• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제53권1호
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• pp.21-27
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• 2015

Plants used for traditional medicine contain a wide range of substances that can be used to treat various diseases such as infectious diseases. The present study was designed to evaluate the antileishmanial effects of the essential oil and methanolic extract of Myrtus communis against Leishmania tropica on an in vitro model. Antileishmanial effects of essential oil and methanolic extract of M. communis on promastigote forms and their cytotoxic activities against J774 cells were evaluated using MTT assay for 72 hr. In addition, their leishmanicidal activity against amastigote forms was determined in a macrophage model, for 72 hr. Findings showed that the main components of essential oil were ${\alpha}$-pinene (24.7%), 1,8-cineole (19.6%), and linalool (12.6%). Findings demonstrated that M. communis, particularly its essential oil, significantly (P<0.05) inhibited the growth rate of promastigote and amastigote forms of L. tropica based on a dose-dependent response. The $IC_{50}$ values for essential oil and methanolic extract was 8.4 and $28.9{\mu}g/ml$ against promastigotes, respectively. These values were 11.6 and $40.8{\mu}g/ml$ against amastigote forms, respectively. Glucantime as control drug also revealed $IC_{50}$ values of 88.3 and $44.6{\mu}g/ml$ for promastigotes and amastigotes of L. tropica, respectively. The in vitro assay demonstrated no significant cytotoxicity in J774 cells. However, essential oil indicated a more cytotoxic effect as compared with the methanolic extract of M. communis. The findings of the present study demonstrated that M. communis might be a natural source for production of a new leishmanicidal agent.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• 제3권1호
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• pp.19-28
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• 1997

Constitutive cyclooxygenase (COX-I) is present in cells under physiological conditions, whereas inducible cyclooxygenase (COX-II) is induced by some cytokines, mitogens, and endotoxin presumably in pathological conditions such as inflammation. We have evaluated the inhibitory effects of solvent fractionated extracts of natural products on the activities of COX-I and COX-II. Oxygen uptake COX assay was performed, as a primary screening from the tissue extracts of bovine seminal vesicles (BSV), by monitoring the initial rate of oxygen uptake using an oxygen electrode. Additionally, we evaluated plant extracts for the inhibitory effects of COX-I (in HEL cells) and COX-II (in lipopolysaccharide activated J774A.1 macrophages) using thin layer chromatography of prostanoids produced from $^{14}C-labelled$ arachidonic acid (AA). The use of such models of COX-I and COX-II assay will lead to the identification of specific inhibitors of cyclooxygenases with presumably less side effects than present therapies. Inhibitory effects of 50 kinds of plant extracts on the COX-I and COX-II activities were determined and the active fractions were found in the ethyl acetate fractions of Dryopteris crassirhizoma (roots), Amomum cardamomum (roots), Triticum aestivum (seeds), Perilla sikokiana (leaves), Anemarrhena asphodeloides (roots). Especially, the ethyl acetate fraction of Dryopteris crassirhizoma (roots), which exhibited the strong inhibition against BSV COX $(IC_{50},\;65.4\;{\mu}g/ml)$, COX-I $(IC_{50},\;8.5\;{\mu}g/ml)$, and COX-II $(IC_{50},\;17.2\;{\mu}g/ml)$, is under investigation to isolate active principles using activity-guided fractionation method.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제21권5호
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• pp.36.1-36.16
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• 2021

Peroxiredoxins (Prxs) are ubiquitously expressed peroxidases that reduce hydrogen peroxide or alkyl peroxide production in cells. Prxs are released from cells in response to various stress conditions, and they function as damage-associated molecular pattern molecules. However, the secretory mechanism of Prxs and their roles have not been elucidated. Thus, we aimed to determine whether inflammasome activation is a secretory mechanism of Prxs and subsequently identify the effect of the secreted Prxs on activation of the classical complement pathway. Using J774A.1, a murine macrophage cell line, we demonstrated that NLRP3 inflammasome activation induces Prx1, Prx2, Prx5, and Prx6 secretion in a caspase-1 dependent manner. Using HEK293T cells with a transfection system, we revealed that the release of Prx1 and Prx2 relies on gasdermin-D (GSDMD)-mediated secretion. Next, we confirmed the binding of both Prx1 and Prx2 to C1q; however, only Prx2 could induce the C1q-mediated classical complement pathway activation. Collectively, our results suggest that inflammasome activation is a secretory mechanism of Prxs and that GSDMD is a mediator of their secretion. Moreover, secreted Prx1 and Prx2 bind with C1q, but only Prx2 mediates the classical complement pathway activation.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제16권1호
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• pp.136-140
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• 2006

