Aging Increases Susceptibility to High Fat Diet-Induced Metabolic Syndrome in C57BL/6 Mice: Improvement in Glycemic and Lipid Profile after Antioxidant Therapy

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been considered a novel component of the metabolic syndrome (MetS), with the oxidative stress participating in its progression. This study aimed to evaluate the metabolic profile in young and old mice with MetS, and the effects of apocynin and tempol on glycemic and lipid parameters. Young and old C57BL/6 mice with high fat diet- (HFD-) induced MetS received apocynin and tempol 50 mg·kg−1/day in their drinking water for 10 weeks. After HFD, the young group showed elevated fasting glucose, worsened lipid profile in plasma, steatosis, and hepatic lipid peroxidation. Nevertheless, the old group presented significant increase in fasting insulin levels, insulin resistance, plasma and hepatic lipid peroxidation, and pronounced steatosis. The hepatic superoxide dismutase and catalase activity did not differ between the groups. Tempol and apocynin seemed to prevent hepatic lipid deposition in both groups. Furthermore, apocynin improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in old mice. In summary, old mice are more susceptible to HFD-induced metabolic changes than their young counterparts. Also, the antioxidant therapy improved insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance, and in addition, apocynin seemed to prevent the HFD-induced hepatic fat deposition, suggesting an important role of oxidative stress in the induction of NAFLD

Potential impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the thymus

Understanding the pathogenesis of certain viral agents is essential for developing new treatments and obtaining a clinical cure. With the onset of the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic in the beginning of 2020, a rush to conduct studies and develop drugs has led to the publication of articles that seek to address knowledge gaps and contribute to the global scientific research community. There are still no reports on the infectivity or repercussions of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the central lymphoid organ, the thymus, nor on thymocytes or thymic epithelial cells. In this brief review, we present a hypothesis about lymphopenia observed in SARS patients and the probable pathological changes that the thymus may undergo due to this new virus.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

Growth hormone in the presence of laminin modulates interaction of human thymic epithelial cells and thymocytes in vitro

BACKGROUND: Several evidences indicate that hormones and neuropeptides function as immunomodulators. Among these, growth hormone (GH) is known to act on the thymic microenvironment, supporting its role in thymocyte differentiation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of GH on human thymocytes and thymic epithelial cells (TEC) in the presence of laminin. RESULTS: GH increased thymocyte adhesion on BSA-coated and further on laminin-coated surfaces. The number of migrating cells in laminin-coated membrane was higher in GH-treated thymocyte group. In both results, VLA-6 expression on thymocytes was constant. Also, treatment with GH enhanced laminin production by TEC after 24 h in culture. However, VLA-6 integrin expression on TEC remained unchanged. Finally, TEC/thymocyte co-culture model demonstrated that GH elevated absolute number of double-negative (CD4-CD8-) and single-positive CD4+ and CD8+ thymocytes. A decrease in cell number was noted in double-positive (CD4+CD8+) thymocytes. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study demonstrate that GH is capable of enhancing the migratory capacity of human thymocytes in the presence of laminin and promotes modulation of thymocyte subsets after co-culture with TEC

Evaluation of wound healing and antimicrobial properties of aqueous extract from Bowdichia virgilioides stem barks in mice

The decoction of the stem barks from Bowdichia virgilioides KUNTH is a folk remedy used to treat inflammatory disorders in Latin American and Brazil. In the present study, the wound healing activity of aqueous extract of the stem bark from B. virgilioides, called AEBv, was evaluated by the rate of healing by wound contraction and period of epithelization at different days post-wound using the wound excisional model. On day 9, the AEBv-treated animals exhibited significative reduction in the wound area when compared with controls. In wound infected with S. aureus, the AEBv significantly improved the wound contraction when compared to the saline-treated mice. The histological analysis showed that AEBv induced a collagen deposition, increase in the fibroblast count and few inflammatory cells than compared to saline-treated group. The expression of collagen type I was increased in the group treated with AEBv as indicated by immunohistochemical staining. In vitro, the AEBv was effective only against S. aureus but not against P. aeruginosa. Together, the results of this study demonstrate, for the first time, the healing and antimicrobiological effects of aqueous extract of the stem bark from B. virgilioides in the therapy of skin wounds

