756 research outputs found
The Role of Adipose Tissue and Adipokines in Obesity-Related Inflammatory Diseases
Obesity is an energy-rich condition associated with overnutrition, which impairs systemic metabolic homeostasis and elicits stress. It also activates an inflammatory process in metabolically active sites, such as white adipose tissue, liver, and immune cells. As consequence, increased circulating levels of proinflammatory cytokines, hormone-like molecules, and other inflammatory markers are induced. This determines a chronic active inflammatory condition, associated with the development of the obesity-related inflammatory diseases. This paper describes the role of adipose tissue and the biological effects of many adipokines in these diseases
The role of immune response in ageing and longevity. A focus on B cell compartment
The improvement of the quality of life of elderly people is going to
become a priority because of the continuous increase in the number
of centenarians. This render the studies of the processes involved in
ageing of critical importance. Centenarians are a widely accepted
model of successful ageing, a complex process which is influenced by
several biological, environmental and lifestyle factors, because they
have reached the extreme limits of life span overcoming the major
age-related diseases. In centenarians model, several aspects have been
studied, as inflammation, immune system, genetics and metabolism,
to understand the secret of their long survival. It has been proposed
that centenarians are characterized by more efficient protective molecules
and biochemical pathways, and show well preserved immune
functions
POLYPHENOLS FROM RED WINE MODULATE IMMUNE RESPONSIVENESS: BIOLOGICAL AND CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE.
Many studies have been conducted on the effects of red wine polyphenols on certain diseases, primarily, coronary
heart disease (CHD) and, in this respect, evidence has been demonstrated that intake of red wine is associated with a
reduction of CHD symptomatology. In this framework, the purpose of this review is to illustrate the effects of polyphenols
on immune cells from human healthy peripheral blood. Data will show that polyphenols are able to stimulate both innate
and adaptive immune responses. In particular, the release of cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-12, interferon (IFN)-, and
IL-10 as well as immunoglobulins may be important for host protection in different immune related disorders.
Another important aspect pointed out in this review is the release of nitric oxide (NO) from peripheral blood mononuclear
cells (PBMC), stimulated by red wine polyphenols despite the fact that the majority of studies have reported NO production
only by endothelial cells. Release of NO from PBMC may play an important role in cardiovascular disease, because it
is known that this molecule acts as an inhibitor of platelet aggregation. On the other hand, NO exerts a protective role
against infectious organisms.
Finally, some molecular cytoplasmatic pathways elicited by polyphenols able to regulate certain immune responses will
also be discussed. In particular, it seems that p38, a molecule belonging to the MAPK family, is involved in the release of
IFN- and, therefore, in NO production.
All these data confirm the beneficial effects of polyphenols in some chronic diseases
Low Grade Inflammation as a Common Pathogenetic Denominator in Age-Related Diseases: Novel Drug Targets for Anti-Ageing Strategies and Successful Ageing Achievement
Nowadays, people are living much longer than they used to do, however they are not free from ageing. Ageing, an inexorable
intrinsic process that affects all cells, tissues, organs and individuals, is a post-maturational process that, due to a diminished homeostasis
and increased organism frailty, causes a reduction of the response to environmental stimuli and, in general, is associated to an increased
predisposition to illness and death. However, the high incidence of death due to infectious, cardiovascular and cancer diseases underlies a
common feature in these pathologies that is represented by dysregulation of both instructive and innate immunity. Several studies show
that a low-grade systemic inflammation characterizes ageing and that inflammatory markers are significant predictors of mortality in old
humans. This pro-inflammatory status of the elderly underlies biological mechanisms responsible for physical function decline and agerelated
diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and atherosclerosis are initiated or worsened by systemic inflammation. Understanding of the
ageing process should have a prominent role in new strategies for extending the health old population. Accordingly, as extensively
discussed in the review and in the accompanying related papers, investigating ageing pathophysiology, particularly disentangling agerelated
low grade inflammation, is likely to provide important clues about how to develop drugs that can slow or delay ageing
Genotyping of Sex Hormone-Related Pathways in Benign and Malignant Human Prostate Tissues: Data of a Preliminary Study
Prostate cancer (PCa) is a major health issue in Westernized countries, representing a common cause of morbidity
and mortality in the elderly male population. Endogenous sex steroids, along with environmental factors (notably
diet) and host immune and inflammatory responses, are likely to cooperate in the pathogenesis of the disease.
