1β) does not promote the transition from BS to NASH. HFD feeding followed by metabolically evoked inflammation induces additional inflammatory components

  7. Core and edge toroidal rotation study in JT-60U

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshida, M.; Sakamoto, Y.; Honda, M.; Kamada, Y.; Takenaga, H.; Oyama, N.; Urano, H.

    2012-01-01

    The relation between toroidal rotation velocities (V t ) in the core and edge regions is investigated in H-mode plasmas with a small external torque input from the viewpoint of momentum transport. The toroidal rotation velocity in the core region (core-V t ) gradually varies on a timescale of ∼20 ms after a rapid change in the toroidal rotation velocity in the edge region (edge-V t ) at the L–H transition. This timescale of ∼20 ms is consistent with a transport timescale using the momentum diffusivity (χ φ ) and convection velocity (V conv ). In steady state, a linear correlation between the core- and edge-V t is observed in H-mode plasmas when the ion pressure gradient (∇P i ) is small. This relation between core- and edge-V t is also explained by momentum transport. The V t profiles with a large ∇P i are reproduced in the core region of r/a ∼ 0.2–0.7 by adopting a residual stress term 'Π res = α k χ φ ∇P i ' proposed in this paper. Here r/a is the normalized plasma radius and α k1 is a radial constant. Using this formula, V t profiles are reproduced over a wide range of plasma conditions. Parameter dependences of the edge-V t are investigated at a constant ripple loss power, ripple amplitude and plasma current. A reduction in the CTR-rotation is observed with decreasing ion temperature gradient (∇T i ). Here CTR refers to the counter-I P direction.

  8. Regional Sensitivity to Neuroinflammation: In Vivo and In Vitro Studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liraz-Zaltsman, S.; Biegon, A.; Liraz-Zaltsman, S.; Alexandrovich, A.G.; Trembovler, V.; Fishbein, I.; Yaka, R.; Shohami, E.; Biegon, A.

    2010-11-23

    Neuroinflammation is involved in several acute-onset neuropathologies such as meningitis, encephalitis, stroke, and traumatic brain injury as well as in neurodegenerative diseases. All of these patholologies are associated with cognitive deficits. Using a model of pure neuroinflammation (intracisternal injection of endotoxin in mice), we tested the hypothesis that brain regions involved in cognition are the most vulnerable to inflammatory insults, and this vulnerability is an inherent property of neocortical neurons. Mice (n = 10/group) injected with endotoxin (LPS) or saline in the cisterna magna underwent neurobehavioral and cognitive testing followed by quantitative autoradiographic assessment of regional neuroinflammation with [3H]PK11195, an established marker of microgliosis. In parallel, cocultures of cortical and striatal neurons taken from embryonic day 19 rat embryos or postnatal day 1 mice expressing green fluorescent protein were exposed for 24 h to the proinflammatory cytokine TNFalpha, glutamate, or a combination of the two agents. LPS-treated mice exhibited significant deficits in memory and significant increases in specific PK11195 binding in cortical and hippocampal regions, but not in striatum. Cultured neurons of cortical origin showed significantly lower survival rate relative to striatal neurons in response to TNFalpha, glutamate, or a combination of the two agents. Furthermore, TNFalpha exerted neuroprotective rather than neurotoxic effects in the striatal but not in the cortical neurons. These results suggest that the cortex is inherently more sensitive than the striatum to the deleterious effects of neuroinflammation, and may offer an explanation for the preponderance of cognitive deficits in neuropathologies with a neuroinflammatory component.

  9. Sodium-cooled fast reactor core designs for transmutation of MHR spent fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hong, S. G.; Kim, Y. H.; Venneri, F.

    2010-01-01

    In this paper, the core design analyses of sodium cooled fast reactors (SFR) are performed for the effective transmutation of the DB (Deep Burn)-MHR (Modular Helium Reactor). In this concept, the spent fuels of DB-MHR are transmuted in SFRs with a closed fuel cycle after TRUs from LWR are first incinerated in a DB-MHR. We introduced two different type SFR core designs for this purpose, and evaluated their core performance parameters including the safety-related parameters. In particular, the cores are designed to have lower transmutation rate relatively to our previous work so as to make the fuel characteristics more feasible. The first type cores which consist of two enrichment regions are typical homogeneous annular cores and they rate 900 MWt power. On the other hand, the second type cores which consist of a central non-fuel region and a single enrichment fuel region rate relatively higher power of 1500 MWt. For these cores, the moderator rods (YH 1.8 ) are used to achieve less positive sodium void worth and the more negative Doppler coefficient because the loading of DB-MHR spent fuel leads to the degradation of these safety parameters. The analysis results show that these cores have low sodium void worth and negative reactivity coefficients except for the one related with the coolant expansion but the coolant expansion reactivity coefficient is within the typical range of the typical SFR cores. (authors)

  10. LPS structure and PhoQ activity are important for Salmonella Typhimurium virulence in the Galleria mellonella infection model [corrected].

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jennifer K Bender

    Full Text Available The larvae of the wax moth, Galleria mellonella, have been used experimentally to host a range of bacterial and fungal pathogens. In this study we evaluated the suitability of G. mellonella as an alternative animal model of Salmonella infection. Using a range of inoculum doses we established that the LD₅₀ of SalmonellaTyphimurium strain NCTC 12023 was 3.6 × 10³ bacteria per larva. Further, a set of isogenic mutant strains depleted of known virulence factors was tested to identify determinants essential for S. Typhimurium pathogenesis. Mutants depleted of one or both of the type III secretion systems encoded by Salmonella Pathogenicity Islands 1 and 2 showed no virulence defect. In contrast, we observed reduced pathogenic potential of a phoQ mutant indicating an important role for the PhoPQ two-component signal transduction system. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS structure was also shown to influence Salmonella virulence in G. mellonella. A waaL(rfaL mutant, which lacks the entire O-antigen (OAg, was virtually avirulent, while a wzz(ST/wzz(fepE double mutant expressing only a very short OAg was highly attenuated for virulence. Furthermore, shortly after infection both LPS mutant strains showed decreased replication when compared to the wild type in a flow cytometry-based competitive index assay. In this study we successfully established a G. mellonella model of S. Typhimurium infection. By identifying PhoQ and LPS OAg length as key determinants of virulence in the wax moth larvae we proved that there is an overlap between this and other animal model systems, thus confirming that the G. mellonella infection model is suitable for assessing aspects of Salmonella virulence function.

  11. Nuclear fuel management optimization for LWRs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Turinsky, Paul J.

    1997-01-01

    LWR in core nuclear fuel management involves the placement of fuel and control materials so that a specified objective is achieved within constraints. Specifically, one is interested in determining the core loading pattern (LP of fuel assemblies and burnable poisons and for BWR, also control rod insertion versus cycle exposure. Possible objectives include minimization of feed enrichment and maximization of cycle energy production, discharge burnup or thermal margin. Constraints imposed relate to physical constraints, e.g. no discrete burnable poisons in control rod locations, and operational and safety constraints, e.g. maximum power peaking limit. The LP optimization problem is a large scale, nonlinear, mixed-integer decision variables problem with active constraints. Even with quarter core symmetry imposed, there are above 10 100 possible LPs. The implication is that deterministic optimization methods are not suitable, so in this work we have pursued using the stochastic Simulated Annealing optimization method. Adaptive penalty functions are used to impose certain constraints, allowing unfeasible regions of the search space to be transverse. Since ten of thousands of LPs must be examined to achieve high computational efficiency, higher-order Generalized Perturbation Theory is utilized to solve the Nodal Expansion Method for of the two-group neutron diffusion. These methods have been incorporated into the FORMOSA series of codes and used to optimize PWR and BWR reload cores. (author). 9 refs., 3 tabs

  12. Anti-neuroinflammatory Activity of Elephantopus scaber L. via Activation of Nrf2/HO-1 Signaling and Inhibition of p38 MAPK Pathway in LPS-Induced Microglia BV-2 Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chim-Kei Chan

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Elephantopus scaber L. (family: Asteraceae has been traditionally utilized as a folkloric medicine and scientifically shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory activities in various in vivo inflammatory models. Given the lack of study on the effect of E. scaber in neuroinflammation, this study aimed to investigate the anti-neuroinflammatory effect and the underlying mechanisms of ethyl acetate fraction from the leaves of E. scaber (ESEAF on the release of pro-inflammatory mediators in lipopolysaccharide (LPS-induced microglia cells (BV-2. Present findings showed that ESEAF markedly attenuated the translocation of NF-κB to nucleus concomitantly with the significant mitigation on the LPS-induced production of NO, iNOS, COX-2, PGE2, IL-1β, and TNF-α. These inflammatory responses were reduced via the inhibition of p38. Besides, ESEAF was shown to possess antioxidant activities evident by the DPPH and SOD scavenging activities. The intracellular catalase enzyme activity was enhanced by ESEAF in the LPS-stimulated BV-2 cells. Furthermore, the formation of ROS induced by LPS in BV-2 cells was reduced upon the exposure to ESEAF. Intriguingly, the reduction of ROS was found in concerted with the activation of Nrf2 and HO-1. It is conceivable that the activation promotes the scavenging power of antioxidant enzymes as well as to ameliorate the inflammatory response in LPS-stimulated BV-2 cells. Finally, the safety profile analysis through oral administration of ESEAF at 2000 mg/kg did not result in any mortalities, adverse effects nor histopathologic abnormalities of organs in mice. Taken altogether, the cumulative findings suggested that ESEAF holds the potential to develop as nutraceutical for the intervention of neuroinflammatory disorders.

