Antifungal Activity of Syzygium aromaticum (Dianthus) against toxigenic Rhizopus stolonifera and its immunomodulatory effects in aflatoxin-fed mice

Purpose: To evaluate the antifungal potency of Syzygium aromaticum (Dianthus) seed extract against the growth and aflatoxin production of Rhizopus stolonifer, and its immunomodulatory effect.Methods: Disc diffusion method was used for assay of antifungal effect of aqueous extract of Dianthus. Lymphoid cell counts, total and differential peritoneal exudate cell counts (PEC), phagocytic activity of PEC, and plaque-forming activities were determined. In addition, E-rosette-forming cells (RFC), T-cell mitogenesis cells and liver functions were measured.Results: The aqueous extract of Dianthus (50 %) exhibited high inhibition zone against most isolates of R. stolonifera. It produced significant increases in the number of splenocytes, as well as in the absolute number and relative proportion of macrophages (p < 0.05). The extract also produced a gradual increase in the scavenging activity of PEC, and significant reduction in serum ALT, relative to control.Conclusion: These results suggest that Dianthus modifies biological responses by enhancement of the immune system, activation of phagocytosis, boosting of immune response, and prevention of liver damage.Keywords: Aflatoxin, Syzygium aromaticum, Rhizopus stolonifer, Lymphocytes, T-cells, B-cells, Macrophage

Soluble HLA-G: A novel marker in acute myeloid leukemia patients

Objective: to study soluble HLA-G (sHLA-G) in Egyptian acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. HLA-G is speculated to be a tumor-driven immune escape mechanism. In addition, it might be a promising target for future immune therapeutic approaches. Methods: Thirty AML patients and 15 healthy controls of matched age and sex were the subject of the study. sHLA-G was done to all patients and controls by ELISA. Results: Statistically significant increase in sHLA-G level was present in AML patients compared to controls, being higher in relapsed cases. HLA-G levels was correlated to bone marrow blast percentages but not affected by age, gender, WBCs or response to chemotherapy. HLA-G had a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 62% to detect AML cases. Conclusion: HLA-G may be an additional marker for AML especially relapsed case

Roles of MEF2A and HOXA5 in the transcriptional regulation of the bovine <i>Fox</i>O1 gene

The Forkhead box factor 1 (FoxO1) gene plays a vital role in the growth and development of skeletal muscle. In the present study, expression analysis of the bovine FoxO1 gene exhibited the highest expression in longissimus dorsi muscle followed by its expression in adipose tissue. Moreover, high mRNA expression of FoxO1 gene was found in differentiated bovine myoblasts and adipocytes at day 6 of induced differentiation (p FoxO1 gene was investigated through screening and dual-luciferase activity of the 1.7 kb 5′UTR (untranslated region) within pGL3-basic vector and a core promoter region was explored at (-285/-27) upstream of the transcription start site. The transcription factors (TFs) MEF2A and HOXA5 within the core promoter region (-285/-27) were found as the regulatory cis-acting element. The siRNA interference of the TFs, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay, and site-directed mutation validated that MEF2A and HOXA5 binding occurs in the region -285/-27 bp and performs an essential role in the transcriptional regulation of bovine FoxO1 gene. These findings explored the regulatory network mechanism of the FoxO1 gene in skeletal muscle development and adipogenesis for the bovine breed improvement program.</p