Suppression of neutrophil recruitment in mice by geranium essential oil.

BACKGROUND: In aromatherapy, essential oils are used as anti-inflammatory remedies, but experimental studies on their action mechanisms are very limited. AIMS OF THE STUDY: To assess their anti-inflammatory activities, the effects of essential oils on neutrophil recruitment in mice were examined in vivo. METHOD: The effect of essential oils on leukocyte and neutrophil recruitment induced 6 h after intraperitoneal injection of casein in mice was examined. RESULTS: Leukocyte recruitment into the peritoneal cavity in mice was suppressed by intraperitoneal injections of geranium, lemongrass and spearmint oils at the dose of 5 microl/mouse, but was not by tea tree oil. This recruitment was inhibited dose-dependently by geranium oil. The suppression of leukocyte recruitment resulted from inhibition of neutrophil accumulation. CONCLUSION: Some essential oils used as anti-inflammatory remedies suppress neutrophil recruitment into the peritoneal cavity in mice

Suppression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced neutrophil adherence responses by essential oils.

Background: In aromatherapy, essential oils are used as anti-inflammatory remedies, but experimental studies on their action mechanisms are very limited

IL-7 promotes long-term in vitro survival of unique long-lived memory subset generated from mucosal effector memory CD4(+) T cells in chronic colitis mice

Colitogenic memory CD4(+) T cells are important in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Although memory stem cells with high survival and self-renewal capacity were recently identified in both mice and humans, it is unclear whether a similar subset is present in chronic colitis mice. We sought to identify and purify a long-lived subset of colitogenic memory CD4(+) T cells, which may be targets for treatment of IBD. A long-lived subset of colitogenic memory CD4(+) T cells was purified using a long-term culture system. The characteristics of these cells were assessed. Interleukin (IL)-7 promoted the in vitro survival for >8 weeks of lamina propria (LP) CD4(+) T cells from colitic SOD mice previously injected with CD4(+)CD45RB(high) T cells. These cells were in a quiescent state and divided a maximum of 5 times in 4 weeks. LP CD4(+) T cells expressed higher levels of Bcl-2, integrin-alpha 4 beta 7, CXCR3 and CD25 after than before culture, as well as secreting high concentrations of IL-2 and low concentrations of IFN-gamma and IL-17 in response to intestinal bacterial antigens. LP CD4(+) T cells from colitic mice cultured with IL-7 for 8 weeks induced more severe colitis than LP CD4(+) T cells cultured for 4 weeks. We developed a novel culture system to purify a long-lived, highly pathogenic memory subset from activated LP CD4(+) T cells. IL-7 promoted long-term in vitro survival of this subset in a quiescent state. This subset will be a novel, effective target for the treatment of IBD

1-Methyl-2-undecyl-4(1H)-quinolone, a derivative of quinolone alkaloid evocarpine, attenuates high phosphate-induced calcification of human aortic valve interstitial cells by inhibiting phosphate cotransporter PiT-1

AbstractAn abnormally high serum phosphate level induces calcific aortic stenosis (CAS), which is characterized by ectopic valve calcification and stenosis of the orifice area. Inhibition of ectopic calcification is a critical function of any internal medical therapy for CAS disease. The aim of the present study was to investigate the inhibitory effects of several derivatives of evocarpine, methanolic extracts from the fruits of Evodia rutaecarpa Bentham (Japanese name: Go-Shu-Yu) on the high phosphate-induced calcification of human aortic valve interstitial cells (HAVICs) obtained from patients with CAS. High phosphate (3.2 mM) concentrations significantly increased the calcification of HAVICs after 7 days of culture. This calcification was completely inhibited in the presence of sodium phosphonoformate (PFA), a selective inhibitor of the type III sodium-dependent phosphate cotransporter (PiT-1). PiT-1 contributes to phosphate uptake, resulting in calcification. 1-Methyl-2-undecyl-4(1H)-quinolone (MUQ; 30–300 nM), but not evocarpine or its derivatives dihydroevocarpine and 1-methyl-2-nonyl-4(1H)-quinolone, inhibited the high phosphate-induced HAVICs calcification in a concentration-dependent manner. Although all of the evocarpine derivatives attenuated alkaline phosphatase activity, only MUQ also decreased PiT-1 gene expression with cellular PiT-1 protein diminution. These results suggest that MUQ mitigated high phosphate-induced HAVICs calcification by inhibiting PiT-1 gene expression