  13. A simple model for induction core voltage distributions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Briggs, Richard J.; Fawley, William M.

    2004-01-01

    In fall 2003 T. Hughes of MRC used a full EM simulation code (LSP) to show that the electric field stress distribution near the outer radius of the longitudinal gaps between the four Metglas induction cores is very nonuniform in the original design of the DARHT-2 accelerator cells. In this note we derive a simple model of the electric field distribution in the induction core region to provide physical insights into this result. The starting point in formulating our model is to recognize that the electromagnetic fields in the induction core region of the DARHT-2 accelerator cells should be accurately represented within a quasi-static approximation because the timescale for the fields to change is much longer than the EM wave propagation time. The difficulty one faces is the fact that the electric field is a mixture of both a ''quasi-magnetostatic field'' (having a nonzero curl, with Bdot the source) and a ''quasi-electrostatic field'' (the source being electric charges on the various metal surfaces). We first discuss the EM field structure on the ''micro-scale'' of individual tape windings in Section 2. The insights from that discussion are then used to formulate a ''macroscopic'' description of the fields inside an ''equivalent homogeneous tape wound core region'' in Section 3. This formulation explicitly separates the nonlinear core magnetics from the quasi-electrostatic components of the electric field. In Section 4 a physical interpretation of the radial dependence of the electrostatic component of the electric field derived from this model is presented in terms of distributed capacitances, and the voltage distribution from gap to gap is related to various ''equivalent'' lumped capacitances. Analytic solutions of several simple multi-core cases are presented in Sections 5 and 6 to help provide physical insight into the effect of various proposed changes in the geometrical parameters of the DARHT-2 accelerator cell. Our results show that over most of the gap

  14. Genome-wide immunity studies in the rabbit: transcriptome variations in peripheral blood mononuclear cells after in vitro stimulation by LPS or PMA-Ionomycin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacquier, Vincent; Estellé, Jordi; Schmaltz-Panneau, Barbara; Lecardonnel, Jérôme; Moroldo, Marco; Lemonnier, Gaëtan; Turner-Maier, Jason; Duranthon, Véronique; Oswald, Isabelle P; Gidenne, Thierry; Rogel-Gaillard, Claire

    2015-01-23

    Our purpose was to obtain genome-wide expression data for the rabbit species on the responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) after in vitro stimulation by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) and ionomycin. This transcriptome profiling was carried out using microarrays enriched with immunity-related genes, and annotated with the most recent data available for the rabbit genome. The LPS affected 15 to 20 times fewer genes than PMA-Ionomycin after both 4 hours (T4) and 24 hours (T24), of in vitro stimulation, in comparison with mock-stimulated PBMCs. LPS induced an inflammatory response as shown by a significant up-regulation of IL12A and CXCL11 at T4, followed by an increased transcription of IL6, IL1B, IL1A, IL36, IL37, TNF, and CCL4 at T24. Surprisingly, we could not find an up-regulation of IL8 either at T4 or at T24, and detected a down-regulation of DEFB1 and BPI at T24. A concerted up-regulation of SAA1, S100A12 and F3 was found upon stimulation by LPS. PMA-Ionomycin induced a very early expression of Th1, Th2, Treg, and Th17 responses by PBMCs at T4. The Th1 response increased at T24 as shown by the increase of the transcription of IFNG and by contrast to other cytokines which significantly decreased from T4 to T24 (IL2, IL4, IL10, IL13, IL17A, CD69) by comparison to mock-stimulation. The granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (CSF2) was by far the most over-expressed gene at both T4 and T24 by comparison to mock-stimulated cells, confirming a major impact of PMA-Ionomycin on cell growth and proliferation. A significant down-regulation of IL16 was observed at T4 and T24, in agreement with a role of IL16 in PBMC apoptosis. We report new data on the responses of PBMCs to LPS and PMA-Ionomycin in the rabbit species, thus enlarging the set of mammalian species for which such reports exist. The availability of the rabbit genome assembly together with high throughput genomic tools should pave the way for more

  15. [The effect of isoflurane on the secretion of TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta from LPS-stimulated human peripheral blood monocytes].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sato, W; Enzan, K; Masaki, Y; Kayaba, M; Suzuki, M

    1995-07-01

    The cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-1 secreted from macrophages/monocytes proved to play important roles in the pathogenesis of endotoxemia, severe pancreatitis and other surgical injuries. However, it is still unclear how inhalational anesthetic agents influence the secretion of these cytokines from macrophages/monocytes. We investigated the effects of isoflurane on TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta secretions from human peripheral blood monocytes stimulated by lipopolysaccharide. TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta secretions increased after LPS stimulation and this increase was inhibited by isoflurane in dose-dependent fashion. The inhibitory action of isoflurane disappeared between 1 and 3 hours after stopping isoflurane inhalation. We concluded that isoflurane could inhibit TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta secretions from peripheral blood monocytes stimulated by LPS in a dose-dependent fashion and that the inhibitory action of isoflurane was reversible.

  16. Ethyl acetate extract from Asparagus cochinchinensis exerts anti-inflammatory effects in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage cells by regulating COX-2/iNOS, inflammatory cytokine expression, MAP kinase pathways, the cell cycle and anti-oxidant activity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Hyun Ah; Koh, Eun Kyoung; Sung, Ji Eun; Kim, Ji Eun; Song, Sung Hwa; Kim, Dong Seob; Son, Hong Joo; Lee, Chung Yeoul; Lee, Hee Seob; Bae, Chang Joon; Hwang, Dae Youn

    2017-01-01

    Asparagus cochinchinesis (A. cochinchinesis) is a medicine traditionally used to treat fever, cough, kidney disease, breast cancer, inflammatory disease and brain disease in northeast Asian countries. Although numerous studies of the anti-inflammatory effects of A. cochinchinesis have been conducted, the underlying mechanisms of such effects in macrophages remain to be demonstrated. To investigate the mechanism of suppressive effects on the inflammatory response in macrophages, alterations of the nitric oxide (NO) level, the cell viability, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression levels, inflammatory cytokine expression, the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, cell cycle arrest and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were measured in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW264.7 cells following treatment with ethyl acetate extract from A. cochinchinesis root (EaEAC). RAW264.7 cells pretreated two different concentrations of EaEAC prior to LPS treatment exhibited no significant toxicity. The concentration of NO was significantly decreased in the EaEAC + LPS treated group compared with the vehicle + LPS treated group. A similar decrease in mRNA transcript level of COX-2, iNOS, pro-inflammatory cytokines [tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin (IL)-1β] and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and IL-10) was detected in the EaEAC + LPS treated group compared with the vehicle + LPS treated group, although the decrease rate varied. Enhancement of the phosphorylation of MAPK family members following LPS treatment was partially rescued in the EaEAC pretreated group, and the cell cycle was arrested at the G2/M phase. Furthermore, the EaEAC pretreated group exhibited a reduced level of ROS generation compared with the vehicle + LPS treated group. Taken together, these results suggest that EaEAC suppresses inflammatory responses through inhibition of NO production, COX-2 expression and ROS production, as well as

  17. Stable isotope analysis in ice core paleoclimatology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bertler, N.

    2004-01-01

    Ice cores are the most direct, continuous, and high resolution archive for Late Quaternary paleoclimate reconstruction. Ice cores from New Zealand and the Antarctic margin provide an excellent means of addressing the lack of longer-term climate observations in the Southern Hemisphere with near instrumental quality. Their study helps us to improve our understanding of regional patterns of climate behaviour in Antarctica and its influence on New Zealand, leading to more realistic regional climate models. Such models are needed to sensibly interpret current Antarctic and New Zealand climate variability and for the development of appropriate migration strategies for New Zealand. (author). 23 refs., 15 figs., 1 tab

  18. Modelling guidelines for core exit temperature simulations with system codes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Freixa, J., E-mail: jordi.freixa-terradas@upc.edu [Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) (Spain); Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), 5232 Villigen (Switzerland); Martínez-Quiroga, V., E-mail: victor.martinez@nortuen.com [Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) (Spain); Zerkak, O., E-mail: omar.zerkak@psi.ch [Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), 5232 Villigen (Switzerland); Reventós, F., E-mail: francesc.reventos@upc.edu [Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) (Spain)

    2015-05-15

    Highlights: • Core exit temperature is used in PWRs as an indication of core heat up. • Modelling guidelines of CET response with system codes. • Modelling of heat transfer processes in the core and UP regions. - Abstract: Core exit temperature (CET) measurements play an important role in the sequence of actions under accidental conditions in pressurized water reactors (PWR). Given the difficulties in placing measurements in the core region, CET readings are used as criterion for the initiation of accident management (AM) procedures because they can indicate a core heat up scenario. However, the CET responses have some limitation in detecting inadequate core cooling and core uncovery simply because the measurement is not placed inside the core. Therefore, it is of main importance in the field of nuclear safety for PWR power plants to assess the capabilities of system codes for simulating the relation between the CET and the peak cladding temperature (PCT). The work presented in this paper intends to address this open question by making use of experimental work at integral test facilities (ITF) where experiments related to the evolution of the CET and the PCT during transient conditions have been carried out. In particular, simulations of two experiments performed at the ROSA/LSTF and PKL facilities are presented. The two experiments are part of a counterpart exercise between the OECD/NEA ROSA-2 and OECD/NEA PKL-2 projects. The simulations are used to derive guidelines in how to correctly reproduce the CET response during a core heat up scenario. Three aspects have been identified to be of main importance: (1) the need for a 3-dimensional representation of the core and Upper Plenum (UP) regions in order to model the heterogeneity of the power zones and axial areas, (2) the detailed representation of the active and passive heat structures, and (3) the use of simulated thermocouples instead of steam temperatures to represent the CET readings.

