Mycobacterium indicus pranii Supernatant Induces Apoptotic Cell Death in Mouse Peritoneal Macrophages In Vitro

Mycobacterium indicus pranii (MIP), also known as Mw, is a saprophytic, non-pathogenic strain of Mycobacterium and is commercially available as a heat-killed vaccine for leprosy and recently tuberculosis (TB) as part of MDT. In this study we provide evidence that cell-free supernatant collected from original MIP suspension induces rapid and enhanced apoptosis in mouse peritoneal macrophages in vitro. It is demonstrated that the MIP cell-free supernatant induced apoptosis is mitochondria-mediated and caspase independent and involves mitochondrial translocation of Bax and subsequent release of AIF and cytochrome c from the mitochondria. Experiments with pharmacological inhibitors suggest a possible role of PKC in mitochondria-mediated apoptosis of macrophages

Development of a potent invigorator of immune responses endowed with both preventive and therapeutic properties

Gursaran P Talwar,1 Jagdish C Gupta,1 Abu S Mustafa,2 Hemanta K Kar,3 Kiran Katoch,4 Shreemanta K Parida,5 Prabhakara P Reddi,6 Niyaz Ahmed,7 Vikram Saini,8 Somesh Gupta9 1Talwar Research Foundation, New Delhi, India; 2Department of Microbiology, Kuwait University, Kuwait; 3Department of Dermatology, Paras Hospital, Gurgaon, 4National JALMA Institute of Leprosy and Other Mycobacterial Diseases, Agra, India; 5German Centre of Infection, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany; 6Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, IL, USA; 7Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India; 8Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL, USA; 9Department of Dermatology and Venereology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India Abstract: This article reviews briefly the making of an immunoprophylactic-cum-immunotherapeutic vaccine against leprosy. The vaccine is based on cultivable, heat-killed atypical mycobacteria, whose gene sequence is now known. It has been named Mycobacterium indicus pranii. It has received the approval of the Drug Controller General of India and the US Food and Drug Administration. Besides leprosy, M. indicus pranii has found utility in the treatment of category II (“difficult to treat”) tuberculosis. It also heals ugly anogenital warts. It has preventive and therapeutic action against SP2/O myelomas. It is proving to be a potent adjuvant for enhancing antibody titers of a recombinant vaccine against human chorionic gonadotropin, with the potential of preventing pregnancy without derangement of ovulation and menstrual regularity in sexually active women. Keywords: leprosy, tuberculosis, anogenital warts, myeloma, adjuvan

Bond rating changes and stock returns: evidence from the Spanish stock market

Credit rating agencies, Rating changes, Event study, Stock returns, Nonparametric methods, G12, G14, C34,