Strong larvicidal potential of Artemisia annua leaf extract against malaria (Anopheles stephensi Liston) and dengue (Aedes aegypti L.) vectors and bioassay-driven isolation of the marker compounds

Malaria and dengue are the two most important vector-borne human diseases caused by mosquito vectors Anopheles stephensi and Aedes aegypti, respectively. Of the various strategies adopted for eliminating these diseases, controlling of vectors through herbs has been reckoned as one of the important measures for preventing their resurgence. Artemisia annua leaf chloroform extract when tried against larvae of A. stephensi and A. aegypti has shown a strong larvicidal activity against both of these vectors, their respective LC50 and LC90 values being 0.84 and 4.91 ppm for A. stephensi and 0.67 and 5.84 ppm for A. aegypti. The crude extract when separated through column chromatography using petroleum ether-ethyl acetate gradient (0–100 %) yielded 76 fractions which were pooled into three different active fractions A, B and C on the basis of same or nearly similar R _f values. The aforesaid pooled fractions when assayed against the larvae of A. stephensi too reported a strong larvicidal activity. The respective marker compound purified from the individual fractions A, B and C, were Artemisinin, Arteannuin B and Artemisinic acid, as confirmed and characterized through FT-IR and NMR. This is our first report of strong mortality of A. annua leaf chloroform extract against vectors of two deadly diseases. This technology can be scaled up for commercial exploitation.     

Stringent regulation of complement lectin pathway C3/C5 convertase by C4b-binding protein (C4BP)

The complement lectin pathway, an essential component of the innate immune system, is geared for rapid recognition of infections as each C4b deposited via this pathway is capable of forming a C3/C5 convertase. In the present study, role of C4b-binding protein (C4BP) in regulating the lectin pathway C3/C5 convertase assembled on zymosan and sheep erythrocytes coated with mannan (E_Man) was examined. While the C4BP concentration for inhibiting 50% (IC₅₀) formation of surface-bound C3 convertase on the two surfaces was similar to that obtained for the soluble C3 convertase (1.05 nM), 3- and 41-fold more was required to inhibit assembly of the C5 convertase on zymosan (2.81 nM) and E_Man (42.66 nM). No difference in binding interactions between C4BP and surface-bound C4b alone or in complex with C3b was observed. Increasing the C4b density on zymosan (14,000–431,000 C4b/Zym) increased the number of C4b bound per C4BP from 2.87 to 8.23 indicating that at high C4b density all seven α-chains of C4BP are engaged in C4b-binding. In contrast, the number of C4b bound per C4BP remained constant (3.79 ± 0.60) when the C4b density on E_Man was increased. The data also show that C4BP regulates assembly and decay of the lectin pathway C3/C5 convertase more stringently than the classical pathway C3/C5 convertase because of a 7- to 13-fold greater affinity for C4b deposited via the lectin pathway than the classical pathway. C4BP thus regulates efficiently the four times greater potential of the lectin pathway than the classical pathway in generating the C3/C5 convertase and hence production of pro-inflammatory products, which are required to fight infections but occasionally cause pathological inflammatory reactions.     

DRB1*0402 may influence arthritis by promoting naive CD4+ T‐cell differentiation in to regulatory T cells

HLA‐DRB1*0401 expression in humans has been associated with a predisposition to developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and collagen‐induced arthritis (CIA), while HLA‐DRB1*0402 is not associated with susceptibility. Here, we determined if mice transgenic (Tg) for human *0401 have a CD4⁺ T‐cell repertoire that predetermines proinflammatory cytokine production. The data show that both *0401 and *0402 Tg mice can produce TH1/TH17 cytokines, although the kinetics of response may be different. However, in the context of antigen‐specific responses in a CIA model, *0402 Tg mice generate a TH2 response that may explain their resistance to developing arthritis. In addition, a significant subset of naïve CD4⁺ T cells from *0402 Tg mice can be activated in polarizing conditions to differentiate into Treg cells that produce IFN‐γ. *0401 Tg mice harbor memory CD4⁺ T cells that differentiate into IL‐17⁺ cells in various polarizing conditions. Our data suggest that *0401 Tg mice generate a strong immune response to lipopolysaccharide and may be efficient in clearing infection, and may *0401 have been evolutionarily selected for this ability. Autoimmunity, such as RA, could likely be a bystander effect of the cytokine storm that, along with the presence of low Treg‐cell numbers in *0401 Tg mice, causes immune dysregulation.     