  19. Optimization of radially heterogeneous 1000-MW(e) LMFBR core configurations. Design and performance of reference cores. Research project 620-25

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barthold, W.P.; Orechwa, Y.; Su, S.F.; Hutter, E.; Batch, R.V.; Beitel, J.C.; Turski, R.B.; Lam, P.S.K.

    1979-11-01

    A parameter study was conducted to determine the interrelated effects of: loosely of tightly coupled fuel regions separated by internal blanket assemblies, number of fuel regions, core height, number and arrangement of internal blanket subassemblies, number and size of fuel pins in a subassembly, etc. The effects of these parameters on sodium void reactivity, Doppler, incoherence, breeding gain, and thermohydraulics were of prime interest. Trends were established and ground work laid for optimization of a large, radially-heterogeneous, LMFBR core that will have low energetics in an HCDA and will have good thermal and breeding performance

  20. Waterlike anomalies in a two-dimensional core-softened potential

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bordin, José Rafael; Barbosa, Marcia C.

    2018-02-01

    We investigate the structural, thermodynamic, and dynamic behavior of a two-dimensional (2D) core-corona system using Langevin dynamics simulations. The particles are modeled by employing a core-softened potential which exhibits waterlike anomalies in three dimensions. In previous studies in a quasi-2D system a new region in the pressure versus temperature phase diagram of structural anomalies was observed. Here we show that for the two-dimensional case two regions in the pressure versus temperature phase diagram with structural, density, and diffusion anomalies are observed. Our findings indicate that, while the anomalous region at lower densities is due the competition between the two length scales in the potential at higher densities, the anomalous region is related to the reentrance of the melting line.

  1. Oyster Creek fuel thermal margin during core thermal-hydraulic oscillations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dougher, J.D.

    1990-01-01

    The Oyster Creek nuclear facility, a boiling water reactor (BWR)-2 plant type, has never experienced core thermal-hydraulic instability. Power oscillations, however, have been observed in other BWR cores both domestically and internationally. Two modes of oscillations have been observed, core wide and regional half-core. During core wide oscillations, the neutron flux in the core oscillates in the radial fundamental mode. During regional half-core oscillations, higher order harmonics in the radial plane result in out-of-phase oscillations with the neutron flux in one half of the core oscillating 180 deg out-of-phase with the neutron flux in the other half of the core. General Design Criteria 12 requires either prevention or detection and suppression of power oscillations which could result in violations of fuel design limits. Analyses performed by General Electric have demonstrated that for large-magnitude oscillations the potential exists for violation of the safety limit minimum critical power ratio (MCPR). However, for plants with a flow-biased neutron flux scram automatic mitigation of oscillations may be provided at an oscillation magnitude below that at which the safety limit is challenged. Plant-specific analysis for Oyster Creek demonstrates that the existing average power range monitor (APRM) system will sense and suppress power oscillations prior to violation of any safety limits

  2. Bioactive Components from Qingwen Baidu Decoction against LPS-Induced Acute Lung Injury in Rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qi Zhang

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Qingwen Baidu Decoction (QBD is an extraordinarily “cold” formula. It was traditionally used to cure epidemic hemorrhagic fever, intestinal typhoid fever, influenza, sepsis and so on. The purpose of this study was to discover relationships between the change of the constituents in different extracts of QBD and the pharmacological effect in a rat model of acute lung injury (ALI induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS. The study aimed to discover the changes in constituents of different QBD extracts and the pharmacological effects on acute lung injury (ALI induced by LPS. The results demonstrated that high dose and middle dose of QBD had significantly potent anti-inflammatory effects and reduced pulmonary edema caused by ALI in rats (p < 0.05. To explore the underlying constituents of QBD, we assessed its influence of six different QBD extracts on ALI and analyzed the different constituents in the corresponding HPLC chromatograms by a Principal Component Analysis (PCA method. The results showed that the pharmacological effect of QBD was related to the polarity of its extracts, and the medium polarity extracts E2 and E5 in particular displayed much better protective effects against ALI than other groups. Moreover, HPLC-DAD-ESI-MSn and PCA analysis showed that verbascoside and angoroside C played a key role in reducing pulmonary edema. In addition, the current study revealed that ethyl gallate, pentagalloylglucose, galloyl paeoniflorin, mudanpioside C and harpagoside can treat ALI mainly by reducing the total cells and infiltration of activated polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs.

  3. Unveiling the Hot Molecular Core in the Ultracompact H II Region with Extended Emission G12.21-0.10

    Science.gov (United States)

    de la Fuente, E.; Trinidad, M. A.; Porras, A.; Rodríguez-Rico, C.; Araya, E. D.; Kurtz, S.; Hofner, P.; Nigoche-Netro, A.

    2018-04-01

    We present a multiwavelength study of the cometary H II region G12.21-0.10 using the VLA and OVRO. Both radio continuum (0.3, 0.7, 2 and 3.6 cm) and spectral lines of H41α, 13CS(2-1) & (1-0), and NH3(2,2) & (4,4) observations are included. We find two 3 mm continuum peaks toward G12.21-0.10; one of them is spatially coincident with the UC H II region, while the other coincides spatially with a molecular clump. We also find that the 0.7, 2 and 3.6 cm continuum and H41α line are only detected toward the UC H II region, while the 13CS, and NH3 are spatially associated with the molecular clump. Based on the morphology, kinetic temperature (≍86 K), volumetric density (≍1.5×106 cm-3) and linear size (≍0.22 pc) of the molecular clump, we suggest this source is consistent with a hot molecular core.

  4. Electron momentum spectroscopy of the core state of solid carbon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caprari, R.S.; Clark, S.A.C.; McCarthy, I.E.; Storer, P.J.; Vos, M.; Weigold, E.

    1994-08-01

    Electron momentum spectroscopy (binary encounter (e,2e)) experimental results are presented for the core state of an amorphous carbon allotrope. The (e,2e) cross section has two identifiable regions. One is a narrow energy width 'core band peak' that does not disperse with momentum. At higher binding energies there is an energy diffuse 'multiple scattering continuum', which is a consequence of (e,2e) collisions with core electrons that are accompanied by inelastic scattering of one or more of the incoming or outgoing electrons. Comparisons of experimental momentum distributions with the Hartree-Fock atomic carbon ls orbital are presented for both regions. 16 refs., 4 figs

  5. H2S Attenuates LPS-Induced Acute Lung Injury by Reducing Oxidative/Nitrative Stress and Inflammation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hong-Xia Zhang

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Background: Hydrogen sulfide (H2S, known as the third endogenous gaseous transmitter, has received increasing attention because of its diverse effects, including angiogenesis, vascular relaxation and myocardial protection.We aimed to investigate the role of H2S in oxidative/nitrative stress and inflammation in acute lung injury (ALI induced by endotoxemia. Methods: Male ICR mice were divided in six groups: (1 Control group; (2 GYY4137treatment group; (3 L-NAME treatment group; (4 lipopolysaccharide (LPS treatment group; (5 LPS with GYY4137 treatment group; and (6 LPS with L-NAME treatment group. The lungs were analysed by histology, NO production in the mouse lungs determined by modified Griess (Sigma-Aldrich reaction, cytokine levels utilizing commercialkits, and protein abundance by Western blotting. Results: GYY4137, a slowly-releasing H2S donor, improved the histopathological changes in the lungs of endotoxemic mice. Treatment with NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, a nitric oxide synthase (NOS inhibitor, increased anti-oxidant biomarkers such as thetotal antioxidant capacity (T-AOC and theactivities of catalase (CAT and superoxide dismutase (SOD but decreased a marker of peroxynitrite (ONOO- action and 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT in endotoxemic lung. L-NAME administration also suppressed inflammation in endotoxemic lung, as evidenced by the decreased pulmonary levels of interleukin (IL-6, IL-8, and myeloperoxidase (MPO and the increased level of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. GYY4137 treatment reversed endotoxin-induced oxidative/nitrative stress, as evidenced by a decrease in malondialdehyde (MDA, hydrogenperoxide (H2O2 and 3-NT and an increase in the antioxidant biomarker ratio of reduced/oxidized glutathione(GSH/GSSG ratio and T-AOC, CAT and SOD activity. GYY4137 also attenuated endotoxin-induced lung inflammation. Moreover, treatment with GYY4137 inhibited inducible NOS (iNOS expression and nitric oxide (NO production in the

