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Muriel Tahtouh, Françoise Croq, Christophe Lefebvre, Joël Pestel
European Cytokine Network, Vol.20, No.3, pp. 95-100, 2009, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2009.0157
Abstract The complement system is well known as an enzyme cascade that helps to defend against infec-tions. Indeed, this ancestral system bridges innate and adaptive immunity. Its implication in diseases of the cen-tral nervous system (CNS), has led to an increased number of studies. Complement activation in the CNS has been generally considered to contribute to tissue damage. However, recent studies suggest that complement may be neuroprotective, and can participate in maintenance and repair of the adult brain. Here, we will review this dual role of complement proteins and some of their functional interactions with part More >

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REVIEW

Sylvain Normand^1,*, Benoit Massonnet^1,5,*, Adriana Delwail¹, Laure Favot¹, Laurence Cuisset², Gilles Grateau³, Franck Morel¹, Christine Silvain^1,4, Jean-Claude Lecron^1,5
European Cytokine Network, Vol.20, No.3, pp. 101-107, 2009, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2009.0163
Abstract The mevalonate kinase deficiency (MKD), including hyperimmunoglobulinemia D periodic fever syndrome (HIDS) and the more severe mevalonic aciduria are rare, autosomal recessive, autoinflammatory dis-eases belonging to the hereditary periodic fever (HPF) family. Other members include: familial mediterranean fever (FMF), the cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes (CAPS) and TNFR-associated periodic syndromes (TRAPS). MKD is caused by mutations in the gene encoding mevalonate kinase (MK), an enzyme of the choles-terol pathway, leading to its inactivation. The molecular mechanisms linking MKD and abnormalities of iso-prenoid biosynthesis to cytokine production and inflammation have yet to be fully elucidated. Statins, which are… More >

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ARTICLE

Paola Migliorini¹, Isabella Del Corso¹, Cristina Tommasi¹, Diana Boraschi²
European Cytokine Network, Vol.20, No.3, pp. 108-111, 2009, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2009.0164
Abstract Schnitzler syndrome is a rare disease characterised by chronic urticaria and arthralgia. The recent evidence that the IL-1 receptor antagonist IL-1Ra could induce rapid and complete remission of Schnit-zler symptoms has pointed to IL-1 as a major pathological factor in this disease. To examine the possibility that Schnitzler syndrome may be considered to be an autoinflammatory disease, in this study we measured the serum levels of IL-18, another cytokine of the IL-1 family that is cleaved by caspase-1, in two recently diag-nosed Schnitzler patients before and after treatment with IL-1Ra. In parallel, mRNA expression of More >

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Benoit Massonnet^1,6,*, Sylvain Normand^1,*, Reinhard Moschitz¹, Adriana Delwail¹, Laure Favot¹, Martine Garcia¹, Nicolas Bourmeyster², Laurence Cuisset³, Gilles Grateau⁴, Franck Morel¹, Christine Silvain^1,5, Jean-Claude Lecron^1,6
European Cytokine Network, Vol.20, No.3, pp. 112-120, 2009, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2009.0162
Abstract Objective. The effects of statins (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase-HMGR-inhibitors) on the inflammatory response remain unclear. HMGR is implicated in the mevalonate path-way, directly upstream of cholesterol biosynthesis. We studied the impairment by this pathway of cytokine pro-duction by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and THP-1 cells. The aim was to identify a specific cytokine “signature” of cells under simvastatin treatment in order to link pharmacological inhibition of the mevalonate pathway and inflammation. Methods. Normal human PBMCs and THP-1 cells were cultured with inhibitors of HMGR (simvastatin), geranylgeranyltransferase (GGTI-298), farnesyltransferase (FTI-277), and/or caspase-1 (Z-VAD(Ome)-FMK). Following culture,… More >

