• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제60권6호
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• pp.167-174
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• 2017

Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) is one of the most common forms of community-acquired pneumonia in children and adolescents. Outbreaks of MPP occur in 3- to 7-year cycles worldwide; recent epidemics in Korea occurred in 2006-2007, 2011, and 2015-2016. Although MPP is known to be a mild, self-limiting disease with a good response to macrolides, it can also progress into a severe and fulminant disease. Notably, since 2000, the prevalence of macrolide-resistant MPP has rapidly increased, especially in Asian countries, recently reaching up to 80%-90%. Macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MRMP) harbors a point mutation in domain V of 23S rRNA with substitutions mainly detected at positions 2063 and 2064 of the sequence. The excessive use of macrolides may contribute to these mutations. MRMP can lead to clinically refractory pneumonia, showing no clinical or radiological response to macrolides, and can progress to severe and complicated pneumonia. Refractory MPP is characterized by an excessive immune response against the pathogen as well as direct injury caused by an increasing bacterial load. A change of antibiotics is recommended to reduce the bacterial load. Tetracyclines or quinolones can be alternatives for treating MRMP. Otherwise, corticosteroid or intravenous immunoglobulin can be added to the treatment regimen as immunomodulators to downregulate an excessive host immune reaction and alleviate immune-mediated pulmonary injury. However, the exact starting time point, dose, or duration of immunomodulators has not been established. This review focuses on the mechanism of resistance acquisition and treatment options for MRMP pneumonia.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제59권3호
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• pp.272-278
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• 2005

배 경 : 결핵의 보호면역 반응에서 CD8+T 세포에 의한 여러 기전이 중요한 역할을 한다는 사실이 최근에 보고되고 있다. $IFN-{\gamma}$ 분비 외에도 결핵균으로 감염된 세포에 독성을 나타내어 직접 결핵균으로 감염된 세포를 제거하는 독성능 또한 그 역할이 중요하다고 알려지고 있는데, BCG 예방접종을 받은 개체에서도 이러한 균체항원에 특정한 CD8+T 세포의 독성능이 유도되어 있어서 보호면역 반응에서의 역할을 하는지 연구하였다. 대상 및 방법 : HLA-A*0201 과 A*0206를 표현하며 BCG 예방접종을 한 개체들의 혈액에서 백혈구를 분리하고 균체항원의 항원결정기 ($ThyA_{30-38}$) 에 대한 독성능과 ex vivo $IFN-{\gamma}$ 분비능을 유도하였다. 결 과 : 이들 대상에게서 $IFN-{\gamma}$ 분비능과 독성능이 유도되는 것을 관찰할 수 있었고, 또한 HLA-A*0201에 결합하여 CD8+T 세포의 면역 반응을 일으키는 $ThyA_{30-38}$ 펩티드들은 HLA-A*0206인 개체에서도 면역반응을 일으키는 것을 관찰할 수 있었다. 결 론 : 균체 항원에 특정한 CD8+T 세포들의 $IFN-{\gamma}$ 분비 능과 독성능이 BCG 백신주사를 맞은 개체에서 유도되어 있는 것을 관찰할 수 있었다. 따라서 이러한 균체항원에 특정한 CD8+T 세포들이 보호면역 반응에 관여한다는 것을 제시하며, 또한 HLA-A*0201 개체들과 HLA-A*0206 개체들을 대상으로 하는 백신이나 치료제로써 $ThyA_{30-38}$ 펩티드의 사용 가능성을 제시한다.

• 한국발생생물학회지:발생과생식
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• 제17권4호
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• pp.321-327
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• 2013

The innate immune system is the only defense weapon that invertebrates have, and it is the fundamental defense mechanism for fish. The innate immune response is important in newly hatched flounders because it is closely involved in the initial feeding phase, which is why it is essential for survival during the juvenile period. The expression analysis of genes involved in the innate immune response in the olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) in the days after hatching is incomplete. Therefore, we have begun to examine the expression patterns of genes specifically induced during the development of the innate immune system in newly hatched flounders. Microscopic observation showed that pronephron formation corresponded with the expression of perforin-encoding gene. These results suggest that perforin plays a vital role in the innate immunity of the kidney during developmental stages. Perforin expression was strong at the start of the development of the innate immune response, and continued throughout all the development stages. Our findings have important implications with respect to perforin's biological role and the evolution of the first defense mechanisms in olive flounder. Further studies are required to elucidate the perforin-mediated innate immunity response and to decipher the functional role of perforin in developmental stages.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• 제20권1호
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• pp.53-65
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• 1995

