Higher Activities of Hepatic Versus Splenic CD8+ T Cells in Responses to Adoptive T Cell Therapy and Vaccination of B6 Mice with MHC Class-1 Binding Antigen.

The liver has unique microenvironment which is known to induce tolerance of cytolytic CD8+ T cells to hepatic and extra hepatic antigens, resulting in persistence of infection of the liver by the hepatitis B and C viruses. However, under some conditions, functional immune responses can be elicited in the liver in particular to show preferential retention of activated CD8+ T cells. It is not clear whether this retention depends on the type of the exogenous immunostimulatory or the endogenous innate immune cells.

IFN-α-based treatment of patients with chronic HCV show increased levels of cells with myeloid-derived suppressor cell phenotype and of IDO and NOS.

Introduction: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection causes chronic hepatitis, which is often associated with suppressed anti-HCV immune responses. We have recently reported accumulation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and suppressed immunity in cancer patients.

Aim: The main aim of this study was to determine whether chronic HCV patients harbor high of MDSCs in general and in nonresponders to IFN-based therapy in particular as well as to analyze the immune suppressive molecules.

Brewer's Yeast Supplementation Enhances Immune Response of Aged Mice.

A large amount of evidence indicates that aging is associated with immune system dysfunction. Brewer's yeast, one of the most notable species of yeast in health and wellness, has been shown to stimulate the immune system and improve human life span. In the present study, brewer's yeast (5, 25 or 125 μg/mouse) was orally supplemented to aged mice each other day for 4 weeks.