ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) have been widely used in various commercial products. Application of ZnO NPs is expected to apply to cancer diagnosis and therapy, used as drug delivery carriers. In the present study, the lethal dose 50 (LD50) of intravenously administered ZnO NPs (0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHypertension is one of the most critical risk factors accompanying cardiovascular diseases. γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a non-protein amino acid that functions as a major neurotransmitter in mammals and also as a blood-pressure lowering agent. We previously produced GABA-fortified rice lines of a popular Japonica rice cultivar 'Koshihikari' by genetic manipulation of GABA shunt-related genes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImmunomodulating monoclonal antibodies (mAb) can evoke antitumor T-cell responses, which are attenuated by regulatory T cells (Treg) and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC). Treatment with cyclophosphamide (CP) and gemcitabine (GEM) can mitigate the immunosuppression by Treg and MDSC, respectively. In the current study, we examined the antitumor effects of a combination of local injection with anti-CD137 mAb and intermittent low-dose chemotherapy using CP and GEM in subcutaneously established CT26 colon carcinoma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHyperthermia (HT) improves the efficacy of anti-cancer radiotherapy and chemotherapy. However, HT also inevitably evokes stress responses and increases the expression of heat-shock proteins (HSPs) in cancer cells. Among the HSPs, HSP70 is known as a pro-survival protein.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFButyric acid, a short-chain fatty acid and one of the main metabolites of intestinal microbial fermentation of dietary fiber, has been shown to have an important role in maintaining the integrity of the intestinal mucosa, while it also has been shown to exert potent anti-inflammatory effects both in vitro and in vivo. However, the precise mechanisms underlying those effects have not been fully identified. We exposed colonic epithelial cells to butyric acid, then extracted total RNA samples, and subsequently hybridized them to microarray chips.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) has been considered to be a painless and efficacious therapeutic treatment of allergic rhinitis which is known as type I allergy of nasal mucosa. Nevertheless, its mechanisms need to be further investigated. In this study, we constructed an effective murine model of sublingual immunotherapy in allergic rhinitis, in which mice were sublingually administered with ovalbumin (OVA) followed by intraperitoneal sensitization and nasal challenge of OVA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSeveral chemotherapeutic drugs have immune-modulating effects. For example, cyclophosphamide (CP) and gemcitabine (GEM) diminish immunosuppression by regulatory T cells (Tregs) and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), respectively. Here, we show that intermittent (metronomic) chemotherapy with low-dose CP plus GEM can induce anti-tumor T cell immunity in CT26 colon carcinoma-bearing mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPreferences for different housing conditions in mice were evaluated by radiotelemetry. Male C57BL/6J and ICR mice were used. Preference for bedding materials in mice was compared among three materials, wood shavings (WS), paper (CF) and cloth (AG), using the length of stay in cages as a parameter.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMalignant cells in solid tumors survive under prolonged hypoxia and can be a source of resistance to current cancer therapies. Tumor hypoxia is also associated with a more malignant phenotype and poor survival in cancer patients. Recent progress in our understanding of the biology of tumor cells under hypoxia has led to increased attention on targeting hypoxia for cancer therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSublingual immunotherapy has been considered to be a painless and effective therapeutic treatment for allergic rhinitis, and is known as type 1 allergy of the nasal mucosa. So far, its mechanism of action has been elucidated employing peripheral blood serum and lymphocytes in an antigen-specific fashion. Because of the limitations in sampling human materials, there is still controversy among many reports between clinical efficacy and laboratory data.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the human DNase I gene (DNASE1) might be involved in susceptibility to some common diseases; however, only limited population data are available. Further, the effects of these SNPs on in vivo DNase I activity remain unknown. The genotype and haplotype of all the SNPs in DNASE1 were determined in 3 ethnic groups including 14 populations using newly developed methods.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMitigation of regulatory T cell-mediated immunosuppression and elicitation of immunogenic tumor cell death are crucial events for optimal anti-tumor immune activity in vivo. This study was designed to investigate the potential synergistic activity of the combined use of cyclophosphamide (CP) and doxorubicin (DR), both of which are known to resolve these two issues. BALB/c mice were inoculated subcutaneously with CT-26 carcinoma cells in the bilateral flank and treated with an intraperitoneal injection of a low dose of CP followed by an intratumoral injection of DR into one side of the tumor.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHuman arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase (AS3MT) is known to catalyze the methylation of arsenite. The objective of this study was to investigate the diversity of the AS3MT gene at the global level. The distribution of 18 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in AS3MT was performed in 827 individuals from 10 populations (Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Mongolian, Tibetans, Sri Lankan Tamils, Sri Lankan Sinhalese, Nepal Tamangs, Ovambo, and Ghanaian).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBedding and nesting materials can improve the health and environmental welfare of laboratory mice. This study was carried out to examine which items are actually preferred by mice. Two series of studies were performed on four types of floor-covering materials (Wood-shavings (Clean-chip), Cloth (Agrebe), Recycled-paper (Paper-clean), Paper (Care-feeaz), and on four types of nesting materials (Recycled-paper (Shepherd-shack), Cloth (Agrebe), Wood (Wood-cylinder), and Polycarbonate (Mouse-igloo).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThree strains of human esophageal carcinoma xenografts established in our institution were tested against combination chemotherapy in vivo and in vitro. TS-1 plus cisplatin (CDDP) was shown to be an effective combination against two carcinoma strains of moderately-differentiated type. Determination of the thymidylate synthase (TS) demonstrated a higher inhibition of the enzyme by adding CDDP to 5-FU, suggesting biochemical modulation.
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