  6. Feasibility study on thermal-hydraulic design of reduced-moderation PWR-type core

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshida, Hiroyuki; Ohnuki, Akira; Akimoto, Hajime

    2000-03-01

    At JAERI, a conceptual study on reduced-moderation water reactor (RMWR) has been performed as one of the advanced reactor system which is designed so as to realize the conversion ratio more than unity. In this reactor concept, the gap spacing between the fuel rods is remarkably narrower than in a reactor currently operated. Therefore, an evaluation of the core thermal margin becomes very important in the design of the RMWR. In this study, we have performed a feasibility evaluation on thermal-hydraulic design of RM-PWR type core (core thermal output: 2900 MWt, Rod gaps: 1 mm). In RM-PWR core, seed and blanket regions are exist. In the blanket region, power density is lower than that of the seed region. Then, evaluation was performed under setting a channel box to each fuel assembly in order to adjust the flow rate in each assembly, because it is possible that the coolant boils in the seed region. In the feasibility evaluations, subchannel code COBRA-IV-I was used in combination with KfK DNB (departure nucleate boiling) correlation. When coolant mass flow rate to the blanket fuel assembly is reduced by 40%, and that to the seed fuel assembly is increased, coolant boiling is not occurred in the assembly region calculation. Provided that the channel boxes to the blanket fuel assembly are set up and coolant mass flow rate to the blanket fuel assembly is reduced by 40%, it is confirmed by the whole core calculation that the boiling of the coolant is not occurred and the RM-PWR core is feasible. (author)

  7. Expression Analysis of Immune Related Genes Identified from the Coelomocytes of Sea Cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus in Response to LPS Challenge

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ying Dong

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available The sea cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus occupies a basal position during the evolution of deuterostomes and is also an important aquaculture species. In order to identify more immune effectors, transcriptome sequencing of A. japonicus coelomocytes in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS challenge was performed using the Illumina HiSeq™ 2000 platform. One hundred and seven differentially expressed genes were selected and divided into four functional categories including pathogen recognition (25 genes, reorganization of cytoskeleton (27 genes, inflammation (41 genes and apoptosis (14 genes. They were analyzed to elucidate the mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions and downstream signaling transduction. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reactions (qRT-PCRs of 10 representative genes validated the accuracy and reliability of RNA sequencing results with the correlation coefficients from 0.88 to 0.98 and p-value <0.05. Expression analysis of immune-related genes after LPS challenge will be useful in understanding the immune response mechanisms of A. japonicus against pathogen invasion and developing strategies for resistant markers selection.

  8. Analyses of the stability and core taxonomic memberships of the human microbiome.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kelvin Li

    Full Text Available Analyses of the taxonomic diversity associated with the human microbiome continue to be an area of great importance. The study of the nature and extent of the commonly shared taxa ("core", versus those less prevalent, establishes a baseline for comparing healthy and diseased groups by quantifying the variation among people, across body habitats and over time. The National Institutes of Health (NIH sponsored Human Microbiome Project (HMP has provided an unprecedented opportunity to examine and better define what constitutes the taxonomic core within and across body habitats and individuals through pyrosequencing-based profiling of 16S rRNA gene sequences from oral, skin, distal gut (stool, and vaginal body habitats from over 200 healthy individuals. A two-parameter model is introduced to quantitatively identify the core taxonomic members of each body habitat's microbiota across the healthy cohort. Using only cutoffs for taxonomic ubiquity and abundance, core taxonomic members were identified for each of the 18 body habitats and also for the 4 higher-level body regions. Although many microbes were shared at low abundance, they exhibited a relatively continuous spread in both their abundance and ubiquity, as opposed to a more discretized separation. The numbers of core taxa members in the body regions are comparatively small and stable, reflecting the relatively high, but conserved, interpersonal variability within the cohort. Core sizes increased across the body regions in the order of: vagina, skin, stool, and oral cavity. A number of "minor" oral taxonomic core were also identified by their majority presence across the cohort, but with relatively low and stable abundances. A method for quantifying the difference between two cohorts was introduced and applied to samples collected on a second visit, revealing that over time, the oral, skin, and stool body regions tended to be more transient in their taxonomic structure than the vaginal body region.

  9. Kaempferol alleviates LPS-induced neuroinflammation and BBB dysfunction in mice via inhibiting HMGB1 release and down-regulating TLR4/MyD88 pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Xiao; Yang, Ying-Lin; Yang, Huan; Wang, Yue-Hua; Du, Guan-Hua

    2018-03-01

    Kaempferol is a natural flavonoid with many biological activities including anti-oxidation and anti-inflammation. Nevertheless, its anti-neuroinflammation role and the relevant mechanism remain unclear. The present study was to investigate effects of kaempferol against LPS-induced neuroinflammation and blood-brain barrier dysfunction as well as the mechanism in mice. BALB/c mice were treated with LPS 5mg/kg to induce inflammation after pre-treatment with kaempferol 25, 50, or 100mg/kg for 7days. The results showed that kaempferol reduced the production of various pro-inflammatory factors and inflammatory proteins including IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, MCP-1, COX-2 and iNOS in brain tissues. In addition, kaempferol also protected BBB integrity and increased BBB related proteins including occludin-1, claudin-1 and CX43 in brain of LPS-induced mice. Furthermore, kaempferol significantly reduced HMGB1 level and suppressed TLR4/MyD88 inflammatory pathway in both transcription level and translation level. These results collectively suggested that kaempferol might be a promising neuroprotective agent for alleviating inflammatory responses and BBB dysfunction by inhibiting HMGB1 release and down-regulating TLR4/MyD88 inflammatory pathway. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Xanthohumol ameliorates lipopolysaccharide (LPS-induced acute lung injury via induction of AMPK/GSK3β-Nrf2 signal axis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hongming Lv

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Abundant natural flavonoids can induce nuclear factor-erythroid 2 related factor 2 (Nrf2 and/or AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK activation, which play crucial roles in the amelioration of various inflammation- and oxidative stress-induced diseases, including acute lung injury (ALI. Xanthohumol (Xn, a principal prenylflavonoid, possesses anti-inflammation and anti-oxidant activities. However, whether Xn could protect from LPS-induced ALI through inducing AMPK/Nrf2 activation and its downstream signals, are still poorly elucidated. Accordingly, we focused on exploring the protective effect of Xn in the context of ALI and the involvement of underlying molecular mechanisms. Our findings indicated that Xn effectively alleviated lung injury by reduction of lung W/D ratio and protein levels, neutrophil infiltration, MDA and MPO formation, and SOD and GSH depletion. Meanwhile, Xn significantly lessened histopathological changes, reactive oxygen species (ROS generation, several cytokines secretion, and iNOS and HMGB1 expression, and inhibited Txnip/NLRP3 inflammasome and NF-κB signaling pathway activation. Additionally, Xn evidently decreased t-BHP-stimulated cell apoptosis, ROS generation and GSH depletion but increased various anti-oxidative enzymes expression regulated by Keap1-Nrf2/ARE activation, which may be associated with AMPK and GSK3β phosphorylation. However, Xn-mediated inflammatory cytokines and ROS production, histopathological changes, Txnip/NLRP3 inflammasome and NF-κB signaling pathway in WT mice were remarkably abrogated in Nrf2-/- mice. Our experimental results firstly provided a support that Xn effectively protected LPS-induced ALI against oxidative stress and inflammation damage which are largely dependent upon upregulation of the Nrf2 pathway via activation of AMPK/GSK3β, thereby suppressing LPS-activated Txnip/NLRP3 inflammasome and NF-κB signaling pathway. Keywords: Xanthohumol, Acute lung injury, Oxidative stress

  11. Organ culture of C57BL/6 mouse arteries with LPS as an in vitro model of vascular inflammation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Outzen, Emilie Middelbo; Mehryar, Rahila; Boonen, Harrie C.M.

    Background: Vascular inflammation is believed to be involved in the pathogenesis of various cardiovascular diseases, the study of which often involves use of the mouse strain C57BL/6. In vivo studies can, however, be difficult to control and interpret. Aim of the study: To set up and characterise...... an in vitro model for studying vascular inflammation and function in cultured arteries from C57BL/6 mice. Methods: Segments of abdominal aorta and mesenteric arteries (MA) were incubated for 24 hours at 37̊C and 95% O2/5% CO2 in DMEM ± 100 ng/mL LPS. Aorta segments were frozen for molecular studies...... was achieved at a normalisation factor of 0.9 (0.91 ± 0.06, mean ± SEM, n = 9) as observed (0.85 ± 0.06, mean ± SEM, n = 3) and previously described in rat MA (Mulvany and Halpern, 1977). Furthermore, preliminary findings show that organ culture with 100 ng/mL LPS decreases endothelium-dependent dilation of C...

