• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.23 no.3
• /
• pp.9-36
• /
• 2009

Objectives The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of a concurrent administration of JUJSTK and AJ on atopic dermatitis in an in-vivo experiment. Thus, this study is expressed by using NC/Nga atopic dermatitis mice which have histological and clinical similarities to that of humans have been used. Methods Clinical skin score, hematology, serum total IgE and IgG1 of the mouse was evaluated, and cytokine levels, total number of the cells, immunohistochemical staining, histological features of axillary lymph node(ALN), peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMCs), and a dorsal skin tissue of the mouse were analyzed. Results Oral administration of JUJSTK and concurrent administration of JUJSTK and AJ lowered the clinical skin score, total cell number of WBC, eosinophils in blood, and serum total of IgE & IgG1, IFN-$\gamma$, IL-5, IL-13, IL-17. In addition, total cell number of ALN and dorsal skin tissue, absolute cell number of $CD3e^+$ T cell, $CD4^+$ Th cell, $CD8^+$ c/sT cell, $CD3^+CCR3^+$ cell, $CCR3^+$ cell, $CD3^+CD69^+$, $CD4^+CXCR5^+$ in ALN, PBMCs, absolute cell number of $CCR3^+$, $CD3^+/CD69^+$, $CD11b^+/Gr-1^+$, $CD11b^+/Gr-1^+$ in dorsal skin tissue, Eotaxin2 mRNA, CCR3 mRNA in dorsal skin tissue and gene expression of IL-5 mRNA, IL-13 mRNA in ALN were significantly decreased. Furthermore, thickness of epidermis infiltrated inflammatory immune cell & mast cell in dermis, histological infiltration of mast cell, the size of inflammatory lymphocytes cells & plasma cells in ALN and histological infiltration of $CD4^+$ & $CCR3^+$ in ALN and dorsal skin tissue were significantly decreased as well. Conclusions Concurrent administration of JUJSTK and AJ on atopic dermatitis in an in-vivoexperiment by using an NC/Nga atopic dermatitis mouse was very effective as an atopic dermatitis treatment.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.51-85
• /
• 2009

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of concurrent administration of KKSDU and AJ on atopic dermatitis in an in-vivo experiment using an NC/Nga atopic dermatitis mouse, which has histological and clinical similarities to the condition in humans. Methods : We evaluated clinical skin score, hematology, serum total IgE and IgG1 of NC/Nga atopic dermatitis mouse and analyzed the cytoline level, total cell number, immunohistochemical staining, histological features of axillary lymph node(ALN), draining lymph node(DLN), peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMCs) and dorsal skin tissue in NC/Nga mouse. Results : Orally administration of KKSDU and concurrent administration of KKSDU and AJ decreased the clinical skin score, total cell number of WBC, platelet, neutrophils, eosinophils in blood, serum total IgE & IgG1, IL-5, IL-13. Also, total cell number of ALN and dorsal skin tissue, absolute cell number of CD3e+&CD19+, CD4+&CD8+, CD3+/CCR3+, CCR3+, CD3+/CD69+, CD3+/CXCR5+ in ALN, PBMCs, absolute cell number of CCR3+, CD3+/CD69+, CD11b+/Gr-1+ in dorsal skin tissue, Eotaxin2 mRNA, CCR3 mRNA in dorsal skin tissue and gene expression of IL-5 mRNA, IL-13 mRNA in ALN are significantly decreased. Furthermore, thickness of epidermis, infiltrated inflammatory immune cell & mast cell in dermis, histologic infiltration of mast cell, the size of inflammatory lymphocytes cells & plasma cells in ALN and histologic infiltration of CD4+ & CCR3+ in ALN and dorsal skin tissue are significantly decreased. However, total cell number of DLN, absolute cell number of CD3+&CD19+, CD4+&CD8+, B220+/CD23+, CD3+/CD69+ in DLN and CD4+CD25+foxp3+Treg cell, foxp3 mRNA in dersal skin tissue are increased significantly. Conclusions : Concurrent administration of KKSDU and AJ on atopic dermatitis in an in-vivo experiment using an NC/Nga atopic dermatitis mouse was very effective to the atopic detmatitis treatment.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.37-72
• /
• 2009