Mouse Basophils Reside in Extracellular Matrix-Enriched Bone Marrow Niches Which Control Their Motility

Made available in DSpace on 2015-06-08T14:01:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license.txt: 1914 bytes, checksum: 7d48279ffeed55da8dfe2f8e81f3b81f (MD5) wilson_sovino2etal_IOC_2014.pdf: 3263108 bytes, checksum: 9132ef912d83ec3454d9e1b5b492795b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013Universidade Federal de Alagoas. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde. Laboratório de Biologia Celular.. Maceió, AL, Brasil.Université Paris Descartes. Hôpital Necker. CNRS UMR-8147. Paris, France.Université Paris Descartes. Hôpital Necker. Cell Imaging Platform. Paris, France.Université Paris Descartes. Hôpital Necker. CNRS UMR-8147. Paris, France.Université Paris Descartes. Hôpital Necker. CNRS UMR-8147. Paris, France.Université Paris Descartes. Hôpital Necker. CNRS UMR-8147. Paris, France.Université Paris Descartes. Hôpital Necker. CNRS UMR-8147. Paris, France.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Pesquisa sobre o Timo. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Basophils co-express FceRIa and CD49b, the a-2 chain of integrin-type receptor VLA-2 (a2b1), which recognizes type-1 collagen as a major natural ligand. The physiological relevance of this integrin for interactions with extracellular bone marrow matrix remains unknown. Herein, we examined the expression of several receptors of this family by bone marrowderived basophils sorted either ex-vivo or after culture with IL-3. Having established that both populations display CD49d, CD49e and CD49f (a-4, a-5 and a-6 integrins subunits, respectively), we addressed receptor functions by measuring migration, adhesion, proliferation and survival after interacting with matched natural ligands. Type I collagen, laminin and fibronectin promoted basophil migration/adhesion, the former being the most effective. None of these ligands affected basophil viability and expansion. Interactions between basophils and extracellular matrix are likely to play a role in situ, as supported by confocal 3D cell imaging of femoral bone marrow sections, which revealed basophils exclusively in type-1 collagen-enriched niches that contained likewise laminin and fibronectin. This is the first evidence for a structure/function relationship between basophils and extracellular matrix proteins inside the mouse bone marrow

Uvaol attenuates pleuritis and eosinophilic inflammation in ovalbumin-induced allergy in mice

International audienceUvaol, a triterpene present in olives and virgin olive oil, has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidant effects. However, until now, no studies have demonstrated its potential effects on allergic inflammation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of uvaol in a mouse model of allergy characterized by eosinophil-dominant inflammation in actively sensitized mice. The anti-inflammatory effect of uvaol was analyzed in two murine models of allergic inflammation (pleurisy and asthma). In these models, Swiss mice were sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin (OVA). In the pleurisy model, the pleural eosinophilic inflammation and IL-5 concentrations were examined 24 h after the OVA challenge, while in the asthma model were examined the airway inflammation via bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid cytology and lung histopathology analyses. Our results showed that uvaol decreased the accumulation of eosinophils and the concentration of IL-5 in pleural effluent. Uvaol also demonstrated important anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting production of IL-5 and influx of leukocytes, mainly of eosinophils, in BAL fluid, but without interfering with levels of reactive oxygen species in leukocytes. Moreover, the eosinophil infiltration, mucus production, number of alveoli that collapsed, and IL-5 levels in the lung were clearly decreased by uvaol treatment. These findings indicate that uvaol can be a good candidate for the treatment of allergic inflammation by inhibiting eosinophil influx and IL-5 production in ovalbumin-induced allerg