The role of tomatine adjuvant in antigen delivery for cross- presentation.

The aim of this study was to investigate the use of tomatine adjuvant to deliver soluble antigen for crosspresentation by bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs). BMDCs were incubated with tomatine adjuvantovalbumin (OVA) complex and analyzed for antigen uptake by flow cytometry. Adjuvant-induced cell death was examined in situ by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) assay.

Beclin-1-independent autophagy positively regulates internal ribosomal entry site-dependent translation of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α under nutrient deprivation.

Hypoxia has been shown to induce hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1α) expression to support many cellular changes required for tumor growth and metastasis. In addition to hypoxia, nutrient deprivation is another stress condition widely existing in solid tumors due to the poor blood supply. Our data showed that nutrient deprivation induces a significant HIF-1α protein expression and potentiates the HIF-1α responses of hypoxia and CoCl2.

High performance of transferring lithium ion for polyacrylonitrile-interpenetrating crosslinked polyoxyethylene network as gel polymer electrolyte.

A polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-interpenetrating cross-linked polyoxyethylene (PEO) network (named XANE) was synthesized acting as separator and as gel polymer electrolytes simultaneously. SEM images show that the surface of the XANE membrane is nonporous, comparing to the surface of the commercial separator to be porous. This property results in excellent electrolyte uptake amount (425 wt %), and electrolyte retention for XANE membrane, significantly higher than that of commercial separator (200 wt %).

Nutrient deprivation induces the Warburg effect through ROS/AMPK-dependent activation of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase.

The Warburg effect is known to be crucial for cancer cells to acquire energy. Nutrient deficiencies are an important phenomenon in solid tumors, but the effect on cancer cell metabolism is not yet clear. In this study, we demonstrate that starvation of HeLa cells by incubation with Hank's buffered salt solution (HBSS) induced cell apoptosis, which was accompanied by the induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation.

Immunomodulatory effects of a traditional Chinese medicine, Chi-Shie-Shuang-Bu-An-Shen-Tang, on BALB/c mice.

Chi-Shie-Shuang-Bu-An-Shen-Tang (CST), a traditional Chinese medicine, has long been used to stabilize one's spirit and treatment of body weakness caused by fatigue. In order to understand whether the CST possess the immunological function and effect of thermal processing on its activities, sterilized (SCST) and nonsterilized CST (NCST) extracts were orally administrated to BABL/c mice for 1 or 3 weeks as drinking water. The results showed that CST extract after sterilization at 121 degrees C for 15 min had higher immunological activities than nonsterilized CST.

The apoptotic and necrotic effects of tomatine adjuvant.

Tomatine adjuvant, consisting of tomatine, n-octyl-beta-d-glucopyranoside (OGP), phosphatidylethanolamine and cholesterol is unique in that when combined with soluble protein antigen it elicits a cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response in immunized animals. The mechanisms underlying this property are unknown. In an attempt to understand how tomatine activates cellular immunity, we examined its potential to induce apoptosis.

Cell death induced by vaccine adjuvants containing surfactants.

Many vaccine adjuvants contain surface-active agents, but the immunological roles played by these components have been essentially ignored. The objective of this study was to examine possible apoptotic and necrotic effects of the surface-active agents, Pluronic L121 and Tween 80, which are components of L121-adjuvant (a formulation we synthesized with the aim of representing several commercially produced adjuvants), on EL4 lymphoma cells. Cell viability and cytolytic effects were analyzed using the MTT and LDH release assays, and the distribution of cells in different stages of the cell cycle after treatment with these agents was analyzed by propidium iodide (PI) staining and flow cytometry.

Induction of cell death by saponin and antigen delivery.

Purpose: Saponin is the major component in the formation of immune stimulating complex (ISCOM), a potent adjuvant able to induce both humoral and cellular immune reactions. The immunogenicity induced by saponin, however, has been unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate the apoptotic and necrotic effects induced by saponin in ELA mouse lymphoma cells, expected to be a possible mechanism of the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) effect elicited by the ISCOM.