Cytokines and chronic liver disease

From an immunological point of view, the healthy liver has been usually associated with the phenomenon of tolerance. A microenvironment of regulatory cytokines produced by liver Kuppfer cells and liver sinusoidal endothelial cells has contributed, together with resident dendritic cells, to generate a tolerogenic environment in this tissue. In this review we discussed the intrahepatic responses to different sorts of liver injury, such as hepatotrophic viruses, alcohol or putative self-antigens. In each case we analyzed the impact of different cytokines in the clinical outcome of the different pathological situations.     

A novel leptospiral protein increases ICAM-1 and E-selectin expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells

It has been reported previously that activation of vascular endothelium by outer membrane proteins of the spirochetes Borrelia sp. and Treponema sp. resulted in enhanced expression of endothelial cell adhesion molecules. To investigate the role of leptospiral proteins in this process, a predicted lipoprotein encoded by the gene LIC10365 was selected, which belongs to a paralogous family that presents a domain of unknown function, DUF1565. The LIC10365 gene was cloned and the protein expressed in Escherichia coli C43 (DE3) strain using the vector pAE. The recombinant protein tagged with N-terminal hexahistidine was purified by metal-charged chromatography and was used to assess its ability to activate cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells. The rLIC10365 activated endothelium in such a manner that E-selectin and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) became upregulated in a dose-dependent fashion. The LIC10365-encoded protein was identified in vivo in the renal tubules of animal during experimental infection with Leptospira interrogans. Collectively, these results implicate the LIC10365-coding protein of L. interrogans as a potential effector molecule in the promotion of a host inflammatory response. This is the first report of a leptospiral protein capable of up-regulating the expression of endothelial cell adhesion molecules ICAM-1 and E-selectin.     

Embryo and Endosperm Phytochemicals from Polyembryonic Maize Kernels and Their Relationship with Seed Germination

Because of the growing worldwide demand for maize grain, new alternatives have been sought for breeding of this cereal, e.g., development of polyembryonic varieties, which agronomic performance could positively impact the grain yield per unit area, and nutritional quality. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine the phytochemicals present in the embryo and endosperm of grain from maize families with high, low, and null polyembryony frequency, which were planted at different locations, and (2) state the relationship between these compounds and seed germination. The extracted phytochemicals from corn were identified by HPLC-MS. The results showed that the genotype with the highest presence of phytochemicals was the brachytic population with high polyembryony called “BAP”, which also required less water during the germination process. The number of phytochemicals in both embryo and endosperm tissues was not related to the sowing location where they came from or the type of polyembryony. The number of different phytochemicals depended on the grain tissue from where they were extracted. The chemical compounds found in the different maize tissues were related to the development of the plant, either in roots or nibs because these are mainly associated with the lignin synthesis.     

Neuroprotective Effect of Riboflavin Producing Lactic Acid Bacteria in Parkinsonian Models

Neurochemical Research - Oxidative stress and inflammatory processes might contribute to the cascade of events leading Parkinson disease (PD); and vitamins such as riboflavin can exert protection...     

Spatial prioritisation of management zones in protected areas for the integration of multiple objectives

Biodiversity and Conservation - Biodiversity keeps declining in the European Union despite the large conservation effort done over the last decades. The Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 aims to...