Characterisation and Profiling of Standard Atopic Dermatitis Therapies in a Chronic Dermatitis Murine Model Induced by Oxazolone.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common inflammatory skin disorder characterised by hypersensitivity to allergens, eczematous lesions and pruritus. The aim of this study was to comprehensively characterise a murine model of dermatitis and assess the similarity with the human disease, as well as to profile clinically relevant AD therapies. Four repeated topical administrations of oxazolone in the auricular skin of sensitised mice induced morphological features compatible with AD, including redness and swelling, as well as histological changes typical of spongiotic (eczematous) dermatitis and increased plasmatic IgE.

Can consumers avoid mislabelling? Genetic species identification provides recommendations for shrimp/prawn products.

Background: Crustaceans of the superfamily Penaeoidea (e.g., shrimps and prawns) are among the most commercially available aquatic products worldwide.

Targeting antigens to an invariant epitope of the MHC Class II DR molecule potentiates the immune response to subunit vaccines.

Recombinant subunit and peptidic vaccines in general present a reduced immunogenicity in vaccinated individuals with respect to the whole pathogen from which they derived. The generation of strong immune responses to these vaccines requires the use of potent adjuvants, high antigen doses and repetitive vaccinations. In this report, we document the enhanced antibody response obtained against two recombinant subunit vaccines by means of targeting to antigen-presenting cells by a recombinant single chain antibody.

Time course of anti-inflammatory effect of low-dose radiotherapy: correlation with TGF-beta(1) expression.

Background And Purpose: Low-dose radiotherapy (LD-RT) has a potent anti-inflammatory effect, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta(1) is a potential mediator of this effect. The objectives of this study were to characterize the in vivo effects of LD-RT on leukocyte recruitment over time, and its relationship with TGF-beta(1) production.

Materials And Methods: Mice were submitted to abdominal irradiation with a dose of 0.

Efficacy of an inhibitor of adhesion molecule expression (GI270384X) in the treatment of experimental colitis.

Modulation of adhesion molecule expression or function is regarded as a promising therapy for inflammatory conditions. This study evaluates the effects of an inhibitor of adhesion molecule expression (GI270384X) in two experimental models of colitis. Colitis of different severity was induced in C57BL/6J mice by administering 1, 2, or 3% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS).

Successful oral prime-immunization with VP60 from rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus produced in transgenic plants using different fusion strategies.

Expression levels of vaccine antigens in transgenic plants have important consequences in their use as edible vaccines. The major structural protein VP60 from the rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) has been produced in transgenic plants using different strategies to compare its accumulation in plant tissues. The highest expressing plants were those presenting stable, complex, high-density structures formed by VP60, suggesting the importance of multisubunit structures for the stability of this protein in plant cells.

Multimerization of peptide antigens for production of stable immunogens in transgenic plants.

Previous literature addressing the production of recombinant proteins in heterologous systems has consistently shown that proteins capable of forming complex structures tend to accumulate within host cells at relatively higher levels than monomeric forms. In this report, we translationally fused a 21-aminoacids long highly immunogenic peptide (2L21), derived from canine parvovirus (CPV) VP2 protein to a 41-aminoacid long tetramerization domain (TD) from the transcriptional factor p53. The chimerical DNA construction 2L21-TD was cloned in a binary plant transformation vector and used to transform Arabidopsis thaliana plants.

Anti-inflammatory effects of low-dose radiotherapy in an experimental model of systemic inflammation in mice.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of low-dose radiotherapy (LD-RT) on the inflammatory response and to characterize the potential mechanisms underlying these effects.

Methods And Materials: Mice were irradiated with 0.1, 0.

Down-regulation of endothelial adhesion molecules and leukocyte adhesion by treatment with superoxide dismutase is beneficial in chronic immune experimental colitis.

Modulation of adhesion molecule expression that govern trafficking of leukocytes into the inflamed intestine is envisioned as a new strategy for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This study was designed to determine the impact of reducing oxidative stress on adhesion molecules expression and leukocyte recruitment in experimental chronic colitis. For that purpose, colitic interleukin-10 knockout and wild-type mice were studied.

Effect of cyclosporin A on cell adhesion molecules and leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions in experimental colitis.

Background: Cyclosporin A (CsA) is an immunosuppressive agent that is believed to act primarily through effects on T-helper lymphocyte function and proliferation. The aim of this study was to investigate whether modulation of leukocyte recruitment and expression of cell adhesion molecules contribute to the therapeutic efficacy of CsA in a model of experimental colitis.

Methods: The therapeutic effects of CsA were assessed in mice with dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis.

Superoxide dismutase ameliorates TNBS-induced colitis by reducing oxidative stress, adhesion molecule expression, and leukocyte recruitment into the inflamed intestine.

Oxidant stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease. Antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), are candidate drugs for modulating this pathogenic factor. This study was designed to determine the therapeutic value of SOD in an experimental model of colitis and to study the mechanisms underlying its effects on intestinal inflammation.

A novel methodology to develop a foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) peptide-based vaccine in transgenic plants.

The expression of antigens in transgenic plants has been increasingly used as an alternative to the classical methodologies for antigen expression in the development of experimental vaccines. However, an important limitation in most cases is the low concentration of the recombinant antigens in the plant tissues, which reduces the possibilities of practical applications. Because the site of insertion of the transferred DNA into the cellular chromosomal DNA is at random, different levels of foreign protein expression in independent transformants is expected.