The growth and synthetic activities of fibroblasts are regulated by cytokines and growth factors derived from activated inflammatory cells. Stimulatory effect of low level laser (LLL) radiation on wound healing seems to be in part due to direct stimulatory action on cell proliferation and synthetic activities of fibroblasts. Also indirect stimulatory effect on the fibroblast function through inflammatory or immune cells is another possible mechanism of biostimulatory action of LLL. This study was performed to determine the growth rate of human gingival fibroblasts obtained biopsy and culture, fibroblast cell line, and immune cell line by using $[^3H]-$ thymidine incorporation test. And gene expression pattern was also analyzed by using the DNA probe such as Hsp70, IL-1$\beta$, MIP-1$\alpha$ and actin cDNA. Proliferation rate of gingival fibroblast was increased by LLL irradiation, but no more effect was added by LPS or IL-1$\beta$ pretreatment Enhanced Hsp70 gene expression was found from gingival fibroblasts and fibroblast cell line COS by LLL irradiation., which was not more increased by LPS or IL-1$\beta$ pretreatment. LLL-irradiated promyelcytic cell line HL-60 and macrophage cell line RAW264.7 showed significant stimulatory effect of proliferation rate when compared with respective control. However there were no changes in growth rate of other immune cell tested in this study, such as B cell line WR19n.l and 230, helper T cell line Jurkat and Hut78, cytolytic T cell line CTLL-r8. By LLL-irradiation Hsp70 gene expression was increased in RAW246.7 and HL-60, not in CTLL-R8. And IL-1$\beta$ and MIP-1$\alpha$ gene expression were induced only from LLL-irradiated RAW264.7. These results led us to presume that LLL radiation may affect to the immune cells, especially to macrophage, through which it might promote wound healing process.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권9호
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• pp.3635-3638
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• 2015

Several improvements in ovarian cancer treatment have been achieved in recent years, both in surgery and in combination chemotherapy with targeting. However, ovarian tumors remain the women's cancers with highest mortality rates. In this scenario, a pivotal role has been endorsed to the immunological environment and to the immunological mechanisms involved in ovarian cancer behavior. Recent evidence suggests a loss of the critical balance between immune-activating and immune-suppressing mechanisms when oncogenesis and cancer progression occur. Ovarian cancer generates a mechanism to escape the immune system by producing a highly suppressive environment. Immune-activated tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in ovarian tumor tissue testify that the immune system is the trigger in this neoplasm. The TIL mileau has been demonstrated to be associated with better prognosis, more chemosensitivity, and more cases of optimal residual tumor achieved during primary cytoreduction. Nowadays, scientists are focusing attention on new immunologically effective tumor biomarkers in order to optimize selection of patients for recruitment in clinical trials and to identify relationships of these biomarkers with responses to immunotherapeutics. Assessing this point of view, TILs might be considered as a potent predictive immunotherapy biomarker.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제26권6호
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• pp.1132-1139
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• 2016

Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease caused by Brucella, a genus of gram-negative bacteria. Cytokines have key roles in the activation of innate and acquired immunities. Despite several research attempts to reveal the immune responses, the mechanism of Brucella infection remains unclear. Therefore, immune responses were analyzed in mice immunized with nine recombinant proteins. Cytokine production profiles were analyzed in the RAW 264.7 cells and naive splenocytes after stimulation with three recombinant proteins, metal-dependent hydrolase (r0628), bacterioferritin (rBfr), and thiamine transporter substrate-binding protein (rTbpA). Immune responses were analyzed by ELISA and ELISpot assay after immunization with proteins in mice. The production levels of NO, TNF-α, and IL-6 were time-dependently increased after having been stimulated with proteins in the RAW 264.7 cells. In naive splenocytes, the production of IFN-γ and IL-2 was increased after stimulation with the proteins. It was concluded that two recombinant proteins, r0628 and rTbpA, showed strong immunogenicity that was induced with Th1-related cytokines IFN-γ, IL-2, and TNF-α more than Th2-related cytokines IL-6, IL-4, and IL-5 in vitro. Conversely, a humoral immune response was activated by increasing the number of antigen-secreting cells specifically. Furthermore, these could be candidate diagnosis antigens for better understanding of brucellosis.