Objectives The purpose of this study is to investigate the suppressive effects of Atopy cream-combined with Jawoongo ointment (A-J), on the development of atopic dermatitis-like skinlesions in NC/Nga mouse. Methods We evaluated clinical skin score, hematology and Serum total IgE and IgG1 of NC/Nga atopic dermatitis mouse, analyzed the cytokine level, total cell number, Immunohistochemical staining and Histological features of axillary lymph node(ALN), draining lymph node(DLN), peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMCs) and dorsal skin tissue in NC/Nga mouse. Results A-J decreased the clinical skin score, total cell number of WBC, platelet, neutrophils, eosinophils in blood, Serum total IgE & IgG1, IL-5, IL-13. Also, total cell number of ALN and dorsal skin tissue, Absolute cell number of $CD3e^+$&$CD19^+$, $CD4^+$&$CD8^+$, $CD3^+/CCR3^+$, $CCR3^+$, $CD3^+/CD69^+$, $CD3^+/CXCR5^+$ in ALN, PBMCs, Absolute cell number of $CCR3^+$, $CD3^+/CD69^+$, $CD11b^+/Gr-1^+$ in dorsalskin tissue, Eotaxin2 mRNA, CCR3 mRNA in dorsal skin tissue and gene expression of IL-5 mRNA, IL-13 mRNA in ALN decreased significantly. Furthermore, thickness of epidermis, infiltrated inflammatory immune cell and mast cell in dermis, histologic infiltration of mast cell, the size of inflammatory lymphocytes cells and plasma cells in ALN and histologic infiltration of CD4+ & CCR3+ in ALN and dorsal skin tissue decreased significantly. However, total cell number of DLN, absolute cell number of $CD3e^+$&$CD19^+$, $CD4^+$&$CD8^+$, $B220^+/CD23^+$, $CD3^+/CD69^+$ increased significantly. Conclusions A-J was the successful treatment of atopic dermatitis in a NC/Nga mouse model.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.12
• /
• pp.7315-7319
• /
• 2013

Background: The metastasis gene osteopontin (OPN) is subject to alternative splicing, which yields three messages, osteopontin-a, osteopontin-b and osteopontin-c. Osteopontin-c is selectively expressed in invasive, but not in noninvasive tumors. In the present study, we examined the expression of OPN-c in esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCCs) and assessed its value as a diagnostic biomarker. Methods: OPN-c expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry in 63 ESCC samples and correlated with clinicopathologic factors. Expression was also examined in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 120 ESCC patients and 30 healthy subjects. The role of OPN-c mRNA as a tumor marker was investigated by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis. Results: Immunohistochemistry showed that OPN-c was expressed in 30 of 63 cancer lesions (48%)and significantly associated with pathological T stage (P=0.038) and overall stage (P=0.023). Real time PCR showed that OPN-c mRNA was expressed at higher levels in the PBMCs of ESCC patients than in those of healthy subjects (P<0.0001) with a sensitivity as an ESCC biomarker of 86.7%. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that expression of OPN-c is significantly elevated in ESCCs and this upregulation could be a potential diagnostic marker.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.1487-1494
• /
• 2015

Background: To investigate the clinical efficacy of expanded activated autologous lymphocytes (EAAL) in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Materials and Methods: A total of 32 SCLC patients were selected and randomly divided into EAAL treatment and control groups, 16 cases in each. EAAL were obtained by proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients followed by phenotype determination. Clinical data of all patients were recorded. Patients of both groups were followed up and the overall survival (OS) were compared retrospectively. Results: After culture and proliferation in vitro, the percentages of $CD3^+$, $CD3^+CD8^+$, $CD45RO^+$, $CD28^+$, $CD29^+$, $CD8^+CD28^+$ and $CD3^+CD16^+/CD56^+$ cells increased markedly (p<0.05). The OS of the EAAL treatment group was longer than that of control group, but the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.060, HR=0.487, 95%CI 0.228~1.037). 1- to 3-year survival rates in EAAL treatment group were longer than those in control group, but there was still no significant difference (p>0.05). COX multivariate regression analysis showed that the number of chemotherapy cycles and the application of EAAL immunotherapy were independent prognostic factors for SCLC patients. The OS in females and chemotherapy${\leq}6$ cycles were obviously prolonged after EAAL immunotherapy. Conclusions: In vitro induction and proliferation of EAAL is easy and biologically safe. Generally, EAAL adoptive immunotherapy can evidently prolong the OS of SCLC patients.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.34-41
• /
• 2013