  12. Chilean Strawberry Consumption Protects against LPS-Induced Liver Injury by Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Capability in Sprague-Dawley Rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sebastian Molinett

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The Chilean strawberry fruit has high content of antioxidants and polyphenols. Previous studies evidenced antioxidant properties by in vitro methods. However, the antioxidant effect and its impact as functional food on animal health have not been evaluated. In this study, rats were fed with a Chilean strawberry aqueous extract (4 g/kg of animal per day and then subjected to LPS-induced liver injury (5 mg/kg. Transaminases and histological studies revealed a reduction in liver injury in rats fed with strawberry aqueous extract compared with the control group. Additionally, white strawberry supplementation significantly reduced the serum levels and gene expression of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β cytokines compared with nonsupplemented rats. The level of F2-isoprostanes and GSH/GSSG indicated a reduction in liver oxidative stress by the consumption of strawberry aqueous extract. Altogether, the evidence suggests that dietary supplementation of rats with a Chilean white strawberry aqueous extract favours the normalization of oxidative and inflammatory responses after a liver injury induced by LPS.

  13. Chilean Strawberry Consumption Protects against LPS-Induced Liver Injury by Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Capability in Sprague-Dawley Rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molinett, Sebastian; Nuñez, Francisca; Moya-León, María Alejandra; Zúñiga-Hernández, Jessica

    2015-01-01

    The Chilean strawberry fruit has high content of antioxidants and polyphenols. Previous studies evidenced antioxidant properties by in vitro methods. However, the antioxidant effect and its impact as functional food on animal health have not been evaluated. In this study, rats were fed with a Chilean strawberry aqueous extract (4 g/kg of animal per day) and then subjected to LPS-induced liver injury (5 mg/kg). Transaminases and histological studies revealed a reduction in liver injury in rats fed with strawberry aqueous extract compared with the control group. Additionally, white strawberry supplementation significantly reduced the serum levels and gene expression of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β cytokines compared with nonsupplemented rats. The level of F2-isoprostanes and GSH/GSSG indicated a reduction in liver oxidative stress by the consumption of strawberry aqueous extract. Altogether, the evidence suggests that dietary supplementation of rats with a Chilean white strawberry aqueous extract favours the normalization of oxidative and inflammatory responses after a liver injury induced by LPS.

  14. Optical Bistability in Graded Core-Shell Granular Composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu Ya-Min; Chen Guo-Qing; Xue Si-Zhong; Zhu Zhuo-Wei; Ma Chao-Qun

    2012-01-01

    The intrinsic optical bistability (OB) of graded core-shell granular composites is investigated. The coated particles are made of cores with gradient dielectric function in c (r) = A(r/a) k and nonlinear shells. In view of the exponential distribution of the core dielectric constant, the potential functions of each region are obtained by solving the Maxwell equations, and the mathematical expressions of electric field in the shells and cores are determined. Numerical study reveals that the optical bistable threshold and the threshold width of the composite medium are dependent on the shell thickness, core dielectric exponent, and power function coefficient. The optical bistable width increases with the decreasing shell thickness and the power exponent and with the increasing power function coefficient

  15. Stable isotope analysis in ice core paleoclimatology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bertler, N.

    2009-01-01

    Ice cores from New Zealand and the Antarctic margin provide an excellent means of addressing the lack of longer-term climate observations in the Southern Hemisphere with near instrumental quality. Their study helps us to improve our understanding of regional patterns of climate behaviour in Antarctica and its influence on New Zealand, leading to more realistic regional climate models. Such models are needed to sensibly interpret current Antarctic and New Zealand climate variability and for the development of appropriate mitigation strategies for New Zealand. Ice core records provide an annual-scale, 'instrumental-quality' baseline of atmospheric temperature and circulation changes back many thousands of years. (author). 45 refs., 16 figs., 2 tabs.

  16. Stable isotope analysis in ice core paleoclimatology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bertler, N.

    2009-01-01

    Ice cores from New Zealand and the Antarctic margin provide an excellent means of addressing the lack of longer-term climate observations in the Southern Hemisphere with near instrumental quality. Their study helps us to improve our understanding of regional patterns of climate behaviour in Antarctica and its influence on New Zealand, leading to more realistic regional climate models. Such models are needed to sensibly interpret current Antarctic and New Zealand climate variability and for the development of appropriate mitigation strategies for New Zealand. Ice core records provide an annual-scale, 'instrumental-quality' baseline of atmospheric temperature and circulation changes back many thousands of years. (author). 27 refs., 18 figs., 2 tabs

  17. Stable isotope analysis in ice core paleoclimatology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bertler, N.A.N.

    2012-01-01

    Ice cores from New Zealand and the Antarctic margin provide an excellent means of addressing the lack of longer-term climate observations in the Southern Hemisphere with near instrumental quality. Their study helps us to improve our understanding of regional patterns of climate behaviour in Antarctica and its influence on New Zealand, leading to more realistic regional climate models. Such models are needed to sensibly interpret current Antarctic and New Zealand climate variability and for the development of appropriate mitigation strategies for New Zealand. Ice core records provide an annual-scale, 'instrumental-quality' baseline of atmospheric temperature and circulation changes back many thousands of years. (author). 28 refs., 20 figs., 1 tab.

  18. Stable isotope analysis in ice core paleoclimatology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bertler, N.

    2008-01-01

    Ice cores from New Zealand and the Antarctic margin provide an excellent means of addressing the lack of longer-term climate observations in the Southern Hemisphere with near instrumental quality. Their study helps us to improve our understanding of regional patterns of climate behaviour in Antarctica and its influence on New Zealand, leading to more realistic regional climate models. Such models are needed to sensibly interpret current Antarctic and New Zealand climate variability and for the development of appropriate mitigation strategies for New Zealand. Ice core records provide an annual-scale, 'instrumental-quality' baseline of atmospheric temperature and circulation changes back many thousands of years. (author). 27 refs., 18 figs., 2 tabs

  19. Characterization and biological role of the O-polysaccharide gene cluster of Yersinia enterocolitica serotype O : 9

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skurnik, Mikael; Biedzka-Sarek, Marta; Lubeck, Peter S.

    2007-01-01

    Yersinia enterocolitica serotype O:9 is a gram-negative enteropathogen that infects animals and humans. The role of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in Y. enterocolitica O:9 pathogenesis, however, remains unclear. The O:9 LPS consists of lipid A to which is linked the inner core oligosaccharide, serving...

  20. Design, synthesis, and structure-activity relationship study of halogen containing 2-benzylidene-1-indanone derivatives for inhibition of LPS-stimulated ROS production in RAW 264.7 macrophages.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shrestha, Aarajana; Jin Oh, Hye; Kim, Mi Jin; Pun, Nirmala Tilija; Magar, Til Bahadur Thapa; Bist, Ganesh; Choi, Hongseok; Park, Pil-Hoon; Lee, Eung-Seok

    2017-06-16

    As a continuous effort to discover new potential anti-inflammatory agents, we systematically designed and synthesized sixty-one 2-benzylidene-1-indanone derivatives with structural modification of chalcone, and evaluated their inhibitory activity on LPS-stimulated ROS production in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Systematic structure-activity relationship study revealed that hydroxyl group in C-5, C-6, or C-7 position of indanone moiety, and ortho-, meta-, or para-fluorine, trifluoromethyl, trifluoromethoxy, and bromine functionalities in phenyl ring are important for inhibition of ROS production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Among all the tested compounds, 6-hydroxy-2-(2-(trifluoromethoxy) benzylidene)-2,3-dihydro-1H-inden-1-one (compound 44) showed the strongest inhibitory activity of ROS production. Further studies on the mode of action revealed that compound 44 potently suppressed LPS-stimulated ROS production via modulation of NADPH oxidase. The findings of this work could be useful to design 2-benzylidene-indanone based lead compounds as novel anti-inflammatory agents. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  1. Core labeling of adenovirus with EGFP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Le, Long P.; Le, Helen N.; Nelson, Amy R.; Matthews, David A.; Yamamoto, Masato; Curiel, David T.