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ARTICLE

Harika Atmaca¹, Gurbuz Gorumlu², Burcak Karaca², Mustafa Degirmenci², Didem Tunali², Yalcin Cirak², Duygu Unuvar Purcu¹, Selim Uzunoglu¹, Bulent Karabulut², Ulus A. Sanli², Ruchan Uslu²
European Cytokine Network, Vol.20, No.3, pp. 121-130, 2009, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2009.0159
Abstract In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the possible synergistic, cytotoxic effects of combination treatment of gossypol and zoledronic acid, in human ovarian cancer cell lines, OVCAR-3 and MDAH-2774, and to elucidate the role of this novel combination treatment on angiogenesis-related molecules in ovarian cancer. The XTT cell viability assay was used for showing cytotoxicity. Both DNA fragmentation by ELISA assay and caspase 3/7 activity measurement were used for demonstrating apoptosis. To elucidate the angiogenic molecules affected by combination treatment, mRNA levels of angiogenic molecules were measured using the Human Angiogenesis RT² Profiler^TM PCR Array… More >

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ARTICLE

Bozena Dobrzycka¹, Slawomir J. Terlikowski¹, Oksana Kowalczuk², Maciej Kinalski³
European Cytokine Network, Vol.20, No.3, pp. 131-134, 2009, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2009.0161
Abstract The significance of circulating levels of TNF-α and its soluble receptors (sTNF-Rs) in the plasma of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) has not been fully elucidated. The present study was to investi-gate the relationship of pretreatment plasma levels of TNF-α, sTNFR-1 and sTNFR-2 with outcome in 126 patients with EOC. Concentrations of TNF-α and sTNF-Rs were determined by enzyme-linked immunosor-bent assay (ELISA). Median TNF-α and sTNF-Rs levels were significantly higher in EOC patients than in healthy controls. High plasma levels of TNF-α and sTNF-Rs were correlated with tumor stage and with reduced mean survival More >

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Bartosz Hudzik¹, Janusz Szkodzinski¹, Wojciech Romanowski², Krzysztof Wilczek¹, Rafal Wojnar¹, Andrzej Lekston¹, Lech Polonski¹, Barbara Zubelewicz-Szkodzinska²
European Cytokine Network, Vol.20, No.3, pp. 135-139, 2009, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2009.0160
Abstract Background. The efficacy of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is limited by the need for repeat revascularization resulting from restenosis. The restenosis rate after treatment for in-stent restenosis (recurrent restenosis) is high (> 30%). Numerous studies have suggested the predictive value of interleukin 6 (IL-6) and transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1). Methods. We sought to determine whether serum levels of IL-6 and TGF-β1 could help identify individuals with recurrent restenosis. Thirty seven patients with a history of stent implantation were enrolled and divided into three groups: (1) patients with a current, first restenosis (n = 9);… More >

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Emiliana Finamore^1,*, Mariateresa Vitiello^1,*, Marina D’Isanto¹, Emilia Galdiero², Annarita Falanga³, Aikaterini Kampanaraki¹, Katia Raieta¹, Marilena Galdiero¹
European Cytokine Network, Vol.20, No.3, pp. 140-147, 2009, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2009.0158
Abstract Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pleiotropic cytokine and plays an active role in inflammatory and immune responses, contributing to a multitude of physiological and pathophysiological processes. In this study, we address the molecular mechanism of IL-6 transcriptional induction and propose a correlation between acti-vated NF-κB localization and IL-6 expression. In particular, we detected, by ChIP assay, that occupation of the IL-6 gene promoter site is dependent on activated NF-κB. In fact, after porin stimulation, the NF-κB p65 sub-unit is activated, translocates to the nucleus and binds to the IL-6 promoter sequence.Elucidation of the host signaling pathways More >

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Yaping Zhang¹, Cang-Bao Xu², Lars-Olaf Cardell¹
European Cytokine Network, Vol.20, No.3, pp. 148-156, 2009, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2009.0156
Abstract Toll-interleukin-1 (Toll-IL-1) receptor signaling may play a key role in the development of airway hyperreactivity (AHR) and chronic airway inflammatory diseases such as asthma. Previously, we have demon-strated that pro-inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β), induce AHR. However, the underlying intracellular signaling mechanisms that lead to AHR remain elusive. In order to see if the Toll-IL-1 receptor-mediated inflammatory signal pathways are involved in the development of AHR, the present study was designed to use a real-time PCR array, a sensitive and powerful tool, consisting of 84 genes related to Toll-IL-1 receptor signal… More >

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