Immunoregulation in onchocerciasis: predominance of Th1-type responsiveness to low molecular weight antigens of Onchocerca volvulus in exposed individuals without microfilaridermia and clinical disease.

Chronic and generalized onchocerciasis is associated with suppression of the parasite-specific cellular responsiveness, while exposed individuals without parasitological and clinical evidence of infection (endemic normals) display prominent cellular reactivity to Onchocerca volvulus antigens (OvAg). In order to identify those parasite antigens which may account for this differential cellular responsiveness, total adult worm-derived OvAg were fractionated by means of preparative SDS-PAGE and blot-elution into 22 antigen fractions of continuously decreasing molecular weight. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from microfilariae (mf)-positive onchocerciasis patients (n = 18) proliferated weakly in response to all OvAg fractions.

Ivermectin-facilitated immunity in onchocerciasis; activation of parasite-specific Th1-type responses with subclinical Onchocerca volvulus infection.

The present study examined the quantitative and qualitative changes registered in the parasite-specific antibody response, cellular reactivity and cytokine production profile in onchocerciasis patients repeatedly treated with ivermectin over a period of 8 years. The densities of Onchocerca volvulus microfilariae (mf) in treated patients remained significantly reduced, whereas the number of permanently amicrofilaridermic patients (subclinical infection) increased with repeated treatments. In vitro cellular responses to O.

Release of endothelin in the oleic acid-induced respiratory distress syndrome in rats.

Rats injected intravenously with oleic acid developed pulmonary edema leading to hypoxia and hypercarbia. These changes were accompanied by an increase in immunoreactive endothelin (ir-ET) in plasma as early as 15 min after injection. At 45 min after injection plasma levels peaked at 114 +/- 19 pg/ml plasma (n = 8) and reached basal levels again after 240 min.

Release of eicosanoids and endothelin in an experimental model of adult respiratory distress syndrome.

In an experimental model of adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) we have investigated the release of several vasoactive mediators since the rapid and severe increase in pulmonary arterial pressure is known to be a key feature in this condition. Intravenous injection of oleic acid (OA) into rats resulted in the development of a syndrome similar to ARDS characterized by severe hypoxia. As early as 15 min after OA injection elevated levels of 11-deoxy-15-keto-13,14-dihydro-11,16-cyclo-prostaglandin (PG) E2 (DKH2-cyclo-PGE2) as an indicator of endogenous PGE2 formation could be observed.