Publications by authors named "Krist H Antunes"

We analyzed the ability of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) itself and SARS-CoV-2-IgG immune complexes to trigger human monocyte necroptosis. SARS-CoV-2 was able to induce monocyte necroptosis dependently of MLKL activation. Necroptosis-associated proteins (RIPK1, RIPK3 and MLKL) were involved in SARS-CoV-2N1 gene expression in monocytes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The chosen plant and its extracts have been an alternative in the treatment of several inflammatory and oxidant diseases, and is therefore a viable option for the treatment of hepatic fibrosis.

Aim Of The Study: This study aimed to use Moquiniastrum polymorphum subsp. polymorphum, mainly the ethanolic extract and fractions, in the treatment of hepatic fibrosis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Coumaric acid is a phenolic compound found in medicinal plants. Its use has been reported in the treatment of inflammatory diseases, prevention of alterations induced by oxidative stress, as well as acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity. Thus, this study evaluated coumaric acid as a potential treatment for liver fibrosis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Microbiota are recognized to play a major role in regulation of immunity through release of immunomodulatory metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Rhinoviruses (RVs) induce upper respiratory tract illnesses and precipitate exacerbations of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease through poorly understood mechanisms. Local interactions between SCFAs and antiviral immune responses in the respiratory tract have not been previously investigated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • This study explored how antibiotic treatment, which depletes gut microbiota, affects the response of mice infected with SARS-CoV-2.
  • After antibiotic treatment, most mice (over 80%) died by day 11, but those treated with antibiotics showed better clinical symptoms despite similar weight loss compared to untreated mice.
  • Overall, the research concluded that depleting microbiota did not significantly influence the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection or the associated immune response in the mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • In vitro methods for testing SARS-CoV-2 treatments may not accurately reflect real infection contexts, and mouse models have limitations.
  • The study introduces a novel ex vivo technique that uses nasal epithelial cells collected from COVID-19 patients.
  • This approach enables researchers to directly observe immune responses and evaluate new treatments on patient-derived cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a seasonal pathogen responsible for the highest percentage of viral bronchiolitis in pediatric patients. There are currently no vaccine available and therapeutic methods to mitigate the severity of RSV bronchiolitis are limited. OM-85, an oral standardized bacterial lysate isolated from human respiratory strains and widely used to prevent recurrent infections and/or exacerbations in populations at risk, has been shown to be effective and safe in children and adults.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a life-threatening acute inflammatory disease with high rates of morbidity and mortality worldwide. 4-Allyl-2,6-dimethoxyphenol (methoxyeugenol), a phenylpropanoid from a synthetic source, exhibits strong anti-inflammatory activity, but its effects on the inflammation of ALI have not yet been reported. In our study, the anti-inflammatory effects of methoxyeugenol were investigated on RAW 264.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Gut microbiota-derived short-chain fatty-acid (SFCA) acetate protects mice against RSV A2 strain infection by increasing interferon-β production and expression of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs). However, the role of SFCA in RSV infection using strains isolated from patients is unknown.

Methods: We first used RSV clinical strains isolated from infants hospitalized with RSV bronchiolitis to investigate the effects of in vitro SCFA-acetate treatment of human pulmonary epithelial cells.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Resolvin D1 (RvD1), which is biosynthesized from essential long-chain fatty acids, is involved in anti-inflammatory activity and modulation of T cell response. Memory CD8+ T cells are important for controlling tumor growth and viral infections. Exacerbated inflammation has been described as impairing memory CD8+ T cell differentiation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aims: Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) develop with progressive loss of lung function and aerobic fitness. However, the precise mechanisms of exercise intolerance are still controversial and appear to be influenced by several factors. This study aimed to evaluate the association of aerobic fitness with free DNA levels in the sputum of patients with CF.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Maternal stress has been described as an important component in the offspring's cerebral development, altering the susceptibility to diseases in later life. Moreover, the postnatal period is essential for the development and integration of several peripheral and central systems related to the control of homeostasis. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of prenatal stress on the activation of cortical neurons, by performing experiments both under basal conditions and after KCl-induced depolarization.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the major cause of acute bronchiolitis in infants under 2 years old. Necroptosis has been implicated in the outcomes of respiratory virus infections. We report that RSV infection triggers necroptosis in primary mouse macrophages and human monocytes in a RIPK1-, RIPK3- and MLKL-dependent manner.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Elevated extracellular DNA levels are found in the sputum of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). However, studies investigating the association of extracellular DNA with CF severity are scarce.

Objective: To evaluate the association of extracellular DNA levels with pulmonary function, antibiotic use, and hospitalization in CF patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a severe interstitial disease with a mean survival of about 2.5-5 years after diagnosis. Its pathophysiology is still a major challenge for science.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of childhood lower respiratory tract infections. The recent failure of a vaccine candidate based on recombinant F protein underlines the urgent need to better understand the protective human memory immune response against RSV. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) protein is a transcription factor that promotes the maturation of the memory CD8 T cell response in cooperation with IL-10 and IL-21.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in infants <2 years-old. Here we describe that high-fiber diet protects mice from RSV infection. This effect was dependent on intestinal microbiota and production of acetate.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In transplantation, donor dendritic cells (do-DCs) initiate the alloimmune response either by direct interaction with host T cells or by transferring intact donor MHC to host DCs. However, how do-DCs can be targeted for improving allograft survival is still unclear. Here we show CD103 DCs are the major do-DC subset involved in the acute rejection of murine skin transplants.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF