Hindlimb unloading is a ground-based model that simulates some of the aspects of spaceflight conditions, including lack of load bearing on hindlimbs and a fluid shift to the head. It has been shown that treatment with active hexose correlated compound (AHCC) restores resistance to infection in mice maintained under hindlimb-unloading conditions. The present study was designed to clarify the mechanisms by which AHCC enhances resistance to infection in this model. We hypothesized that oral administration of AHCC will enhance the function of the immune system, which could lead to the increased resistance to infection observed in this model. AHCC or the excipient was orally administered to mice, and the function of the immune system was assessed in spleen and peritoneal cells isolated from those groups. The results of the present study showed that administration of AHCC for 1 wk before and throughout the second day of the hindlimb-unloading period enhanced the function of the immune system assessed by spleen cell proliferation and cytokine production in spleens and nitric oxide and cytokine production in peritoneal cells. These findings suggest that AHCC can be used as a potent immunoenhancer, especially in cases in which the immune system is suppressed by any condition, including diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus infection and cancer.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00259.2004 | DOI Listing |
Neurology
February 2025
From the Autonomic Medicine Section, Clinical Neurosciences Program, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, MD.
Background And Objectives: Lewy body diseases (LBDs) such as Parkinson disease (PD) feature increased deposition of α-synuclein (α-syn) in cutaneous sympathetic noradrenergic nerves. The pathophysiologic significance of sympathetic intraneuronal α-syn is unclear. We reviewed data about immunoreactive α-syn, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH, a marker of catecholaminergic fibers), and the sympathetic neurotransmitter norepinephrine (NE) in skin biopsies from control participants and patients with PD, the related LBD pure autonomic failure (PAF), the non-LBD synucleinopathy multiple system atrophy (MSA), or neurologic postacute sequelae of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (neuro-PASC).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnnu Rev Biomed Eng
January 2025
2Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; email:
Regulation of the brain's neuroimmune system is central to development, normal function, and disease. Neuronal communication to microglia, the primary immune cells of the brain, is well known to involve purinergic signaling mediated via ATP secretion and the cytokine fractalkine. Recent evidence shows that neurons release multiple cytokines beyond fractalkine, yet these are less studied and poorly understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305.
Exercising regularly promotes health, but these benefits are complicated by acute inflammation induced by exercise. A potential source of inflammation is cell-free DNA (cfDNA), yet the cellular origins, molecular causes, and immune system interactions of exercise-induced cfDNA are unclear. To study these, 10 healthy individuals were randomized to a 12-wk exercise program of either high-intensity tactical training (HITT) or traditional moderate-intensity training (TRAD).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMol Oncol
January 2025
Molecular Carcinogenesis Group, Department of Histology and Embryology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece.
Rejuvenation of elementary immune system components has emerged as a promising strategy to deal with increased susceptibility to infections, cancers, autoimmune disorders, and low efficacy to vaccines, frequently accompanying aging. In this context, the thymus has gained significant attention. A recent study by Santamaria et al.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv Sci (Weinh)
January 2025
SKKU Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology (SAINT), Department of Nano Engineering, Department of Nano Science and Technology, School of Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Institute for Convergence at SKKU, Sungkyunkwan University, 2066 Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, 16419, Republic of Korea.
Despite their safety and widespread use, conventional protein antigen-based subunit vaccines face significant challenges such as low immunogenicity, insufficient long-term immunity, poor CD8 T-cell activation, and poor adaptation to viral variants. To address these issues, an infection-mimicking gel (IM-Gel) is developed that is designed to emulate the spatiotemporal dynamics of immune stimulation in acute viral infections through in situ supramolecular self-assembly of nanoparticulate-TLR7/8a (NP-TLR7/8a) and an antigen with tannic acid (TA). Through collagen-binding properties of TA, the IM-Gel enables sustained delivery and enhanced retention of NP-TLR7/8a and protein antigen in the lymph node subcapsular sinus of mice for over 7 days, prolonging the exposure of vaccine components in both B cell and T cell zones, leading to robust humoral and cellular responses.
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