Effect of Punarnavine, an alkaloid from Boerhaavia diffusa, on cell-mediated immune responses and TIMP-1 in B16F-10 metastatic melanoma-bearing mice

Effect of Punarnavine on the cell-mediated immune (CMI) response in metastatic condition was studied using C57BL/6 mice model. Administration of Punarnavine enhanced Natural Killer (NK) cell activity, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and antibody-dependent complement mediated cytotoxicity (ACC) and the activity was observed in treated group much earlier compared to the metastatic tumor-bearing control. Production of cytokines such as IL-2 and IFN-gamma were significantly enhanced by the administration of Punarnavine compared to the untreated metastatic tumor-bearing control. Peaks of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha were significantly lowered by Punarnavine administration compared to metastatic control. The level and expression of TIMP-1 was also enhanced by the administration of Punarnavine compared to metastatic tumor bearing control. These results indicate Punarnavine could enhance the immune response against metastatic progression of B16F-10 melanoma cells in mice.     

Augmentation of natural killer cell and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity in BALB/c mice by sulforaphane, a naturally occurring isothiocyanate from broccoli through enhanced production of cytokines IL-2 and IFN-gamma

Effect of sulforaphane on cell-mediated immune (CMI) response was studied in normal as well as Ehrlich ascites tumor-bearing BALB/c mice. Administration of sulforaphane significantly enhanced natural killer (NK) cell activity in both normal as well as tumor-bearing animals, and the activity was observed earlier than in tumor-bearing control animals. Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) also was enhanced significantly in both normal as well as tumor-bearing animals after sulforaphane administration compared with untreated control tumor-bearing animals. An early antibody-dependent complement-mediated cytotoxicity (ACC) also was observed in sulforaphane-treated normal and tumor-bearing animals. Administration of sulforaphane significantly enhanced the production of Interleukin-2 and Interferon-γ in normal as well as tumor-bearing animals. In addition, sulforaphane significantly enhanced the proliferation of splenocytes, bone marrow cells, and thymocytes by stimulating the mitogenic potential of various mitogens such as concanavalin A, phytohaemagglutinin, poke weed mitogen, and lipopolysaccharide.     

Modulation of Cell-Mediated Immune Response in B16F-10 Melanoma-Induced Metastatic Tumor-Bearing C57BL/6 Mice by Sulforaphane

Effect of sulforaphane on cell-mediated immune response (CMI) was studied in B16F-10 melanoma-induced metastasis-bearing C57BL/6 mice. Administration of sulforaphane significantly enhanced natural killer (NK) cell activity in metastatic tumor-bearing animals (43.17% cell lysis, on day 5) and the activity was observed earlier than in tumor-bearing control animals (maximum of 9.76% cell lysis, on day 9). Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity also was enhanced significantly in metastatic tumor-bearing animals (41.20% cell lysis on day 9) after sulforaphane administration compared with untreated control tumor-bearing animals (maximum of 12.62% cell lysis on day 15). An early antibody-dependent complement-mediated cytotoxicity also was observed in sulforaphane-treated tumor-bearing animals (26% cell lysis, on day 15). Administration of sulforaphane significantly enhanced the production of IL-2 and IFN-γ in metastatic tumor-bearing animals. In addition, sulforaphane significantly downregulated the serum levels of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and GM-CSF during metastasis. These data clearly suggest that sulforaphane effectively inhibited the spread of metastatic tumor cells through the stimulation of CMI, upregulation of IL-2 and IFN-γ, and downregulation of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and GM-CSF.     

Effect of piperine on the inhibition of lung metastasis induced B16F-10 melanoma cells in mice

The effect of piperine on the inhibition of lung metastasis induced by B16F-10 melanoma cells was studied in C57BL/6 mice. Simultaneous administration of the compound with tumor induction produced a significant reduction (95.2%) in tumor nodule formation. Increased lung collagen hydroxyproline (22.37 μg/mg protein) in the metastasized lungs of the control animals compared to normal animals (0.95 μg/mg protein) was significantly reduced (2.59 μg/mg protein) in the piperine-treated animals. The high amount of uronic acid (355.83 μg/100 mg tissue) in the metastasized control animals was significantly reduced (65 μg/100 mg tissue) in the animals treated with piperine. Lung hexosamine content was also significantly reduced in the piperine-treated animals (0.98 mg/100 mg lyophilized tissue) compared to the untreated tumor-bearing animals (4.2 mg/100 mg lyophilized tissue). The elevated levels of serum sialic acid and serum gamma glutamyl transpeptidase activity in the untreated control animals was significantly reduced in the animals treated with piperine. The piperine-treated animals even survived the experiment (90 days). Histopathology of the lung tissue also correlated with the lifespan of the drug-treated animals. Our results demonstrate the antimetastatic activity of piperine, an alkaloid present in plants such as Piper nigrum and Piper longum. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Effect of Asymptomatic Natural Infections due to Common Mouse Pathogens on the Metastatic Progression of B16 Murine Melanoma in C57BL/6 Mice