Interleukin-18 (IL-18) has been known to induce interferon-${\gamma}$ (IFN-${\gamma}$) production and promote Th1 immunity. Although mammalian IL-18 has been characterized in great detail, the properties and application of chicken IL-18 remain largely uninvestigated as of yet. In this study, we evaluated the immunomodulatory properties of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium expressing chicken interleukin-18 (chIL-18) on immune responses induced by avian influenza (AI) and Newcastle disease (ND) vaccines. After oral administration of S. enterica serovar Typhimurium expressing chIL-18, chickens were vaccinated intramuscularly with the recommended dose of either inactivated AI H9N2 vaccine or ND (B1 strain) vaccine. Chickens receiving a primary vaccination were boosted using the same protocol 7 days later. Humoral and cell-mediated immune responses were evaluated in terms of HI antibody titers and proliferation and mRNA expression of IFN-${\gamma}$ and IL-4 of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in response to specific antigen stimulation. According to our results, oral administration of S. enterica serovar Typhimurium expressing chIL-18 induced enhanced humoral and Th1-biased cell-mediated immunity against AI and ND vaccines, compared to that of chickens received S. enterica serovar Typhimurium harboring empty vector. Therefore, we conclude that our proposed vaccination regimen using inactivated AI and ND viruses along with oral administration of S. enterica serovar Typhimurium expressing chIL-18 may provide a novel approach in protecting chicken from currently circulating AI and ND virus strains.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.86 no.4
• /
• pp.304-318
• /
• 2023

Background: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are key components of the tumor microenvironment and significantly contribute to immune evasion. We investigated the effects of CAFs on the immune function of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: We isolated CAFs and normal fibroblasts (NFs) from tumors and normal lung tissues of NSCLC patients, respectively. CAFs were co-cultured with activated T cells to evaluate their immune regulatory function. We investigated the effect of CAF conditioned medium (CAF-CM) on the cytotoxicity of T cells. CAFs were also co-cultured with activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells and further incubated with cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2) inhibitors to investigate the potential role of COX2 in immune evasion. Results: CAFs and NFs were isolated from the lung tissues (n=8) and lymph nodes (n=3) of NSCLC patients. Immune suppressive markers, such as COX2 and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), were increased in CAFs after co-culture with activated T cells. Interestingly, CAFs promoted the expression of programmed death-1 in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and strongly inhibited T cell proliferation in allogenic and autologous pairs of CAFs and T cells. CAF-CM decreased the cytotoxicity of T cells. COX2 inhibitors partially restored the proliferation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and downregulated the expression of COX2, prostaglandin E synthase, prostaglandin E2, and PD-L1 in CAFs. Conclusion: CAFs promote immune evasion by suppressing the function of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells via their effects on COX2 and PD-L1 in NSCLC. The immunosuppressive function of CAFs could be alleviated by COX2 inhibitors.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.248-254
• /
• 2022

Background: Occupational hazards in crop farms vary diversely based on different field operations as soil management, harvesting processes, pesticide, or fertilizer application. We aimed at evaluating the immunological status of crop farmers, as limited systematic investigations on immune alteration involved with crop farming have been reported yet. Methods: Immunological parameters including plasma immunoglobulin level, major peripheral immune cells distribution, and level of cytokine production from activated T cell were conducted. Nineteen grape orchard, 48 onion open-field, and 21 rose greenhouse farmers were participated. Results: Significantly low proportion of natural killer (NK) cell, a core cell for innate immunity, was revealed in the grape farmers (19.8±3.3%) in comparison to the onion farmers (26.4±3.1%) and the rose farmers (26.9±2.5%), whereas cytotoxic T lymphocyte proportion was lower in the grape and the onion farmers than the rose farmers. The proportion of NKT cell, an immune cell implicated with allergic response, was significantly higher in the grape (2.3±0.3%) and the onion (1.6±0.8%) farmers compared with the rose farmers (1.0±0.4%). A significantly decreased interferon-gamma:interleukin-13 ratio was observed from ex vivo stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells of grape farmers compared with the other two groups. The grape farmers revealed the lowest levels of plasma IgG1 and IgG4, and their plasma IgE level was not significantly different from that of the onion or the rose farmers. Conclusion: Our finding suggests the high vulnerability of workplace-mediated allergic immunity in grape orchard farmers followed by open-field onion farmers and then the rose greenhouse farmers.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.33 no.3
• /
• pp.424-435
• /
• 2020

