Is there a place for mesenchymal stromal cell-based therapies in the therapeutic armamentarium against COVID-19?

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the rapid global spread of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), has caused healthcare systems to collapse and led to hundreds of thousands of deaths. The clinical spectrum of COVID-19 is not only limited to local pneumonia but also represents multiple organ involvement, with potential for systemic complications. One year after the pandemic, pathophysiological knowledge has evolved, and many therapeutic advances have occurred, but mortality rates are still elevated in severe/critical COVID-19 cases.

Betulinic Acid Exerts Cytoprotective Activity on Zika Virus-Infected Neural Progenitor Cells.

Zika virus (ZIKV), a member of the Flaviviridae family, was brought into the spotlight due to its widespread and increased pathogenicity, including Guillain-Barré syndrome and microcephaly. Neural progenitor cells (NPCs), which are multipotent cells capable of differentiating into the major neural phenotypes, are very susceptible to ZIKV infection. Given the complications of ZIKV infection and potential harm to public health, effective treatment options are urgently needed.

Tolerogenic Dendritic Cells Reduce Cardiac Inflammation and Fibrosis in Chronic Chagas Disease.

Chronic Chagas disease cardiomyopathy (CCC) is the most frequent and severe form of this parasitic disease. CCC is caused by a progressive inflammation in the heart, resulting in alterations that can culminate in heart failure and death. The use of dendritic cells (DCs) appears as an option for the development of treatments due to their important role in regulating immune responses.

Anti-inflammatory activity of SintMed65, an N-acylhydrazone derivative, in a mouse model of allergic airway inflammation.

Asthma is a chronic, complex and heterogeneous inflammatory illness, characterized by obstruction of the lower airways. About 334 million people worldwide suffer from asthma, and these estimates, as well as the severity of the disease, have increased in the last decades. Glucocorticoids are currently the most widely used drugs in the treatment and control of asthma symptoms, but their prolonged use can cause serious adverse effects.

Erratum: Tolerogenic Dendritic Cells Reduce Airway Inflammation in a Model of Dust Mite Triggered Allergic Inflammation.

This corrects the article on p. 406 in vol. 10, PMID: 29949837.

Tolerogenic Dendritic Cells Reduce Airway Inflammation in a Model of Dust Mite Triggered Allergic Inflammation.

Purpose: The use of tolerogenic dendritic cells (TolDCs) to control exacerbated immune responses may be a prophylactic and therapeutic option for application in autoimmune and allergic conditions. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of TolDC administration in a mouse model of allergic airway inflammation caused by mite extract.

Methods: Mouse bone marrow-derived TolDCs were induced by incubation with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and dexamethasone, and then characterized by flow cytometry and cytokine production by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Betulinic acid derivative BA5, a dual NF-kB/calcineurin inhibitor, alleviates experimental shock and delayed hypersensitivity.

Betulinic acid (BA) is a naturally occurring triterpenoid with several biological properties already described, including immunomodulatory activity. Here we investigated the immunomodulatory activity of eight semi-synthetic amide derivatives of betulinic acid. Screening of derivatives BA1-BA8 led to the identification of compounds with superior immunomodulatory activity than BA on activated macrophages and lymphocytes.

Leishmania braziliensis and Leishmania amazonensis amastigote extracts differ in their enhancement effect on Leishmania infection when injected intradermally.

Background: It has been reported that repeated intravenous injections of a relatively large amount of Leishmania amazonensis amastigote extract (LaE) in BALB/c mice exacerbates the infection of these mice by Leishmania braziliensis. The identification of the extract active principle(s) through physicochemical purification often involves dilution and losses of protein in the course of successive purification procedures. The large amount of the extract required to induce the phenomenon, therefore, hinders the carrying out of experiments aimed at identifying the active molecule(s) through extract purification.

Babassu aqueous extract (BAE) as an adjuvant for T helper (Th)1-dependent immune responses in mice of a Th2 immune response-prone strain.

Background: The aqueous extract of a Brazilian palm-tree fruit - the babassu - (BAE) exerts a clear immunostimulative activity in vivo. In the present work, the possibility that BAE can promote Th1 immune responses in mice of a Th2 immune response-prone strain - the BALB/c was investigated. BAE itself, and preparations consisting of Leishmania amazonensis promastigote extract (LE), adsorbed or not to Al(OH)3, and in the presence or not of BAE, were used as immunogens.