Gene Therapy for Cystic Fibrosis: Recent Advances and Future Prospects.

Gene replacement therapies are novel therapeutic approaches that seek to tackle hereditary diseases caused by a congenital deficiency in a particular gene, when a functional copy of a gene can be delivered to the cells and tissues using various delivery systems. To do this, viral particles carrying a functional copy of the gene of interest and various nonviral gene delivery systems, including liposomes, nanoparticles, etc., can be used.

The mast cell stabilizing activity of Chaga mushroom critical for its therapeutic effect on food allergy is derived from inotodiol.

While an anti-allergic effect of Chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) has been indicated, its therapeutic effect on allergy and immunoregulatory mechanisms and chemical constituents directly responsible for that are hardly known. We examined the effect of 70% ethanol extract of Chaga mushroom (EE) and its dichloromethane (DF) and aqueous (AF) fractions using a mouse model of chicken ovalbumin (cOVA)-induced food allergy, and found that only EE and DF ameliorated allergy symptoms to a significant extent. The in vivo mast cell-stabilizing activity was also found only in EE and DF whereas the activities to suppress Th2 and Th17 immune responses and cOVA-specific IgE production in the small intestine were observed in all three treatment regimens, implying that inhibition of the mast cell function by lipophilic compounds was vital for the therapeutic effect.

Anti-allergic effects of the ethanol extract of Syzygium formosum (Wall.) Masam leaves and its immunoregulatory mechanisms.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: As documented in a Vietnamese traditional medical encyclopedia, Syzygium formosum (Wall.) Masam leaves have been routinely used among indigenous Vietnamese people for treatment of various allergy-like symptoms including dermatitis and rhinitis.

Aim Of The Study: Anti-allergic activity of S.

Potentiation of T Cell Stimulatory Activity by Chemical Fixation of a Weak Peptide-MHC Complex.

The stability of peptide-MHC complex (pMHC) is an important factor to shape the fate of peptide-specific T cell immune response, but how it influences on T cell activation process is poorly understood. To better understand that, we investigated various T cell activation events driven by L MHCI loaded with graded concentrations of P2Ca and QL9 peptides, respectively, with 2C TCR Tg T cells; the binding strength of P2Ca for L is measurably weaker than that of QL9, but either peptides in the context of L interact with 2C TCR with a similar strength. When their concentrations required for early T cell activation events, which occur within several minutes to an hour, were concerned, EC50s of QL9 were about 100 folds lower than those of P2Ca, which was expected from their association constants for L.

The effect of human placenta cytotrophoblast cells on the maturation and T cell stimulating ability of dendritic cells in vitro.

The success of pregnancy depends upon regulatory mechanisms that allow the fetus to survive and develop to term in the uterus, despite maternal immune cells' awareness of paternal alloantigens. At least some of these specific mechanisms are mediated by the effect of fetal trophoblast cells. In the present study we examine the effect of human placental cytotrophoblast cells (CTCs) on the maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) in vitro.