The Inhibitory Effect of Kakkonto, Japanese Traditional (Kampo) Medicine, on Brain Penetration of Oseltamivir Carboxylate in Mice with Reduced Blood-Brain Barrier Function

Oseltamivir phosphate (OP) is used to treat influenza virus infections. However, its use may result in central nervous system (CNS) adverse effects. In Japan, OP is used with Kampo formulations to improve clinical effectiveness. We evaluated the potential for using Kampo formulations to reduce CNS adverse effects by quantifying the CNS distribution of oseltamivir and its active metabolite oseltamivir carboxylate (OC) when administered with maoto and kakkonto. We administered lipopolysaccharide (LPS) by intraperitoneal injection to C57BL/6 mice to reduce blood-brain barrier function. Saline, maoto, and kakkonto were administered orally at the same time as LPS. OP was orally administered 4 hours after the last LPS injection and the migration of oseltamivir and OC was examined. Additionally, we examined the brain distribution of OC following intravenous administration. Changes in OC concentrations in the brain suggest that, in comparison to LPS-treated control mice, both Kampo formulations increased plasma levels of OC, thereby enhancing its therapeutic effect. Additionally, our findings suggest kakkonto may not only improve the therapeutic effect of oseltamivir but also reduce the risk of CNS-based adverse effects. Considering these findings, it should be noted that administration of kakkonto during periods of inflammation has led to increased OAT3 expression

Clinical characteristics and risk factors of enterococcal infections in Nagasaki, Japan: a retrospective study

Background: Enterococcus spp. are particularly important etiological agents of nosocomial infections. However, the clinical characteristics of and risk factors for enterococcal infections in clinical settings are poorly understood. Methods: The sample included patients with Enterococcus spp. infections detected from clinical samples at Nagasaki University Hospital between 2010 and 2011 and patients with enterococcal colonization (control patients). In this retrospective study, the risk factors for enterococcal infections were analyzed by comparing infected and control patients via multivariate logistic regression. Results: A total of 182 infected (mean age, 64.6±18.2years; 114 men) and 358 control patients (patients with enterococcal colonization) (mean age, 61.6±22.4years; 183 men) were included. Enterococcal infections were classified as intraperitoneal (n=87), urinary tract (n=28), or bloodstream (n=20) infections. Cancer and hematological malignancies were the most common comorbidities in enterococcal infections. Carbapenem and vancomycin were administered to 43.8% and 57.9% of patients infected with Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium, respectively. No vancomycin-resistant enterococci were isolated. Multivariate analysis identified abdominal surgery (odds ratio [OR], 2.233; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.529-3.261; p?0.001), structural abnormalities of the urinary tract (OR, 2.086; 95% CI, 1.088-4.000; p=0.027), male sex (OR, 1.504; 95% CI, 1.032-2.190; p=0.033), and hypoalbuminemia (OR, 0.731; 95% CI, 0.555-0.963; p=0.026) as independent risk factors for enterococcal infections. Multivariate analysis showed abdominal surgery (OR, 2.263; 95% CI, 1.464-3.498; p?0.001), structural abnormalities of the urinary tract (OR, 2.634; 95% CI, 1.194-5.362; p=0.008), and hypoalbuminemia (OR, 0.668; 95% CI, 0.490-0.911; p=0.011) were independent risk factors for E. faecalis infection. Finally, immunosuppressive agent use (OR, 3.837; 95% CI, 1.397-10.541; p=0.009) and in situ device use (OR, 3.807; 95% CI, 1.180-12.276; p=0.025) were independent risk factors for E. faecium infection. Conclusions: These findings might inform early initiation of antimicrobial agents to improve clinical success