• 대한의생명과학회지
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• 제29권3호
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• pp.137-143
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• 2023

Inflammation plays an important role in immune system's response to tissue injury and biological stimuli. However, excessive inflammation can cause tissue damage. Therefore, the development of naturally derived anti-inflammatory agents have received broad attention. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory mechanism of Rubi Fructus (RF) extract on the mast cell-mediated inflammatory response. To determine the regulatory mechanism of RF in inflammatory reaction, we evaluated the effects of RF on secretion of interleukin (IL)-8, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and caspase-1 in activated human mast cells-1 (HMC-1). The results showed that RF attenuated IL-8, IL-6 and TNF-α secretion in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, RF significantly attenuated caspase-1and NF-κB activation in activated HMC-1. Conclusively, the present results provide evidence that RF may be a promising agent for anti-inflammatory therapy.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• 제17권3호
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• pp.631-636
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• 2008

Acanthopanax divaricatus var. albeofructus (ADA) have been shown to have various levels of activity such as antioxidant, anticancer, antivirus, and immunostimulatory effects. However, little is known about its mechanism related to the modulation of immune activities. In this study, a water extract of ADA leaves were used to treat human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (hPBMC) to determine the underlying mechanisms for the immunostimulatory effects. To characterize its immunomodulatory activity, the secretion level of various cytokines including IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, IFN-$\gamma$, and TNF-$\alpha$ were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Treatment of hPBMC with ADA leaf extract in an in vitro experiment induced various Th1 cytokines in a dose-dependent manner. A significant increase of IL-2, IL-12, IFN-$\gamma$, and TNF-$\alpha$ secretion was observed in the presence of ADA leaf extract. In contrast, Th2 cytokines including IL-4 and IL-6 were suppressed. There was no significant change in IL-10 release. Our results showed an increase in Th1 and a decrease in Th2 cytokine secretion which suggests that ADA may influence the immune response towards a predominance of Th1 cytokines in the immune system.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제4권4호
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• pp.205-215
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• 2004

In the early host defense system, effector function of natural killer (NK) cells results in natural killing against target cells such as microbe-infected, malignant, and certain allogenic cells without prior stimulation. NK cell cytotoxicity is selectively regulated by homeostatic prevalence between a repertoire of both activating and inhibitory receptors, and the discrimination of untransformed cells is achieved by recognition of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I alleles through inhibitory signals. Although it is well known that the bipotential T/NK progenitors are derived from the common precusor, functional mechanisms in terms of the development of NK cells remain to be further investigated. NK cells are mainly involved in innate immunity, but recent studies have been reported that they also play a critical role in adaptive immune responses through interaction with dendritic cells (DC). This interaction will provide effector functions and development of NK cells, and elucidation of its precise mechanism may lead to therapeutic strategies for effective treatment of several immune diseases.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제14권5호
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• pp.453-462
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• 2020

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Platycodon grandiflorum (PG), an oriental herbal medicine, has been known to improve liver function, and has both anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. However, little is known about the immune-enhancing effects of PG and its mechanism. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether fermented PG extract (FPGE), which has increased platycodin D content, activates the immune response in a murine macrophage cell line, RAW 264.7. MATERIALS/METHODS: Cell viability was determined by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and the nitric oxide (NO) levels were measured using Griess reagent. Cytokine messenger RNA levels of were monitored by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying immunomodulatory actions of FPGE in RAW 264.7 cells, we have conducted luciferase reporter gene assay and western blotting. RESULTS: We found that FPGE treatment induced macrophage cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. FPGE also modulated the expression of NO and pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6. The activation and phosphorylation levels of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) were increased by FPGE treatment. Moreover, 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide, an activator of AMP-activated kinase (AMPK), significantly reduced both lipopolysaccharides- and FPGE-induced NF-κB reporter gene activity. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our findings suggest that FPGE may be a novel immune-enhancing agent acting via AMPK-NF-κB signaling pathway.