Based on the assumption that a complex endocrine–inflammatory-immune interaction is primarily implicated in
human PCa, we have investigated the interplay between sex steroids and inflammation in development and
growth of human PCa. To this end, we have assessed nine functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP)s of
five genes involved in sex hormone-related pathways in both hyperplastic and malignant human prostate tissues,
as well as in matched controls and in a ‘‘supercontrol’’ group composed of male Sicilian centenarians. In particular,
the following genes were investigated: AR-OMIM313700, SRD5A2-NM-000348, CYP19-NM-031226,
ERS1-NM-001122742, ERS2-NM-001040276. A significant association with prostate cancer was found in seven out
of the nine SNPs considered. Although this is a preliminary study and larger investigations are needed to confirm
the role of these genes in PCa development and/or progression, our data might provide an experimental basis to
develop additional or alternative strategies for prevention and treatment of PCa
Association between interleukin-10 polymorphisms and Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis
It has been hypothesized that polymorphisms of interleukin (IL)-10 genes affect the risk of developing late onset Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, results of different studies are often inconsistent. Our aim was to investigate by meta-analysis the association of the common polymorphisms comprehensively defining the genetic variability of the IL-10 gene with AD risk. Fifteen studies investigating the association between IL-10 polymorphisms (-1082,-819,-592) and AD were found and analyzed. The model-free approach was applied to meta-analyze these case-control genetic association studies. Available data suggested an association between-1082 polymorphism and AD risk with a marginal statistical significance (GG versus AG/AA: pooled odds ratio [OR]: 0.82, 95% confidence interval CI: 0.65-1.02) and evidence of a moderate degree of between-study heterogeneity (χ 2 = 27.13, d.f. = 13, p = 0.01, I 2 = 52%). For the-819 and-592 polymorphisms, we did not find an association with AD, but significant between-study heterogeneity made genotype data pooling unacceptable. Analysis by IL-10 haplotype showed that the-1082G/-819C/-592C haplotype is associated with a lower risk of AD, although with a marginal statistical significance, probably due to the low number of studies included (GCC versus other genotypes: OR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.32-1.15; I 2: 85%). Current findings suggest a possible association between-1082 A > G polymorphism and the risk of developing AD; this effect is more evident in the oldest patients. The high degree of between-study heterogeneity, due to several underpowered studies and to other methodological problems of individual studies underlies the need for further methodologically adequate studies. © 2012-IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved
NF-κB pathway activators as potential ageing biomarkers: targets for new therapeutic strategies.
Chronic inflammation is a major biological mechanism underpinning biological ageing process and age-related
diseases. Inflammation is also the key response of host defense against pathogens and tissue injury. Current opinion
sustains that during evolution the host defense and ageing process have become linked together. Thus, the large
array of defense factors and mechanisms linked to the NF-κB system seem to be involved in ageing process. This
concept leads us in proposing inductors of NF-κB signaling pathway as potential ageing biomarkers. On the other
hand, ageing biomarkers, represented by biological indicators and selected through apposite criteria, should help to
characterize biological age and, since age is a major risk factor in many degenerative diseases, could be
subsequently used to identify individuals at high risk of developing age-associated diseases or disabilities. In this
report, some inflammatory biomarkers will be discussed for a better understanding of the concept of biological
ageing, providing ideas on eventual working hypothesis about potential targets for the development of new
therapeutic strategies and improving, as consequence, the quality of life of elderly populatio
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