In this study, we investigated the synergistic effects of Staphylococcus aureus extracts (membranes and walls) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) derived from Escherichia coli on tumor necrosis factor (TNF) production in the pathogenesis of silica-induced inflammation. The synergistic induction of TNF by silica particles $(<20\;{\mu}m)$ in combination with either S. aureus extracts or LPS was examined in J774A.1 cell cultures. Media from the treated and untreated cell cultures were assayed for TNF, using the mouse WEHI 164 cell cytotoxicity assay and enzyme immunoassay. Cells exposed simultaneously to silica and $0.5\;{\mu}g/ml$ S. aureus extracts (or 0.5 ng/ml of LPS) produced a significantly higher level of TNF than those produced by the inducer alone. Our results indicate that device-associated infections (or pyrogen contamination) could enhance inflammatory responses, because of particles produced by the wear of medical implants or particulate biomaterials used for clinical purposes.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제59권6호
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• pp.557-564
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• 2021

Macrophages play a key role in chronic inflammation, and are the most abundant immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. We investigated whether an interaction between inflamed prostate cancer cells stimulated with Trichomonas vaginalis and macrophages stimulates the proliferation of the cancer cells. Conditioned medium was prepared from T. vaginalis-infected (TCM) and uninfected (CM) mouse prostate cancer (PCa) cell line (TRAMP-C2 cells). Thereafter conditioned medium was prepared from macrophages (J774A.1 cell line) after incubation with CM (MCM) or TCM (MTCM). When TRAMP-C2 cells were stimulated with T. vaginalis, protein and mRNA levels of CXCL1 and CCL2 increased, and migration of macrophages toward TCM was more extensive than towards CM. Macrophages stimulated with TCM produced higher levels of CCL2, IL-6, TNF-α, their mRNAs than macrophages stimulated with CM. MTCM stimulated the proliferation and invasiveness of TRAMP-C2 cells as well as the expression of cytokine receptors (CCR2, GP130, CXCR2). Importantly, blocking of each cytokine receptors with anti-cytokine receptor antibody significantly reduced the proliferation and invasiveness of TRAMP-C2 cells. We conclude that inflammatory mediators released by TRAMP-C2 cells in response to infection by T. vaginalis stimulate the migration and activation of macrophages and the activated macrophages stimulate the proliferation and invasiveness of the TRAMP-C2 cells via cytokine-cytokine receptor binding. Our results therefore suggested that macrophages contribute to the exacerbation of PCa due to inflammation of prostate cancer cells reacted with T. vaginalis.

• BMB Reports
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• 제31권6호
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• pp.565-571
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• 1998

The expression of the endogenous human apolipoprotein(apo)E gene was significantly induced when HepG2 cells were treated with exogenous 25-hydroxy-cholesterol. This sterol-mediated apoE gene upregulation appears to require the participation of a positive element for the apoE gene transcription (PET) ( -169/ -140), a core sequence of upstream regulatory element (URE)1 enhancer of the human apoE gene. This PET was renamed as sterol regulatory element (SRE)4 based on its new role as a sensor for the level of intracellular sterol. Furthermore, a gel mobility shift analysis showed that binding activity of the SRE4 binding protein (BP) obtained from HepG2 cells was induced by sterol treatment, while that from either MCF7 or BT20 cells remained unchanged. Binding activity of SRE4BP was also induced in mouse macrophage cells, J774A.1, by sterol treatment, but it was drastically reduced when cells were subjected to treatment of AY-9944, a potent inhibitor for sterol synthesis. However, binding activity of Spl, which is a co-binding protein to the SRE4 region, remained the same in either condition, suggesting that SRE4BP (formally known as PETBP) may be mainly responsible for the sterol-mediated regulation of the apoE gene expression. Deletion analysis of the core binding site of SRE4BP by gel mobility shift assays showed that the minimal sequence of the SRE4BP binding appears to reside between -157 and -140, confirming the identity of SRE4 with the previously determined core sequence of URE1.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• 제28권5호
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• pp.850-858
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• 1996

