Signature-tagged mutagenesis of Vibrio vulnificus.

Vibrio vulnificus is the causative agent of primary septicemia, wound infection and gastroenteritis in immunocompromised people. In this study, signature-tagged mutagenesis (STM) was applied to identify the virulence genes of V. vulnificus.

Pantoea agglomerans lipopolysaccharide maintains bone density in premenopausal women: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Lipopolysaccharide fromPantoea agglomerans (LPSp) facilitates Ca and P turnover in chicken calvaria and femurs. This study investigated osteoporosis prevention by the oral administration of LPSp in mice and in double-blind clinical tests. Using ovariectomized (OVX) osteoporosis mice model, we investigated the effects of LPSp on the bone density and Ca concentration after ingesting LPSp-containing water for 4 weeks.

Effects of interactions between intestinal microbiota and intestinal macrophages on health.

Macrophages reside in every tissue of the body and play an important role in maintaining homeostasis. The intestinal mucosa is the largest immune organ and harbors macrophages in abundance. Dysfunction of intestinal macrophages is characteristic of patients with certain inflammatory bowel diseases.

A mixture of Salacia oblonga extract and IP-PA1 reduces fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels.

At present, lifestyle-related diseases are one of the most critical health issues worldwide. It has been reported that lipopolysaccharide derived from a Gram-negative bacteria (IP-PA1) symbiotic with wheat exhibited several advantageous biological effects, such as the reduction of plasma glucose levels in NOD mice and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels in WHHL rabbits. In this study, the beneficial effects on plasma glucose and lipids of a tea (SI tea) consisting of IP-PA1 and Salacia (which contains an inhibitor of α-glucosidase) were investigated in the KK-Ay/TaJcl type 2 diabetic model mice and in human subjects with premetabolic syndrome in a double-blind, randomized study.

Lipopolysaccharide IP-PA1 from Pantoea agglomerans prevents suppression of macrophage function in stress-induced diseases.

Chronic psychological stress impairs health and induces various diseases by causing an imbalance in the immune, neuropsychiatric and endocrine systems. The primary reason for the development of stress-induced disease is suppression of macrophage function, which plays a pivotal role in innate immunity. In fact, surgical stress has been shown to exacerbate opportunistic infections by significantly suppressing macrophage function.

Intestinal macrophages involved in the homeostasis of the intestine have the potential for responding to LPS.

Recently, there has been interest in the tertiary functions of food, those that maintain human health. Moreover, lipopolysaccharides (LPS), which are components of Gram-negative bacteria, have been found to be highly effective in activating innate immunity and have been rediscovered as new functional food materials. In this review, we discuss the significance of LPS as a food component with reference to these tertiary functions based on recent findings.

Mechanism for maintaining homeostasis in the immune system of the intestine.

Every organism possesses a mechanism for maintaining homeostasis. We have focused on the immune system as a system that helps maintain homeostasis of the body, and particularly on the intestine as the largest organ of immunity in the body. We have also focused our research on the mechanism that responds to foreign substances in the intestine, especially the toll-like receptors (TLR).

Intracellular localization of CD14 protein in intestinal macrophages.

Background: Our research is focused on intestinal macrophages, which are believed to contribute to the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis. In addition, intestinal macrophages are unique in that there is an impairment of expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) from lipopolysaccharide (LPS). This characteristic can be attributed to the lack or poor level of expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) or CD14 on the membrane of intestinal macrophages.

Suppression of response to foreign substances by intestinal macrophages.

Macrophages play an important role in the maintenance of homeostasis by changing their function according to the tissue and environment everywhere in the body. We have proposed that intestinal macrophages, which exist in the front line receiving environmental information, have an important function in forming a macrophage network for biophylaxis. In this review, we introduce intestinal macrophages as an example of the highly plastic and flexible cells adaptable to environmental information.

Treatments for the activating macrophages that reduces surgical stress and postoperative mortalities from bacterial infections and tumor metastases.

Background: Some of the mortalities caused by infectious diseases and/or distant metastases following surgery are thought to be due to immunological suppression. For this reason, techniques that reduce immunological suppression following surgery may reduce mortalities and/or incidences of micrometastases in distant organs.

Materials And Methods: Mice were anesthetized and their peritoneal cavities were opened for 30 min.

Unique molecular characteristics of the environmental responses of mucosal macrophages.

Macrophages are thought to be the cells that initially respond to environmental information and transmit this information to other immune cells. We hypothesize that there is a "network system" consisting of various tissue macrophages; the macrophages respond to stimulation and transmit secondary information to neighboring cells, which is important for the maintenance of homeostasis. Macrophages exist in all animal organs as tissue macrophages, and their cellular characteristics may change as an adaption to tissue-specific environments.

Innate-immune therapy for lung carcinoma based on tissue-macrophage activation with lipopolysaccharide.

Background: Over the last decade, tumor-specific antigens have been discovered, but so far it has not been possible to use them as part of an effective acquired immunotherapy. This failure may be due to the fact that the expression of the MHC class 1 is low and in lung cancer cells is heterogeneous. Therefore, it may be advantageous to develop techniques that activate the antitumor mechanism of the innate immune system.

Establishment of an in vitro model using NR8383 cells and Mycobacterium bovis Calmette-Guerin that mimics a chronic infection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Background: Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection affects one-third of the world's population and causes the death of three million people each year. To clarify details of M. tuberculosis survival strategies, it is important to establish a suitable in vitro model that mimics a chronic infection in alveolar macrophages by M.

Inherent potential for production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha by human intestinal macrophages.

Background And Aims: Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) production by the macrophages in intestines appears to play a critical role in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease (CD). However, it is reported that resident intestinal macrophages (both colonic and small-bowel) do not produce TNF after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. It has not yet been proven whether or not intestinal macrophages have an inherent potential to produce TNF.

Utilization of macrophages in anticancer therapy: the macrophage network theory.

Appropriate and rational modulation of innate immunity may enhance the therapeutic efficacy of emerging immune therapies for treating cancer. One of the crucial cells of innate immunity is the macrophage. The purpose of this article was to review those issues that suggest ways of exploiting macrophage local functions in immune therapy, and to discuss the suitability of low molecular-weight lipopolysaccharides as potent modulators of macrophage functions for immune therapy of cancer.