To investigate whether the presence of infections in C57BL/6 mice influences the metastatic ability of B16 melanoma (B16M) cells, we compared the susceptibility to metastasis development of pathogen-free mice with that of mice from a colony endemically infected with several mouse pathogens. We found that, compared to seronegative controls, mice that were seropositive at least to Mouse Hepatitis Virus (MHV) and Mycoplasma pulmonis: (i) exhibited a higher interindividual variability in all the parameters quantifying metastatic progression; (ii) had elevated serum levels of proinflammatory cytokines both before and at the end of the experiment; (iii) were more susceptible to hepatic metastasis. Interestingly, final levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-18 correlated with the extent of hepatic colonization by the melanoma cells. To confirm the metastasis-enhancing effect of MHV and M. pulmonis we measured the ability of B16M cells to metastasize in pathogen-free animals housed for increasing time-intervals in the vicinity of MHV⁺ animals. Notably, susceptibility to metastasis was lower in animals seronegative to MHV than in MHV⁺ mice, whereas the latter were less susceptible to metastasis than MHV⁺ M. pulmonis⁺ mice. Seropositive animals had increased levels of TNF-α and IL-18 suggesting that MHV and M. pulmonis enhance the metastatic ability of melanoma cells by inducing the release of proinflammatory cytokines. While our results highlight the importance of using pathogen-free animals in metastasis studies, they emphasize the need for a comprehensive health monitoring of the mice used in such studies, particularly in case of using facilities lacking appropriate containment measures.     

Effect of vernolide-A,a sesquiterpene lactone from Vernonia cinerea L., on cell-mediated immune response in B16F-10 metastatic melanoma-bearing mice

One of the major reasons for the rapid progression of cancers is the ability of tumor cells to escape from the immune surveillance mechanism of the body. Modulation of immune responses is highly relevant in tumor cell destruction. Effect of vernolide-A on the cell-mediated immune (CMI) response in metastatic condition was studied using C57BL/6 mice model. Administration of vernolide-A enhanced natural killer (NK) cell activity, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), and antibody-dependent complement-mediated cytotoxicity (ACC) and the activity was observed in treated group much earlier compared with the metastatic tumor-bearing control. Administration of vernolide-A significantly enhanced the production of interleukin (IL)-2 and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) in metastatic tumor-bearing animals. In addition, vernolide-A significantly down-regulated the serum levels of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) during metastasis. All these results demonstrate that vernolide-A could enhance the immune response against metastatic progression of B16F-10 melanoma cells in mice.     

灵芝孢子粉对癫痫大鼠脑IGF-1、NF-κB表达及神经细胞凋亡的影响

目的： 观察和探讨灵芝孢子粉对戊四氮（PTZ）致痫大鼠脑胰岛素样生长因子-1（IGF-1）、核转录因子-κB（NF-κB）蛋白表达及神经细胞凋亡的影响。方法： 用亚惊厥剂量的PTZ复制大鼠慢性癫痫模型，用药组以灵芝孢子粉灌胃，记录癫痫发作的潜伏期及持续时间，采用免疫组织化学和TUNEL法分别检测脑IGF-1、NF-κB/P65的免疫反应性和神经细胞凋亡情况。结果： 大鼠海马和皮质区每高倍视野（×400）下平均凋亡细胞数模型组（18.80±2.13、16.87±2.00）明显多于对照组（0.97±0.52、0.58±0.25），IGF-1、 NF-κB/P65蛋白表达模型组明显高于对照组（均P<0.01）；在造模第17、21、25 d时用药组较模型组癫痫发作的潜伏期有所延长（分别为P<0.05，P<0.05，P<0.01），海马和皮质区凋亡细胞数用药组（12.30±2.46、10.48±1.33）明显少于模型组，NF-κB/P65蛋白表达用药组低于模型组，而IGF-1的免疫反应性用药组明显强于模型组。结论： IGF-1、NF-κB 及神经细胞凋亡均可能参与了PTZ致痫的发生发展过程,灵芝孢子粉能明显抑制NF-κB蛋白的表达，增强IGF-1的免疫反应性，可能是其对癫痫所致神经细胞凋亡有明显抑制，从而对神经细胞起保护作用的机制之一。