Immolina, a high-molecular-weight polysaccharide fraction of Spirulina, enhances chemokine expression in human monocytic THP-1 cells.

Introduction: Spirulina (Spirulina platensis) is a dietary supplement valued for its immune-enhancing properties. We previously reported that the immunostimulatory effect of spirulina can be traced to a high-molecular- weight polysaccharide fraction. This fraction, labeled Immolina, activates nuclear factor kappa-B in human monocytic THP-1 cells and increases expression of proinflammatory cytokines.

Ginger--an herbal medicinal product with broad anti-inflammatory actions.

The anti-inflammatory properties of ginger have been known and valued for centuries. During the past 25 years, many laboratories have provided scientific support for the long-held belief that ginger contains constituents with antiinflammatory properties. The original discovery of ginger's inhibitory effects on prostaglandin biosynthesis in the early 1970s has been repeatedly confirmed.

Ginger extract inhibits beta-amyloid peptide-induced cytokine and chemokine expression in cultured THP-1 monocytes.

Introduction: Neuritic plaques, a neuropathologic hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, are extracellular deposits of beta-amyloid peptides (Abeta). In the central nervous system neuritic plaques are surrounded by activated microglial cells expressing proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and neurotoxic mediators. Long-term activation of microglial cells is suspected to contribute to the neuron loss in Alzheimer's disease.

Immunohistochemical visualization of corticotropin-releasing factor type 1 (CRF1) receptors in monkey brain.

Corticotropin-releasing factor receptor type 1, CRF1, plays a prominent role in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and is implicated in the autonomic and behavioral responses to stress. Dysregulation of the CRF system may underlie the pathophysiology of several disorders, including depression and anxiety. The distribution of CRF1 mRNA and CRF1 specific ligand binding has been reported by multiple groups in rodents using in situ hybridization and receptor autoradiography, respectively.

Targeted disruption of the murine Bin1/Amphiphysin II gene does not disable endocytosis but results in embryonic cardiomyopathy with aberrant myofibril formation.

The mammalian Bin1/Amphiphysin II gene encodes an assortment of alternatively spliced adapter proteins that exhibit markedly divergent expression and subcellular localization profiles. Bin1 proteins have been implicated in a variety of different cellular processes, including endocytosis, actin cytoskeletal organization, transcription, and stress responses. To gain insight into the physiological functions of the Bin1 gene, we have disrupted it by homologous recombination in the mouse.