Stargardt disease: towards developing a model to predict phenotype

Stargardt disease is an ABCA4-associated retinopathy, which generally follows an autosomal recessive inheritance pattern and is a frequent cause of macular degeneration in childhood. ABCA4 displays significant allelic heterogeneity whereby different mutations can cause retinal diseases with varying severity and age of onset. A genotype–phenotype model has been proposed linking ABCA4 mutations, purported ABCA4 functional protein activity and severity of disease, as measured by degree of visual loss and the age of onset. It has, however, been difficult to verify this model statistically in observational studies, as the number of individuals sharing any particular mutation combination is typically low. Seven founder mutations have been identified in a large number of Caucasian Afrikaner patients in South Africa, making it possible to test the genotype–phenotype model. A generalised linear model was developed to predict and assess the relative pathogenic contribution of the seven mutations to the age of onset of Stargardt disease. It is shown that the pathogenicity of an individual mutation can differ significantly depending on the genetic context in which it occurs. The results reported here may be used to identify suitable candidates for inclusion in clinical trials, as well as guide the genetic counselling of affected individuals and families.     

Incidental perivascular epithelioid cell tumor in an inguinal hernia sac

Perivascular epithelioid tumors (PEComa) are uncommon mesenchymal neoplasms demonstrating positivity for muscular and melanocytic immuno-markers. Included in this category are angiomyolipoma, lymphangioleiomyomatosis, and clear cell sugar tumors. Lesions which do not fit into these categories are classified as “not otherwise specified”. We present a case of an incidentally discovered PEComa within inguinal hernia sac contents in a 70-year-old woman. It consisted of spindled and epithelioid cells with bland oval nuclei, small nucleoli and clear to light eosinophilic cytoplasm. There was no atypia or mitoses. The lesion was strongly positive for HMB45 and smooth muscle actin. Pelvic soft tissue and peritoneal PEComas are rarely reported in literature and very little is known about their prognosis. We discuss the immunohistochemistry, differential diagnosis, and pathogenesis of PEComas.     

Increased levels of endothelin-1 and differential endothelin type A and B receptor expression in scleroderma-associated fibrotic lung disease.

In addition to their vasoactive action, endothelins are potent peptides in the regulation of both cell proliferation and the turnover of extracellular matrix. Using immunohistochemical, autoradiographic, and molecular analyses, we have studied the localization and expression of endothelin-1 and endothelin A (ETA) and B (ETB) receptors in scleroderma-associated fibrotic lung disease. Increased ET-1 immunoreactivity was found in sclerotic tissue compared with control and was associated with the vasculature, pulmonary interstitium, and bronchial and alveolar epithelium. Microautoradiographic analysis after 125I-labeled ET-1 binding showed a two- to threefold increase in the expression of total ET-1 receptors in scleroderma lung tissue localized to the alveolar epithelium and the pulmonary interstitium which was composed of mainly fibroblastic cells with macrophages and some microvessels. RNAse protection assay revealed significantly reduced ETA receptor and slightly raised ETB message levels in systemic sclerosis lung. Surface expression of functional ET receptors was examined by targeted receptor blocking using mixed and receptor-subtype-selective ligands. A consistent decrease in ETA receptor binding sites was noted primarily within the interstitium and vasculature, in contrast to a slight increase in ETB receptors. Elevated ET-1 and the cell-specific pattern of endothelin receptor expression suggest that the endothelins may represent important mediators that influence the pathology of scleroderma-associated lung disease and other fibrotic conditions.