Plant-Based, Antioxidant-Rich Snacks Elevate Plasma Antioxidant Ability and Alter Gut Bacterial Composition in Older Adults.

Plant-rich diets alleviate oxidative stress and gut dysbiosis and are negatively linked to age-associated chronic disorders. This study examined the effects of consuming plant-based, antioxidant-rich smoothies and sesame seed snacks (PBASS) on antioxidant ability and gut microbial composition in older adults. Healthy and sub-healthy older adults ( = 42, 79.

Modulates Th1/Th2 Response and Attenuates Airway Inflammation in an Ovalbumin-Sensitized Mouse Allergic Asthma Model.

, called fuling, is a famous tonic in traditional Chinese medicine that reportedly possesses various pharmacological properties, including anti-inflammation and immunomodulation. However, few studies have investigated the effects of on allergic diseases, such as allergic asthma. Allergic asthma is caused primarily by Th2 immune response and characterized by airway inflammation.

The Lanostane Triterpenoids in Play Beneficial Roles in Immunoregulatory Activity.

(Schwein) F.A. Wolf (syn.

Interleukin-27 and interleukin-12 augment activation of distinct cord blood natural killer cells responses via STAT3 pathways.

Background/purpose: Umbilical cord blood is rich in primitive natural killer (NK) cells, which are activated by interleukin (IL)-12. It was previously reported that a novel IL-12 family cytokine, IL-27 comprised of EBI3 and p28, was elevated in maternal serum during normal pregnancy. Thus, we compared the immune regulatory functions of IL-27 and IL-12 on mononuclear cells derived from cord blood and adult peripheral blood.

The immunoregulatory effects of caffeic acid phenethyl ester on the cytokine secretion of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from asthmatic children.

Background: Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways for which current treatments are mainly based on pharmacological interventions, such as glucocorticoid therapy. Our objective was to study the immunoregulatory effects of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE, a phytochemical synthesized from propolis) on cytokine secretion of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from asthmatic children.

Methods: PBMCs from asthmatic children (5.

The effects of gold nanoparticles in wound healing with antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate and α-lipoic acid.

Unlabelled: Topical applications of antioxidant agents in cutaneous wounds have attracted much attention. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and α-lipoic acid (ALA) were shown to have antioxidative effects and could be helpful in wound healing. Their effects in Hs68 and HaCaT cell proliferation and in mouse cutaneous wound healing were studied.

Genistein attenuates D-galactose-induced oxidative damage through decreased reactive oxygen species and NF-κB binding activity in neuronal PC12 cells.

Aims: We investigated the mechanism of D-galactose (DG)-induced oxidative damage and the neuroprotective action of genistein in PC12 cells.

Main Methods: PC12 cells were treated with 40mM DG dissolved in medium containing 85% RPMI1640, 10% HBS and 5% FBS with or without genistein. We measured the protein expression of β-amyloid (Aβ), advanced glycation end products (AGEs), IκB-α and manganese-superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) by western blotting, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) by 2, 7-dichlorofluorescin-diacetate, and the binding activity of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) by electrophortic mobility shift assay.

The effect of caffeic acid phenethyl ester on the functions of human monocyte-derived dendritic cells.

Background: Propolis, an ancient herbal medicine, has been reported the beneficial effect both in asthma patients and murine model of asthma, but the mechanism was not clearly understood. In this study, the effect of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), the most extensively studied components in propolis, on the functions of human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MoDCs) was investigated.

Results: CAPE significantly inhibited IL-12 p40, IL-12 p70, IL-10 protein expression in mature healthy human MoDCs stimulated by lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and IL-12 p40, IL-10, IP-10 stimulated by crude mite extract.

Soy isoflavones attenuate oxidative stress and improve parameters related to aging and Alzheimer's disease in C57BL/6J mice treated with D-galactose.

d-galactose (DG)-induced aging in C57BL/6J (B6) mice (3-4 mo) was used to examine the effects of soy isoflavones (SIF). Mice were divided into six groups: corn oil control, DG treatment, DG+melatonin (1 mg/kg BW), and DG+low (0.1 mg/kg), median (0.

Interleukin-20 targets renal mesangial cells and is associated with lupus nephritis.

Lupus nephritis is one manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Interleukin (IL)-10 is involved in the pathogenesis of SLE. To determine whether IL-20, a member of the IL-10 family, is associated with lupus nephritis, we analyzed the expression of IL-20 and its receptors in mesangial cells derived from SLE-prone, NZB/W, and DBA/W mice.

Vitamin B2 inhibits glutamate release from rat cerebrocortical nerve terminals.

We examined the effect of riboflavin, vitamin B2, on the release of endogenous glutamate from nerve terminals purified from rat cerebral cortex. The release of glutamate evoked by 4-aminopyridine was inhibited by riboflavin. Further experiments indicated that riboflavin-mediated inhibition of glutamate release (i) results from a reduction of vesicular exocytosis, not from an inhibition of nonvesicular release; (ii) is associated with a decrease in presynaptic N-type and P/Q-type voltage-dependent Ca channel activity.

Mesangial cells of lupus-prone mice are sensitive to chemokine production.

Infectious antigens may be triggers for the exacerbation of systemic lupus erythematosus. The underlying mechanism causing acceleration and exacerbation of lupus nephritis (LN) is largely unknown. Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is capable of inducing an accelerated model of LN in NZB/W mice, featuring diffuse proliferation of glomerular resident cells.

Propolis extracts exhibit an immunoregulatory activity in an OVA-sensitized airway inflammatory animal model.

Propolis, which has been used widely in folk medicine, has been shown to exhibit various biological activities but its immunoregulatory and anti-inflammatory activities in intact animals have not been well studied. We investigated these activities of propolis using an ovalbumin-induced asthma animal model. Mice were immunized and sensitized by exposure to ovalbumin (OVA) antigen and administered with low- (65 mg/kg body weight) and high-dose (325 mg/kg body weight) propolis water extracts by tube feeding.

Inhibitory effect of pooled human immunoglobulin on cytokine production in peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Human intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) are widely used as immunomodulators because of their ability to modify the course of various immune-mediated diseases. We investigated the mechanisms responsible for the regulatory effects of IVIG on in vitro human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cytokine production. Pre-incubation of PBMCs with IVIG inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)/ionomycin stimulated cytokine secretion.

The distinct effects of a butanol fraction of Bidens pilosa plant extract on the development of Th1-mediated diabetes and Th2-mediated airway inflammation in mice.

Bidens pilosa is claimed to be useful for immune or anti-inflammatory disorders; however, little scientific evidence has been published concerning its function. In this paper, immune disease mouse models were used to study the function of a butanol fraction of B.pilosa.

Myeloperoxidase serves as a marker of oxidative stress during single haemodialysis session using two different biocompatible dialysis membranes.

Background: There is increased oxidative stress in patients undergoing haemodialysis (HD); however, little is known of how different dialysis membranes contribute to the oxidative stress induced by the dialysis procedure per se. We therefore studied the influence of two different dialysis membranes on oxidative stress during HD.

Methods: Eight patients undergoing HD three times per week were enrolled in this cross-controlled study.