Green tea leaves 12.5 g were extracted twice with 500 ml boiling water. The green tea extract (GTE) contained 4.67 mg solid. The GTE contained polyphenols sush as 54.12% (-) epicatechin gallate, 26.21% (-) epicatechin, 10.71% epicatechin gallate, 7.09% (-) epicatechin and 1.85% catechin. The GTE inhibited the copper-catalyzed oxidation of human LDL at the concentrations of 50 and $100\;{\mu}g/ml$ GTE in the presence of $5\;{\mu}M$ $CuSO_{4}$. The electrophoretic mobility of the LDL oxidized in the presence of $5\;{\mu}M\;CuSO_{4}$ was higher than that of the native LDL. The GTE also inhibited LDL oxidation induced by J774, human monocyte-derived macrophages and vascular endotherial cells. The LDL modified by copper or cells was inhibited by human macrophages at a much greater rate than native LDL in the presence of GTE. The GTE was found to be a potent inhibitor of modification of LDL. GTE inhibited the uptake of cell-modified $^(125)I-labelled$ LDL by macrophages. The formation of conjugated dienes was strongly inhibited in the presence of 50 or $100\;{\mu}g/ml$ GTE.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권17호
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• pp.7055-7059
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• 2014

Artemisia, as one of the largest genera in the tribe Anthemideae of the Asteraceae comprises an important part of Iranian flora. While cytotoxic and apoptotic properties have already been reported for some species of the genus there is not any report on cytotoxic effects of A. ciniformis. Petroleum ether (40-60), dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, ethanol and ethanol-water (50:50) extracts of the aerial parts of A. cinformis were subjected to cytotoxic and apoptotic evaluations on two cancer human cell lines (K562 and HL-60) and on J774 normal cells. Among multiple extracts evaluated for cytotoxicity, dichloromethane ($CH_2Cl_2$) and petroleum ether (PE) extracts were shown to possess the highest anti-proliferative effects on HL-60 and K562 cells with $IC_{50}$ values of 31.3 and $25.5{\mu}g/ml$ respectively. Apoptosis induction verified by sub-G1 peaks was seen in flow cytometry histograms. Increase in the amount of Bax protein, formation of DNA fragments, and cleavage of PARP to 24 and 89kDa sub units all confirmed induction of apoptosis by A. cinformis extracts. Taken together according to the result of the present study some extracts of A. cinformis could be considered as sources for natural cytotoxic compounds and further mechanistic and phytochemical studies are recommended to fully understand the underlying mechanisms of cnacer cell death as well as identification of responsible phytochemicals.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• 제55권5호
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• pp.404-410
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• 2011

This study was to elucidate the anti-inflammatory activities of a methanol extract derived from the fermented bark of Dioscoreae batatas on LPS-induced activation in macrophages. It was fermented with Lactobacillus fermentum and L. plantarum and then analyzed to identify the contents of methanol extract and diosgenin. The fermented product showed 3-fold increase in the extraction yield by methanol, and 1.8-fold increase in diosgenin contents, compared to that from the dried bark of D. batatas. Although the methanol extract from the unfermented D. batatas inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced production of nitric oxide (NO) and TNF-${\alpha}$ in J774 A.1 cells, the methanol extract from the fermented product revealed significantly the enhanced the inhibitory activities on LPS-induced production of NO and TNF-${\alpha}$. Taken together, our results indicate that fermentation of bark of D. batatas elevates the functional activity inhibiting macrophage activation through the increase of the content of anti-inflammatory compounds. Thus, its methanol extract may be useful as a functional material for the therapy of inflammatory diseases.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• 제29권2호
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• pp.312-315
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• 2000

To purify the macrophage phagocytic activity-enhancing component, ethanol-acetic acid (100 : 1, EA) extract of Korean wheat (Gobun wheat) and imported one (Australian Standard White, ASW) were fractionated with ethylacetate : methanol : $H_2O$(65 : 25 : 4, v/v/v), and identified by TLC and column chromatography. At least five fractions were separated from the EA extract of the wheats but amounts of fraction B, C and D were more in Gobun wheat than in ASW. The effects of all fractions on phagocytic activity were tested in macrophage J774 cells. Among the fractions, only fraction b of Gobun wheat showed significant increase of phagocytic activity against yeast.