    2006-01-01

    The study of adenovirus could greatly benefit from diverse methods of virus detection. Recently, it has been demonstrated that carboxy-terminal EGFP fusions of adenovirus core proteins Mu, V, and VII properly localize to the nucleus and display novel function in the cell. Based on these observations, we hypothesized that the core proteins may serve as targets for labeling the adenovirus core with fluorescent proteins. To this end, we constructed various chimeric expression vectors with fusion core genes (Mu-EGFP, V-EGFP, preVII-EGFP, and matVII-EGFP) while maintaining expression of the native proteins. Expression of the fusion core proteins was suboptimal using E1 expression vectors with both conventional CMV and modified (with adenovirus tripartite leader sequence) CMV5 promoters, resulting in non-labeled viral particles. However, robust expression equivalent to the native protein was observed when the fusion genes were placed in the deleted E3 region. The efficient Ad-wt-E3-V-EGFP and Ad-wt-E3-preVII-EGFP expression vectors were labeled allowing visualization of purified virus and tracking of the viral core during early infection. The vectors maintained their viral function, including viral DNA replication, viral DNA encapsidation, cytopathic effect, and thermostability. Core labeling offers a means to track the adenovirus core in vector targeting studies as well as basic adenovirus virology

  2. Anti-Inflammatory Activity of the Methanol Extract of Moutan Cortex in LPS-Activated Raw264.7 Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seung-Chul Chun

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Moutan Cortex (MCE has been used in traditional medicine to remove heat from the blood, promote blood circulation and alleviate blood stasis. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of MCE on regulatory mechanisms of cytokines and nitric oxide (NO involved in immunological activity of Raw264.7 cells. Cells were pretreated with methanolic extracts of MCE, and further cultured for an appropriate time after lipopolyssacharide (LPS addition. During the entire experimental period, 0.1 and 0.3 mg ml−1 of MCE had no cytotoxicity. In these concentrations, MCE inhibited the production of NO and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2, the expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2 and phosphorylated inhibitor of κBα (p-IκBα, and the activation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB. MCE also reduced the concentration of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α, interleukin-1β (IL-1β and interleukin-6 (IL-6 in the Raw264.7 cells that were activated by LPS. These results demonstrate that MCE has anti-inflammatory effects through the inhibition of iNOS and COX-2 expression by suppressing the phosphorylation of I-κBα and the activation of NF-κB.

  3. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) blunt the response of Neuropeptide Y/Agouti-related peptide (NPY/AgRP) glucose inhibited (GI) neurons to decreased glucose.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hao, Lihong; Sheng, Zhenyu; Potian, Joseph; Deak, Adam; Rohowsky-Kochan, Christine; Routh, Vanessa H

    2016-10-01

    A population of Neuropeptide Y (NPY) neurons which co-express Agouti-related peptide (AgRP) in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARC) are inhibited at physiological levels of brain glucose and activated when glucose levels decline (e.g. glucose-inhibited or GI neurons). Fasting enhances the activation of NPY/AgRP-GI neurons by low glucose. In the present study we tested the hypothesis that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) inhibits the enhanced activation of NPY/AgRP-GI neurons by low glucose following a fast. Mice which express green fluorescent protein (GFP) on their NPY promoter were used to identify NPY/AgRP neurons. Fasting for 24h and LPS injection decreased blood glucose levels. As we have found previously, fasting increased c-fos expression in NPY/AgRP neurons and increased the activation of NPY/AgRP-GI neurons by decreased glucose. As we predicted, LPS blunted these effects of fasting at the 24h time point. Moreover, the inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) blocked the activation of NPY/AgRP-GI neurons by decreased glucose. These data suggest that LPS and TNFα may alter glucose and energy homeostasis, in part, due to changes in the glucose sensitivity of NPY/AgRP neurons. Interestingly, our findings also suggest that NPY/AgRP-GI neurons use a distinct mechanism to sense changes in extracellular glucose as compared to our previous studies of GI neurons in the adjacent ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Intranuclear interactomic inhibition of NF-κB suppresses LPS-induced severe sepsis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Sung-Dong; Cheon, So Yeong; Park, Tae-Yoon; Shin, Bo-Young; Oh, Hyunju; Ghosh, Sankar; Koo, Bon-Nyeo; Lee, Sang-Kyou

    2015-01-01

    Suppression of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation, which is best known as a major regulator of innate and adaptive immune responses, is a potent strategy for the treatment of endotoxic sepsis. To inhibit NF-κB functions, we designed the intra-nuclear transducible form of transcription modulation domain (TMD) of RelA (p65), called nt-p65-TMD, which can be delivered effectively into the nucleus without influencing the cell viability, and work as interactomic inhibitors via disruption of the endogenous p65-mediated transcription complex. nt-p65-TMD effectively inhibited the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-1β, or IL-6 from BV2 microglia cells stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). nt-p65-TMD did not inhibit tyrosine phosphorylation of signaling mediators such as ZAP-70, p38, JNK, or ERK involved in T cell activation, but was capable of suppressing the transcriptional activity of NF-κB without the functional effect on that of NFAT upon T-cell receptor (TCR) stimulation. The transduced nt-p65-TMD in T cell did not affect the expression of CD69, however significantly inhibited the secretion of T cell-specific cytokines such as IL-2, IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-17A, or IL-10. Systemic administration of nt-p65-TMD showed a significant therapeutic effect on LPS-induced sepsis model by inhibiting pro-inflammatory cytokines secretion. Therefore, nt-p65-TMD can be a novel therapeutics for the treatment of various inflammatory diseases, including sepsis, where a transcription factor has a key role in pathogenesis, and further allows us to discover new functions of p65 under normal physiological condition without genetic alteration. - Highlights: • The nt-p65-TMD is intra-nuclear interactomic inhibitor of endogenous p65. • The nt-p65-TMD effectively inhibited the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. • The excellent therapeutic potential of nt-p65-TMD was confirmed in sepsis model

  5. Intranuclear interactomic inhibition of NF-κB suppresses LPS-induced severe sepsis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Sung-Dong [Translational Research Center for Protein Function Control, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Cheon, So Yeong [Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Anesthesia and Pain Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 120-752 (Korea, Republic of); Park, Tae-Yoon; Shin, Bo-Young [Translational Research Center for Protein Function Control, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Oh, Hyunju; Ghosh, Sankar [Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032 (United States); Koo, Bon-Nyeo, E-mail: koobn@yuhs.ac [Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Anesthesia and Pain Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 120-752 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Sang-Kyou, E-mail: sjrlee@yonsei.ac.kr [Translational Research Center for Protein Function Control, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-08-28

    Suppression of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation, which is best known as a major regulator of innate and adaptive immune responses, is a potent strategy for the treatment of endotoxic sepsis. To inhibit NF-κB functions, we designed the intra-nuclear transducible form of transcription modulation domain (TMD) of RelA (p65), called nt-p65-TMD, which can be delivered effectively into the nucleus without influencing the cell viability, and work as interactomic inhibitors via disruption of the endogenous p65-mediated transcription complex. nt-p65-TMD effectively inhibited the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-1β, or IL-6 from BV2 microglia cells stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). nt-p65-TMD did not inhibit tyrosine phosphorylation of signaling mediators such as ZAP-70, p38, JNK, or ERK involved in T cell activation, but was capable of suppressing the transcriptional activity of NF-κB without the functional effect on that of NFAT upon T-cell receptor (TCR) stimulation. The transduced nt-p65-TMD in T cell did not affect the expression of CD69, however significantly inhibited the secretion of T cell-specific cytokines such as IL-2, IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-17A, or IL-10. Systemic administration of nt-p65-TMD showed a significant therapeutic effect on LPS-induced sepsis model by inhibiting pro-inflammatory cytokines secretion. Therefore, nt-p65-TMD can be a novel therapeutics for the treatment of various inflammatory diseases, including sepsis, where a transcription factor has a key role in pathogenesis, and further allows us to discover new functions of p65 under normal physiological condition without genetic alteration. - Highlights: • The nt-p65-TMD is intra-nuclear interactomic inhibitor of endogenous p65. • The nt-p65-TMD effectively inhibited the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. • The excellent therapeutic potential of nt-p65-TMD was confirmed in sepsis model.

  6. Fluocinolone acetonide partially restores the mineralization of LPS-stimulated dental pulp cells through inhibition of NF-κB pathway and activation of AP-1 pathway

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Zhongning; Jiang, Ting; Wang, Xinzhi; Wang, Yixiang

    2013-01-01

    BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Fluocinolone acetonide (FA) is commonly used as a steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. We recently found that in dental pulp cells (DPCs) FA has osteo-/odonto-inductive as well as anti-inflammatory effects. However, the mechanism by which FA induces these effects in DPCs is poorly understood. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH The effect of FA on the mineralization of DPCs during inflammatory conditions and the underlying mechanism were investigated by real-time PCR, Western blot, EMSA, histochemical staining, immunostaining and pathway blockade assays. KEY RESULTS FA significantly inhibited the inflammatory response in LPS-treated DPCs not only by down-regulating the expression of pro–inflammation-related genes, but also by up-regulating the expression of the anti-inflammatory gene PPAR-γ and mineralization-related genes. Moreover, histochemical staining and immunostaining showed that FA could partially restore the expressions of alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin and dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) and mineralization in LPS-stimulated DPCs. Real-time PCR and Western blot analysis revealed that FA up-regulated DSPP and runt-related transcription factor 2 expression by inhibiting the expression of phosphorylated-NF-κB P65 and activating activator protein-1 (AP-1) (p-c-Jun and Fra-1). These results were further confirmed through EMSA, by detection of NF-κB DNA-binding activity and pathway blockade assays using a NF-κB pathway inhibitor, AP-1 pathway inhibitor and glucocorticoid receptor antagonist. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Inflammation induced by LPS suppresses the mineralization process in DPCs. FA partially restored this osteo-/odonto-genesis process in LPS-treated DPCs and had an anti-inflammatory effect through inhibition of the NF-κB pathway and activation of the AP-1 pathway. Hence, FA is a potential new treatment for inflammation-associated bone/teeth diseases. PMID:24024985

