Aberrant host defense against Leishmania major in the absence of SLPI.

SLPI, a potent epithelial and myeloid-derived serine protease inhibitor with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory functions, is induced by the intracellular parasite Leishmania major, and increased SLPI expression is evident within lesions that follow L. major infection. In contrast to self-resolving infection in C57Bl/6 WT mice, Slpi(-/-) mice launch a strong Th1 response to L.

Biglycan modulates angiogenesis and bone formation during fracture healing.

Matrix proteoglycans such as biglycan (Bgn) dominate skeletal tissue and yet its exact role in regulating bone function is still unclear. In this paper we describe the potential role of (Bgn) in the fracture healing process. We hypothesized that Bgn could regulate fracture healing because of previous work showing that it can affect normal bone formation.

WISP1/CCN4: a potential target for inhibiting prostate cancer growth and spread to bone.

Prostate cancer (PC) is a leading cause of death in men however the factors that regulate its progression and eventual metastasis to bone remain unclear. Here we show that WISP1/CCN4 expression in prostate cancer tissues was up-regulated in early stages of the disease and, further, that it correlated with increased circulating levels of WISP1 in the sera of patients at early stages of the disease. WISP1 was also elevated in the mouse prostate cancer model TRAMP in the hypoplastic diseased tissue that develops prior to advanced carcinoma formation.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) is a therapeutic target for impaired cutaneous wound healing.

Impaired wound healing states lead to substantial morbidity and cost with treatment resulting in an expenditure of billions of dollars per annum in the U.S. alone.

Proinflammatory and antimicrobial nitric oxide in gingival fluid of diabetic patients with periodontal disease.

Abnormal nitric oxide (NO) synthesis has been implicated in the pathogenesis of both periodontal disease and diabetes mellitus. In diabetic patients, increased inducible NO synthase in inflamed gingiva correlated with NO in gingival crevicular fluid. Although increased NO reflected more-severe inflammation, it was associated with reductions in CFU of Prevotella intermedia, a major periodontopathogen, highlighting dual roles for NO.