A review of the critical role of vitamin D axis on the immune system.

In recent years, the physiological and molecular functions of vitamin D (Vit-D) have been deeply investigated. At first, Vit-D was considered a regulator of mineral and skeletal homeostasis. However, due to the extensive-expression pattern of Vit-D receptor (VDR) in almost every non-skeletal cell, Vit-D is considered mainly a multifunctional agent with broad effects on various tissues, notably the immune system.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms rs7799039 and rs2167270 in leptin gene and elevated serum levels of adiponectin predispose Iranians to Behçet's disease.

Background: Behçet's Disease (BD) is a chronic autoimmune disease with unknown etiology. Adipokines due to their roles in the regulation of immune responses might be important in the induction and progression of BD.

Subjects And Methods: This case-control study included 340 patients with BD and 310 healthy controls.

Sirtuins: Subtle Regulators Involved in Convoluted Mechanisms of Pregnancy.

Sirtuins are Class III protein deacetylases with seven conserved isoforms. In general, Sirtuins are highly activated in starving cells in response to stringent conditions, in which levels of NAD are increased. Each member of the Sirtuin family is prominently involved in the regulation of myriad fundamental biological processes including inflammation, proliferation, cell survival, DNA repair and metabolism.

Emerging therapeutic potential of regulatory T (Treg) cells for rheumatoid arthritis: New insights and challenges.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune-related disorder characterized by chronic inflammation. Although the etiopathogenesis of RA still remains to be clarified, it is supposed that the breakdown of immune self-tolerance may contribute to the development of RA. Thus, restoring of immune tolerance at the site of inflammation is the ultimate goal of RA treatment.

Harnessing the inherent power of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-expressing regulatory T cells (CAR-Tregs) to treat autoimmune-related disorders.

Over the past years, adoptive cell therapy with regulatory T lymphocytes (Tregs) has captured the attention of many scientists and clinicians as a novel promising approach for treating a wide range of immune-mediated disorders. In particular, the robust immunosuppressive properties of these cells have been demonstrated to make them uniquely valuable for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. More recently, it has been brought to light that adoptive transfer of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) Tregs (CAR-Tregs) can also serve a protective role against autoimmune-related disorders.

Mesenchymal stem cell therapy attenuates complement C3 deposition and improves the delicate equilibrium between angiogenic and anti-angiogenic factors in abortion-prone mice.

Immunological disorders are one of the main causes of recurrent spontaneous abortions (RSA). A rapidly expanding body of evidence indicates that excessive activation of the complement system is critically involved in the development of miscarriages. In the CBA/J × DBA/2 murine model of recurrent miscarriage, exaggerated and unrestrained complement activation is reported to be the underlying cause of angiogenic factor imbalance and persistent inflammation.

A comprehensive review of Sirtuins: With a major focus on redox homeostasis and metabolism.

Sirtuins are Class III protein deacetylases with seven conserved isoforms. In general, Sirtuins are highly activated under cellular stress conditions in which NAD levels are increased. Nevertheless, regulation of Sirtuins extends far beyond the influences of cellular NAD/NADH ratio and a rapidly expanding body of evidence currently suggests that their expression and catalytic activity are highly kept under control at multiple levels by various factors and processes.

Mesenchymal stem cells induce expansion of regulatory T cells in abortion-prone mice.

Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is one of the most common complications of early pregnancy associated in most cases with local or systemic immune abnormalities such as the diminished proportion of regulatory T cells (Tregs). Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been shown to modulate the immune responses by de novo induction and expansion of Tregs. In this study, we analyzed the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in Treg-associated pregnancy protection following MSCs administration in an abortion-prone mouse mating.

Therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles as novel cell-free therapy for treatment of autoimmune disorders.

Over the past decades, new light has been shed on the efficiency of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) in the treatment of autoimmune diseases. The therapeutic functions of MSCs partly stem from their well-recognized ability to efficiently modulate immune responses and it is well substantiated that MSC secretory components, in particular extracellular vesicles (EVs), play a critical role in this immunomodulation. In fact, almost any cell type can generate and release EVs under both pathological and physiological conditions and these nano-sized particles are believed to greatly contribute to homeostasis and cell-cell communication through transportation of a wide variety of biomolecules including nucleic acid, signaling lipids, regulatory proteins, transcription factors, cytokines, and growth factors.

Mesenchymal stem cells alter the frequency and cytokine profile of natural killer cells in abortion-prone mice.

Natural killer cells, which play a pivotal role in the establishment and maintenance of normal pregnancy, are the most abundant leukocytes at the fetomaternal interface that their subsets frequencies and cytokine profile are influential factors in the preservation of the decidual tolerogenic microenvironment. Any imbalance in NK cells' frequency and functions could be associated with pregnancy failure. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are shown to have immunomodulatory effects on NK cells and their cytokine profile.