Homocysteine thiolactone induces apoptosis in cultured human trophoblasts: a mechanism for homocysteine-mediated placental dysfunction?

Objective: Hyperhomocystinemia is a thrombophilic condition associated with placental dysfunction. We tested the hypothesis that homocysteine-thiolactone, a metabolite of homocysteine, induces apoptosis in cultured trophoblasts.

Study Design: Cytotrophoblasts from term human placentas were cultured for 72 hours or less in the presence or absence of 50 to 400 micromol/L homocysteine-thiolactone or 400 micromol/L cysteine (control), with or without vitamin C, vitamin E, folate, or N-acetylcysteine.

Modulation of airway inflammation and bacterial clearance by epithelial cell ICAM-1.

Many cell types in the airway express the adhesive glycoprotein for leukocytes intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) constitutively and/or in response to inflammatory stimuli. In this study, we identified functions of ICAM-1 on airway epithelial cells in defense against infection with Haemophilus influenzae. Initial experiments using a mouse model of airway infection in which the bacterial inoculum was mixed with agar beads that localize inflammation in airways demonstrated that ICAM-1 expression was required for efficient clearance of H.