  7. Inhibition of nitric oxide and inflammatory cytokines in LPS-stimulated murine macrophages by resveratrol, a potent proteasome inhibitor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qureshi Asaf A

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Altered immune function during ageing results in increased production of nitric oxide (NO and other inflammatory mediators. Recently, we have reported that NO production was inhibited by naturally-occurring proteasome inhibitors (quercetin, δ-tocotrienol, and riboflavin in lipopolysaccharide (LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells, and thioglycolate-elicited peritoneal macrophages from C57BL/6 mice. In a continuous effort to find more potent, non-toxic, commercially available, naturally-occurring proteasome inhibitors that suppress inflammation, the present study was carried out to describe the inhibition of NF-κB activation and NO, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, and iNOS expression by trans-resveratrol, trans-pterostilbene, morin hydrate, and nicotinic acid in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells and thioglycolate-elicited peritoneal macrophages from C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice. Results The present results indicate that resveratrol, pterostilbene, and morin hydrate caused significant inhibition (>70% to 90%; P 40%; P 60%; P 40%; P P  Conclusions The present results clearly demonstrate that resveratrol and pterostilbene are particularly potent proteasome inhibitors that suppress expression of genes, and production of inflammatory products in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, and macrophages from C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice. Resveratrol and pterostilbene which are present in grapes, blueberries, and red wine, have been implicated as contributing factors to the lower incidence of cardiovascular disease in the French population, despite their relatively high dietary fat intake. Consequently, it appears likely that the beneficial nutritional effects of resveratrol and pterostilbene are due at least in part, to their ability to inhibit NF-κB activation by the proteasome, thereby suppressing activation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and iNOS genes, resulting in decreased secretion of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and NO levels, in response to inflammatory stimuli

  8. Tailoring Sandwich Face/Core Interfaces for Improved Damage Tolerance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lundsgaard-Larsen, Christian; Berggreen, Christian; Carlsson, Leif A.

    2010-01-01

    A face/core debond in a sandwich structure may propagate in the interface or kink into either the face or core. It is found that certain modifications of the face/core interface region influence the kinking behavior, which is studied experimentally in the present paper. A sandwich double cantilever....... The transition points where the crack kinks are identified and the influence of four various interface design modifications on the propagation path and fracture resistance are investigated....

  9. The Expanded FindCore Method for Identification of a Core Atom Set for Assessment of Protein Structure Prediction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snyder, David A.; Grullon, Jennifer; Huang, Yuanpeng J.; Tejero, Roberto; Montelione, Gaetano T.

    2014-01-01

    Maximizing the scientific impact of NMR-based structure determination requires robust and statistically sound methods for assessing the precision of NMR-derived structures. In particular, a method to define a core atom set for calculating superimpositions and validating structure predictions is critical to the use of NMR-derived structures as targets in the CASP competition. FindCore (D.A. Snyder and G.T. Montelione PROTEINS 2005;59:673–686) is a superimposition independent method for identifying a core atom set, and partitioning that set into domains. However, as FindCore optimizes superimposition by sensitively excluding not-well-defined atoms, the FindCore core may not comprise all atoms suitable for use in certain applications of NMR structures, including the CASP assessment process. Adapting the FindCore approach to assess predicted models against experimental NMR structures in CASP10 required modification of the FindCore method. This paper describes conventions and a standard protocol to calculate an “Expanded FindCore” atom set suitable for validation and application in biological and biophysical contexts. A key application of the Expanded FindCore method is to identify a core set of atoms in the experimental NMR structure for which it makes sense to validate predicted protein structure models. We demonstrate the application of this Expanded FindCore method in characterizing well-defined regions of 18 NMR-derived CASP10 target structures. The Expanded FindCore protocol defines “expanded core atom sets” that match an expert’s intuition of which parts of the structure are sufficiently well-defined to use in assessing CASP model predictions. We also illustrate the impact of this analysis on the CASP GDT assessment scores. PMID:24327305

  10. Andrographolide attenuates LPS-stimulated up-regulation of C-C and C-X-C motif chemokines in rodent cortex and primary astrocytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Siew Ying; Tan, Michelle G K; Banks, William A; Wong, W S Fred; Wong, Peter T-H; Lai, Mitchell K P

    2016-02-09

    Andrographolide is the major bioactive compound isolated from Andrographis paniculata, a native South Asian herb used medicinally for its anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, we aimed to assess andrographolide's potential utility as an anti-neuroinflammatory therapeutic. The effects of andrographolide on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced chemokine up-regulation both in mouse cortex and in cultured primary astrocytes were measured, including cytokine profiling, gene expression, and, in cultured astrocytes, activation of putative signaling regulators. Orally administered andrographolide significantly attenuated mouse cortical chemokine levels from the C-C and C-X-C subfamilies. Similarly, andrographolide abrogated a range of LPS-induced chemokines as well as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in astrocytes. In astrocytes, the inhibitory actions of andrographolide on chemokine and TNF-α up-regulation appeared to be mediated by nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) or c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation. These results suggest that andrographolide may be useful as a therapeutic for neuroinflammatory diseases, especially those characterized by chemokine dysregulation.

  11. Oleoylethanolamide exerts anti-inflammatory effects on LPS-induced THP-1 cells by enhancing PPARα signaling and inhibiting the NF-κB and ERK1/2/AP-1/STAT3 pathways.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Lichao; Guo, Han; Li, Ying; Meng, Xianglan; Yan, Lu; Dan Zhang; Wu, Sangang; Zhou, Hao; Peng, Lu; Xie, Qiang; Jin, Xin

    2016-10-10

    The present study aimed to examine the anti-inflammatory actions of oleoylethanolamide (OEA) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced THP-1 cells. The cells were stimulated with LPS (1 μg/ml) in the presence or absence of OEA (10, 20 and 40 μM). The pro-inflammatory cytokines were evaluated by qRT-PCR and ELISA. The THP-1 cells were transiently transfected with PPARα small-interfering RNA, and TLR4 activity was determined with a blocking test using anti-TLR4 antibody. Additionally, a special inhibitor was used to analyse the intracellular signaling pathway. OEA exerted a potent anti-inflammatory effect by reducing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and TLR4 expression, and by enhancing PPARα expression. The modulatory effects of OEA on LPS-induced inflammation depended on PPARα and TLR4. Importantly, OEA inhibited LPS-induced NF-κB activation, IκBα degradation, expression of AP-1, and the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and STAT3. In summary, our results demonstrated that OEA exerts anti-inflammatory effects by enhancing PPARα signaling, inhibiting the TLR4-mediated NF-κB signaling pathway, and interfering with the ERK1/2-dependent signaling cascade (TLR4/ERK1/2/AP-1/STAT3), which suggests that OEA may be a therapeutic agent for inflammatory diseases.

  12. Performance testing of a mixed TRIGA core

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schumacher, R F; Godsey, T A; Feltz, D E; Randall, J D [Texas A and M University (United States)

    1974-07-01

    The major operational problem experienced by the Nuclear Science Center Reactor at Texas A and M University is full burnup. With two shift operation caused by the high utilization of the facility, the reactor is operated more than 100 megawatt days per year. The solution chosen for this problem was conversion to FLIP fuel. Since funds were not available to load an entire FLIP core, a mixed core comprised of approximately one third FLIP fuel located in the central region was designed. The design core was loaded and went critical on July 1, 1973. The results of the following measurements on the mixed core are presented: Determination of Rod worths; Measurement of Reactivity Effects; Determination of Flux values; Measurement of Fuel temperatures; Preliminary Fuel Burnup Rate; Pulsing Calibration. (author)

  13. High-Density Lipoprotein Reduction Differentially Modulates to Classical and Nonclassical Monocyte Subpopulations in Metabolic Syndrome Patients and in LPS-Stimulated Primary Human Monocytes In Vitro

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grün, Johanna L.; Manjarrez-Reyna, Aaron N.; Gómez-Arauz, Angélica Y.; Leon-Cabrera, Sonia; Bueno-Hernández, Nallely; Islas-Andrade, Sergio

    2018-01-01

    The effect of metabolic syndrome on human monocyte subpopulations has not yet been studied. Our main goal was to examine monocyte subpopulations in metabolic syndrome patients, while also identifying the risk factors that could directly influence these cells. Eighty-six subjects were divided into metabolic syndrome patients and controls. Monocyte subpopulations were quantified by flow cytometry, and interleukin- (IL-) 1β secretion levels were measured by ELISA. Primary human monocytes were cultured in low or elevated concentrations of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The nonclassical monocyte (NCM) percentage was significantly increased in metabolic syndrome patients as compared to controls, whereas classical monocytes (CM) were reduced. Among all metabolic syndrome risk factors, HDL reduction exhibited the most important correlation with monocyte subpopulations and then was studied in vitro. Low HDL concentration reduced the CM percentage, whereas it increased the NCM percentage and IL-1β secretion in LPS-treated monocytes. The LPS effect was abolished when monocytes were cultured in elevated HDL concentrations. Concurring with in vitro results, IL-1β serum values significantly increased in metabolic syndrome patients with low HDL levels as compared to metabolic syndrome patients without HDL reduction. Our data demonstrate that HDL directly modulates monocyte subpopulations in metabolic syndrome. PMID:29850624

  14. High-Density Lipoprotein Reduction Differentially Modulates to Classical and Nonclassical Monocyte Subpopulations in Metabolic Syndrome Patients and in LPS-Stimulated Primary Human Monocytes In Vitro

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Johanna L. Grün

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The effect of metabolic syndrome on human monocyte subpopulations has not yet been studied. Our main goal was to examine monocyte subpopulations in metabolic syndrome patients, while also identifying the risk factors that could directly influence these cells. Eighty-six subjects were divided into metabolic syndrome patients and controls. Monocyte subpopulations were quantified by flow cytometry, and interleukin- (IL- 1β secretion levels were measured by ELISA. Primary human monocytes were cultured in low or elevated concentrations of high-density lipoprotein (HDL and stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS. The nonclassical monocyte (NCM percentage was significantly increased in metabolic syndrome patients as compared to controls, whereas classical monocytes (CM were reduced. Among all metabolic syndrome risk factors, HDL reduction exhibited the most important correlation with monocyte subpopulations and then was studied in vitro. Low HDL concentration reduced the CM percentage, whereas it increased the NCM percentage and IL-1β secretion in LPS-treated monocytes. The LPS effect was abolished when monocytes were cultured in elevated HDL concentrations. Concurring with in vitro results, IL-1β serum values significantly increased in metabolic syndrome patients with low HDL levels as compared to metabolic syndrome patients without HDL reduction. Our data demonstrate that HDL directly modulates monocyte subpopulations in metabolic syndrome.

  15. Rice Cellulose SynthaseA8 Plant-Conserved Region Is a Coiled-Coil at the Catalytic Core Entrance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rushton, Phillip S.; Olek, Anna T.; Makowski, Lee; Badger, John; Steussy, C. Nicklaus; Carpita, Nicholas C.; Stauffacher, Cynthia V. (NEU); (Purdue)

    2016-11-22

    The crystallographic structure of a rice (Oryza sativa) cellulose synthase, OsCesA8, plant-conserved region (P-CR), one of two unique domains in the catalytic domain of plant CesAs, was solved to 2.4 Å resolution. Two antiparallel α-helices form a coiled-coil domain linked by a large extended connector loop containing a conserved trio of aromatic residues. The P-CR structure was fit into a molecular envelope for the P-CR domain derived from small-angle X-ray scattering data. The P-CR structure and molecular envelope, combined with a homology-based chain trace of the CesA8 catalytic core, were modeled into a previously determined CesA8 small-angle X-ray scattering molecular envelope to produce a detailed topological model of the CesA8 catalytic domain. The predicted position for the P-CR domain from the molecular docking models places the P-CR connector loop into a hydrophobic pocket of the catalytic core, with the coiled-coil aligned near the entrance of the substrate UDP-glucose into the active site. In this configuration, the P-CR coiled-coil alone is unlikely to regulate substrate access to the active site, but it could interact with other domains of CesA, accessory proteins, or other CesA catalytic domains to control substrate delivery.

  16. TRANTHAC-1: transient thermal-hydraulic analysis code for HTGR core of multi-channel model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sato, Sadao; Miyamoto, Yoshiaki

    1980-08-01

    The computer program TRANTHAC-1 is for predicting thermal-hydraulic transient behavior in HTGR's core of pin-in-block type fuel elements, taking into consideration of the core flow distribution. The program treats a multi-channel model, each single channel representing the respective column composed of fuel elements. The fuel columns are grouped in flow control regions; each region is provided with an orifice assembly. In the region, all channels are of the same shape except one channel. Core heat is removed by downward flow of the control through the channel. In any transients, for given time-dependent power, total core flow, inlet coolant temperature and coolant pressure, the thermal response of the core can be determined. In the respective channels, the heat conduction in radial and axial direction are represented. And the temperature distribution in each channel with the components is calculated. The model and usage of the program are described. The program is written in FORTRAN-IV for computer FACOM 230-75 and it is composed of about 4,000 cards. The required core memory is about 75 kilowords. (author)

  17. Heating mechanisms for intermittent loops in active region cores from AIA/SDO EUV observations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cadavid, A. C.; Lawrence, J. K.; Christian, D. J. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, California State University Northridge, Northridge, CA 91330 (United States); Jess, D. B. [Astrophysics Research Centre, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen' s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN (United Kingdom); Nigro, G. [Universita della Calabria, Dipartimento di Fisica and Centro Nazionale Interuniversitario Struttura della Materia, Unita di Cosenza, I-87030 Arcavacata di Rende (Italy)

    2014-11-01

    We investigate intensity variations and energy deposition in five coronal loops in active region cores. These were selected for their strong variability in the AIA/SDO 94 Å intensity channel. We isolate the hot Fe XVIII and Fe XXI components of the 94 Å and 131 Å by modeling and subtracting the 'warm' contributions to the emission. HMI/SDO data allow us to focus on 'inter-moss' regions in the loops. The detailed evolution of the inter-moss intensity time series reveals loops that are impulsively heated in a mode compatible with a nanoflare storm, with a spike in the hot 131 Å signals leading and the other five EUV emission channels following in progressive cooling order. A sharp increase in electron temperature tends to follow closely after the hot 131 Å signal confirming the impulsive nature of the process. A cooler process of growing emission measure follows more slowly. The Fourier power spectra of the hot 131 Å signals, when averaged over the five loops, present three scaling regimes with break frequencies near 0.1 min{sup –1} and 0.7 min{sup –1}. The low frequency regime corresponds to 1/f noise; the intermediate indicates a persistent scaling process and the high frequencies show white noise. Very similar results are found for the energy dissipation in a 2D 'hybrid' shell model of loop magneto-turbulence, based on reduced magnetohydrodynamics, that is compatible with nanoflare statistics. We suggest that such turbulent dissipation is the energy source for our loops.

  18. Radiometric studies of sediments cores from Gulf of Mannar

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ray, S.B.; Rajagopalan, G.; Somayajulu, B.L.K.

    1990-01-01

    Gulf of Mannar sediments contain 19.2 to 61.4% CaCO 3 , 1.9 to 5.2% organic matter, 7.2 to 18.8 ppm U and 3.0 to 16.7 ppm 232 Th, the last two on a calciu m carbonate free basis. 234 U/ 238 U activity ratio ranges from 1.09 to 1.19(mean 1.14±0.02), indicating the authigenic nature of U in the sediments. High U concentrations prevail throughout the cores (length∼ 150cm) analysed in this study. The 14 C- based deposition rates are 60.1 and 114cm (10 3 y) -1 for the shallow (water depth 3 y) -1 for the cores from the deeper (water depth > 2000m) regions. The authigenic deposition rates of U in the cores from shallow water regions are 130 and 314 μg cm -2 (10 3 y) -1 during the past < 3000y which compare well with such rates derived from anoxic coastal regions of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. (author). 31 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab

  19. International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis core curriculum project: core competencies in clinical thrombosis and hemostasis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    McLintock, C.; Pabinger, I.; Bauer, K. A.; Laffan, M.; Angchaisuksiri, P.; Rezende, S. M.; Middeldorp, S.; Ross, M.

    2016-01-01

    Essentials The priority of ISTH was to establish a global core curriculum in thrombosis and hemostasis. International survey to determine competencies required for clinical specialists was carried out in the field. Competency framework provides a reference point for mapping and developing regional

  20. CORDEX Coordinated Output for Regional Evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gutowski, William; Giorgi, Filippo; Lake, Irene

    2017-04-01

    The Science Advisory Team for the Coordinated Regional Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) has developed a baseline framework of specified regions, resolutions and simulation periods intended to provide a foundation for ongoing regional CORDEX activities: the CORDEX Coordinated Output for Regional Evaluation, or CORDEX-CORE. CORDEX-CORE was conceived in part to be responsive to IPCC needs for coordinated simulations that could provide regional climate downscaling (RCD) that yields fine-scale climate information beyond that resolved by GCMs. For each CORDEX region, a matrix of GCM-RCD experiments is designed based on the need to cover as much as possible different dimensions of the uncertainty space (e.g., different emissions and land-use scenarios, GCMs, RCD models and techniques). An appropriate set of driving GCMs can allow a program of simulations that efficiently addresses key scientific issues within CORDEX, while facilitating comparison and transfer of results and lessons learned across different regions. The CORDEX-CORE program seeks to provide, as much as possible, homogeneity across domains, so it is envisioned that a standard set of regional climate models (RCMs) and empirical statistical downscaling (ESD) methods will downscale a standard set of GCMs over all or at least most CORDEX domains for a minimum set of scenarios (high and low end). The focus is on historical climate simulations for the 20th century and projections for 21st century, implying that data would be needed minimally for the period 1950-2100 (but ideally 1900-2100). This foundational ensemble can be regionally enriched with further contributions (additional GCM-RCD pairs) by individual groups over their selected domains of interest. The RCM model resolution for these core experiments will be in the range of 10-20 km, a resolution that has been shown to provide substantial added value for a variety of climate variables and that represents a significant forward step compared in the CORDEX