Showing papers by "Maria Teresa Cruz published in 2010"
TL;DR: C. citratus has NO scavenging activity and inhibits iNOS expression and should be explored for the treatment of inflammatory diseases, in particular of the gastrointestinal tract.
Abstract: Cymbopogon citratus, an herb known worldwide as lemongrass, is widely consumed as an aromatic drink, and its fresh and dried leaves are currently used in traditional cuisine. However, little is known about the mechanism of action of C. citratus, namely, the anti-inflammatory effects of its dietary components. Because nitric oxide (NO), produced in large quantities by activated inflammatory cells, has been demonstrated to be involved in the pathogenesis of acute and chronic inflammation, we evaluated the effects of the infusion of dried leaves from C. citratus, as well as its polyphenolic fractions—flavonoid-, tannin-, and phenolic acid-rich fractions (FF, TF, and PAF, respectively)—on the NO production induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in a skin-derived dendritic cell line (FSDC). C. citratus infusion significantly inhibited the LPS-induced NO production and inducible NO synthase (iNOS) protein expression. All the polyphenolic fractions tested also reduced the iNOS protein levels and NO product...
87 citations
TL;DR: Understanding the role of neuropeptides in the skin, their application on skin wounds could be a potential therapy for skin pathologies, like the problematic and prevalent DFUs.
Abstract: Importance of the field: In 2010, the world prevalence of diabetes is 6.4%, affecting 285 million adults. Diabetic patients are at risk of developing neuropathy and delayed wound healing that can culminate in incurable diabetic foot ulcerations (DFUs) or even foot amputation.Areas covered in this review: The contrast between cellular and molecular events of wound healing and diabetic wound healing processes is characterized. Neuropeptides released from the autonomous nervous system and skin cells reveal a major role in the immunity of wound healing. Therefore, the signaling pathways that induce pro/anti-inflammatory cytokines expression and its involvement in diabetic wound healing are discussed. The involvement of neuropeptides in the activation, growth, migration and maturation of skin cells, like keratinocytes, Langerhans cells, macrophages and mast cells, are described.What the reader will gain: This review attempts to address the role of neuropeptides in skin inflammation, focusing on signal transduc...
69 citations
TL;DR: It is possible to find appropriate doses of carvacrol type oil of T. zygis subsp sylvestris showing both antifungal activity and very low detrimental effect on mammalian cells, and could become a source of biologically active compounds for pharmaceutical industry.
68 citations
TL;DR: An integrated study where the contribution of the CXCR4/CXCL12 signaling pathway to the proliferation, survival and motility of a human GBM cell line is evaluated and results indicated that CX CR4/SDF-1 chemokine receptor blocked induced an increase in cell proliferation and in cell motility.
Abstract: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive and malignant brain tumor. Recent studies indicated that glioma samples are characterized by increased expression of CXCR4, the CXCL12/SDF-1 chemokine receptor. To better understand the role of CXCR4 in GBM biology we performed an integrated study where we simultaneously evaluate the contribution of the CXCR4/CXCL12 signaling pathway to the proliferation, survival and motility of a human GBM cell line. Our results indicated that CXCR4/CXCL12 axis induced an increase in cell proliferation and in cell motility. The blockage of CXCR4 induced a significant increase of apoptosis. Together, our results indicated that CXCR4/CXCL12 signalling pathway may contribute to GBM development and emphasize the therapeutic potential of this pathway in patients with GBM.
67 citations
TL;DR: Findings add significant information to the pharmacological activity of Distichoselinum tenuifolium essential oils, specifically to its antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties, thus justifying and reinforcing the use of this plant on traditional medicine.
62 citations
TL;DR: Data indicate that activation of Akt and impairment of nuclear factor-κB are responsible for immunogenicity subversion of L. infantum-infected DCs, and that parasites strongly counteract the lipopolysaccharide-triggered maturation of DCs.
Abstract: Understanding the complex interactions between Leishmania and dendritic cells (DCs) is central to the modulation of the outcome of this infection, given that an effective immune response against Leishmania is dependent on the successful activation and maturation of DCs. We report here that Leishmania infantum promastigotes successfully infect mouse bone marrow-derived DCs without triggering maturation, as shown by a failure in the up-regulation of CD40 and CD86 expression, and that parasites strongly counteract the lipopolysaccharide-triggered maturation of DCs. A small increase in interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-10 transcription and secretion and a decrease in IL-6 were observed in infected cells. This arrested DC maturation state is actively promoted by parasites because heat-killed or fixed parasites increased cytokine and costimulatory molecule expression. At a molecular level, L. infantum rapidly induced activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2, whereas no effect was observed in the c-Jun N-terminal kinase and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase proinflammatory pathways. Moreover, parasites actively promoted cleavage of the nuclear factor-κB p65RelA subunit, causing its impairment. The blockade of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt by either treatment of bone marrow-derived DCs with wortmannin or transfection with an Akt dominant-negative mutant resulted in a strong decrease in infection rates, revealing for the first time a crucial role of this pathway on Leishmania engulfment by DCs. Overall, our data indicate that activation of Akt and impairment of nuclear factor-κB are responsible for immunogenicity subversion of L. infantum-infected DCs.
45 citations
TL;DR: Investigation of the effect of lipopolysaccharide, skin sensitizers, and irritants on thioredoxin-1 by Western blot and immunofluorescence and on mRNA by real-time PCR found that hydrogen peroxide increasesThiored toxin-1 and CD86 expression reinforcing thiOREDoxin- 1 involvement in DC maturation.
Abstract: Thioredoxin-1 is a ubiquitous protein involved in phenotypical and functional changes in dendritic cells (DC). We investigated the effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), skin sensitizers, and irritants on thioredoxin-1 by Western blot and immunofluorescence and on mRNA by real-time PCR. As DC models, we used a skin DC line and DC derived from human blood monocytes. We observed that all tested chemicals increased thioredoxin-1 expression, which is only transient for irritants, being the strongest effect observed for LPS (63 ± 15%). To address the involvement of thioredoxin-1 in DC maturation, we analysed the effect of an activator of thioredoxin-1 expression, hydrogen peroxide, on CD86 expression, a marker of DC maturation. We found that hydrogen peroxide increases thioredoxin-1 and CD86 expression reinforcing thioredoxin-1 involvement in DC maturation. Because mitogen-activated protein kinases and PI3K are activated upon DC maturation, we also analysed their involvement in thioredoxin-1 modulation. We verified that LPS-induced upregulation of thioredoxin-1 expression was dependent on PI3K pathway.
4 citations
3 citations