PRELIMINARY CHROMATOGRAPHICRESEARCH ON SOME SALVIA SPP. (LAMIACEAE)

Salvia genus, representative for the Lamiaceae family as it comprises approximately one thousand different species, is considered for a wide plethora of therapeutic actions, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, antitumoral and antidiabetic activity. The paper presents the preliminary chromatographic investigations of the polyphenols in the aerial parts of some Salvia spp. Using high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) coupled with photodensitometry, caffeic acid was identified and quantified in the 20% methanolic extracts of Salviaeherba, in descending order, as follows: S. nemorosa (3.096%) > S. verticillata (3.041%) > S. sclarea (2.663%) > S. glutinosa (1.962%) > S. aethiopis (0.926%)

Interplay between Hypoxia, Inflammation and Adipocyte Remodeling in the Metabolic Syndrome

Obesity, a major social and health problem in many countries, is due to the accumulation of white adipose tissue in subcutaneous and visceral depots. The discovery of adipocytes capacity of synthesis of numerous adipocytokines and growth factors and the cross talk between adipocytes and cells of the adipose stromo-vascular fraction had highlighted the role of adipose tissue dysfunction in obesity. In visceral obesity the unbalanced synthesis of pro- and anti-inflammatory adipocytokines contributes to the development of the metabolic syndrome which cumulates the factors that increase the risk for ischemic heart disease and cerebral stroke. Adipose tissue accumulation is associated with a state of chronic inflammation, and local hypoxia is considered its underlying cause due to the hypertrophic or/and the hyperplasic growth of the fat pad. Adipose tissue hypoxia is one of the first pathophysiological changes and was placed as a missing link between obesity and low-grade inflammation present in the metabolic syndrome. Hypoxia is a major trigger for adipose tissue remodeling including adipocyte death, inflammation, tissue fibrosis, and angiogenesis. Recently, the role of hypoxia in brown adipose tissue dysfunction, a tissue presumed as the biologic counterbalance of the metabolic disturbances in human obesity, is discussed

Innate Immune Response as a New Challenge in Periodontal Inflammation

Gingivitis and periodontitis are induced by numerous pathogenic microbiota hosted in the subgingival biofilm that first trigger the innate immune response. Innate immune response is part of a homeostatic system which is the first line defence and defines the host inherited resistance to infection. Both genetic and environmental factors are involved in variable individual susceptibility to inflammation of periodontal tissues. That is why, although more than 600 bacterial species have been detected in the periodontal plaque, the type of bacteria incriminated in the development of the inflammation is still unclear. Moreover, in the last decade gene polymorphisms have been largely recognised as important conditions associated with increased susceptibility to periodontal diseases. Manipulating the immune response by the development of drugs that inhibit adverse host reactions and promote beneficial effects might be of therapeutic or prophylactic importance. This work intends to assess the importance of Toll-like receptors as main effectors of the innate immune response in the triggering, maintenance and progression of periodontal inflammation, as well as of the involvement of synthetic molecules targeting TLR signalling pathways in treating periodontal diseases

Oral Papillomatosis: Its Relation with Human Papilloma Virus Infection and Local Immunity—An Update

Oral papilloma lesions may appear as a result of HPV infection, or not, and only special molecular methods could differentiate them. Low-risk and high-risk HPV types could induce oral HPV papillomatosis with different natural evolution, clearance and persistence mechanisms. The pathogenic mechanisms are based on the crosstalk between the oral epithelial and immune cells and this very efficient virus. HPV acts as a direct inducer in the process of transforming a benign lesion into a malignant one, the cancerization process being also debated in this paper. According to the degree of malignity, three types of papillomatous lesions can be described in the oral cavity: benign lesions, potential malign disorders and malignant lesions. The precise molecular diagnostic is important to identify the presence of various virus types and also the virus products responsible for its oncogenicity. An accurate diagnostic of oral papilloma can be established through a good knowledge of etiological and epidemiological factors, clinical examination and laboratory tests. This review intends to update the pathogenic mechanisms driving the macroscopic and histological features of oral papillomatosis having HPV infection as the main etiological factor, focusing on its interreference in the local immunity. In the absence of an accurate molecular diagnostic and knowledge of local immunological conditions, the therapeutic strategy could be difficult to decide