Objective: The study was conducted to investigate variations in the immunophysiological responses to exercise-induced stress in Jeju and Thoroughbred horses. Methods: Blood samples were collected from the jugular veins of adult Jeju (n = 5) and Thoroughbred (n = 5) horses before and after 30 min of exercise. The hematological, biochemical, and immunological profiles of the blood samples were analyzed. Blood smears were stained and observed under a microscope. The concentration of cell-free (cf) DNA in the plasma was determined using real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and polymorphonuclear cells were separated using Polymorphprep, and the expression of various stress-related and chemokine receptor genes was measured using reverse transcriptase (RT) and real-time PCR. Results: After exercise, Jeju and Thoroughbred horses displayed stress responses with significantly increased rectal temperatures, cortisol levels, and muscle catabolism-associated metabolites. Red blood cell indices were significantly higher in Thoroughbred horses than in Jeju horses after exercise. In addition, exercise-induced stress triggered the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and reduced platelet counts in Jeju horses but not in Thoroughbred horses. Heat shock protein 72 and heat shock protein family A (Hsp70) member 6 expression is rapidly modulated in response to exercise-induced stress in the PBMCs of Jeju horses. The expression of CXC chemokine receptor 4 in PBMCs was higher in Thoroughbred horses than in Jeju horses after exercise. Conclusion: In summary, the different immunophysiological responses of Jeju and Thoroughbred horses explain the differences in the physiological and anatomical properties of the two breeds. The physiology of Thoroughbred horses makes them suitable for racing as they are less sensitive to exercise-induced stress compared to that of Jeju horses. This study provides a basis for investigating the link between exercise-induced stresses and the physiological alteration of horses. Hence, our findings show that some of assessed parameters could be used to determine the endurance performance of horses.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.26 no.10
• /
• pp.1406-1415
• /
• 2013

The study was conducted to correlate the periparturient immune status in terms of neutrophil functions and cytokine expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cell culture with impending postpartum reproductive disorders in buffaloes. Forty pregnant buffaloes were observed for occurrence of postpartum reproductive disorders (PRD), i.e., metritis, endometritis and delayed uterine involution etc., during one week prepartum to four weeks postpartum period. A representative number (n = 6) of buffaloes that did not develop any PRD were included in group I (healthy, control), while the animals which experienced PRD were assigned into group II (PRD, n = 8). The blood samples were collected at weekly interval from one week prepartum to four weeks postpartum period considering the day of calving as 'd 0'. Differential leucocytes counts, superoxide and hydrogen peroxide production activity in isolated neutrophils and the mRNA expression profile of cytokines i.e., IL-2, IL-4 and IFN-${\gamma}$ in PBMC culture were studied in all the samples. A higher total leucocytes, neutrophil and band cells count along with impaired neutrophil functions i.e., lowered level of production of superoxide and hydrogen peroxide before parturition and during early postpartum period were observed in buffaloes developing PRD. Further, a lower expression of IL-2, IFN-${\gamma}$ and IL-4 mRNA in PBMC culture was observed at calving in buffaloes that subsequently developed PRD at later postpartum. Thus, suppression in neutrophil function and cytokine expression at prepartum to early postpartum period predisposes the buffaloes to develop postpartum reproductive disorders. Hence, monitoring of neutrophils function and cytokine expression profile would be effective to predict certain reproductive disorders at late pregnancy or immediately after parturition in buffaloes. In future, this may be a novel approach for determining suitable management and therapeutic decisions for prevention of commonly occurring reproductive disorders in farm animals.