Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is well characterized as an endogenous anti-inflammatory neuropeptide and has a brand range of biological functions. In this study, we found increased endogenous VIP expression in mice with concanavalin A-induced hepatitis, a widely used experimental model of immune-mediated liver injury. We investigated further the effect of VIP administration on concanavalin A-induced liver injury. Compared with mice pretreated with PBS, mice pretreated with VIP exhibited much lower plasma levels of aminotransferases, less inflammatory infiltration in the liver and hepatocyte apoptosis. Meanwhile, VIP significantly inhibited the release of inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) in concanavalin A-injected mice, but markedly elevated the production of anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukine-10 (IL-10). Further investigation demonstrated increased intracellular cAMP concentration after VIP administration, and showed that the protective effect of VIP on concanavalin A-induced hepatitis was mediated mainly through VIP receptor 1 (VPAC(1)). These results suggest that VIP is capable of attenuating immune-mediated liver injury in vivo. This effect is associated with its downregulation of critical inflammatory mediators and its upregulation of anti-inflammatory cytokine through VPAC(1), possibly via the cAMP-dependent pathway.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejphar.2009.02.012 | DOI Listing |
Front Biosci (Landmark Ed)
January 2025
Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larissa, Greece.
Background: Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α) and its related vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) may play a significant role in atherosclerosis and their targeting is a strategic approach that may affect multiple pathways influencing disease progression. This study aimed to perform a systematic review to reveal current evidence on the role of HIF-1α and VEGF immunophenotypes with other prognostic markers as potential biomarkers of atherosclerosis prognosis and treatment efficacy.
Methods: We performed a systematic review of the current literature to explore the role of HIF-1α and VEGF protein expression along with the relation to the prognosis and therapeutic strategies of atherosclerosis.
Front Biosci (Landmark Ed)
January 2025
Department of Surgery, School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism, Maastricht University, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Sulfatides or 3-O-sulfogalactosylceramide are negatively charged sulfated glycosphingolipids abundant in the brain and kidneys and play crucial roles in nerve impulse conduction and urinary pH regulation. Sulfatides are present in the liver, specifically in the biliary tract. Sulfatides are self-lipid antigens presented by cholangiocytes to activate cluster of differentiation 1d (CD1d)-restricted type II natural killer T (NKT) cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCell Transplant
January 2025
Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Pediatric organ transplant recipients have a higher risk for wait list mortality due to the scarcity of size matched organs. Neonatal organ donation could potentially ameliorate the discrepancy but is currently not implemented in Sweden. This study aims to evaluate the potential of neonatal organ donation in central Sweden using a standardized protocol with organ specific criteria.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFViruses
December 2024
Department of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy.
The effects of a concomitant infection of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are still debated, with a recognized major risk of HBV reactivation during immune-suppressive treatments. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and predictive factors of HBV reactivation in a cohort of hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and a current or past hepatitis B infection. In a monocentric retrospective observational study, we enrolled all consecutive hospital admitted patients with COVID-19 pneumonia and a positive HBV serology (N = 84) in our Infectious Diseases Unit from April 2021 to December 2023.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFViruses
December 2024
Departmento of Pathology, Evandro Chagas Institute, Ministry of Health, Ananindeua 67030-000, PA, Brazil.
Necroptosis is a regulated form of cell death implicated in several pathological conditions, including viral infections. In this study, we investigated the expression and correlation of necroptosis markers MLKL, RIP1 and RIP3 in human liver tissue from fatal cases of yellow fever (YF) using immunohistochemistry (IHC). The liver samples were obtained from 21 YF-positive individuals and five flavivirus-negative controls with preserved liver parenchymal architecture.
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