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Letter 2002; 23(2): 119-120 PubMed PMID: 12011797 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, Humans, Neuroendocrinology:trends, Neuroimmunomodulation,.   

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Letter 2002; 23(1): 8-9 PubMed PMID: 11880855 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, Biomarkers, Endocrine Glands:metabolism, Humans, Immune System:cytology,.   

: Evidence are now given that immune cells expressed endocrine markers like neuropeptides, biogenic amine, neuropeptide processing enzymes, regulated secretion pathway. In clear, immune cells expressed like the nervous system an endocrine phenotype. This give the following question: what can we now consider as immune or endocrine?...

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Journal Article 2001; 22(6): 467-474 PubMed PMID: 11781546 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators, Humans, Invertebrates, Neuroimmunomodulation:immunology, Opioid Peptides:immunology,.   

: There is today growing evidence that the nervous and the immune systems can exchange information, mainly through small molecules, either cytokines or neuropeptides. Furthermore, it appears that some so-called neurotransmitters like neuropeptides can function as endogenous messengers of the immune system, and that they most likely participate in an important part in the regulation of the various components of the immune response. In this context, it is widely accepted that all organisms have processes that maintain their state of health. Failure of these processes, such as those involving naturally occurring antibacterial peptides, may lead to pathological events. The presence of antibacterial peptides on both proenkephalin invertebrate (Leeches) and vertebrate (Human) neuropeptide precursors such like enkelytin, peptide B, further supports the hypothesis that some of neuropeptide precursors are implicated in immune response. Indeed, their peptides, with their high antibacterial activities further associate opioid peptides with immune related activities. We surmise that immune signalling molecule may lead to enhanced proenkephalin proteolytic processing by prohormone convertase freeing both opioid peptides and antibacterial peptides during innate immune response. However, because it is necessary to modulate inflammation, invertebrates like leeches are also able to synthesize panoply of messengers that modulate inflammation e.g. endocannabinoids, opiates and pro-opiomelanocortin derived peptides such like adenocorticotrophin and melanostimulating hormone. This demonstrates that the equilibrium between the stimulation and the inhibition of the immune response has evolved sooner that it can be thought....

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Journal Article 2001; 22(6): 461-466 PubMed PMID: 11781545 Citation  Keywords:  Adrenal Glands:chemistry, Animals, Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor:analysis, Chromaffin Cells:physiology, Colitis:immunology, Gene Expression:immunology, Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, Male, Nerve Growth Factor:analysis, Nerve Growth Facto.   

OBJECTIVES: Neurotrophins and GDNF have been recently recognized as important local regulators of inflammatory processes of the gut.

RESULTS: We now demonstrate that experimental TNBS-colitis is associated with the increased expression of neurotrophins and GDNF in the adrenal glands. In histological sections of the adrenals from untreated control animals, faint immunolabeling for BDNF, NT-3 and NGF was detectable in the adrenal cortex, with some additional labeling for NGF over the adrenal medulla, whereas GDNF immunolabeling was confined to the adrenal medulla. Induction of TNBS-colitis markedly increased NGF, BDNF, and NT-3 expression within the adrenal cortex after 8 h. NGF declined to basal levels after 7 days. In case of BDNF and NT-3 basal expression levels were reached after 14 days. GDNF expression was robustly upregulated in the adrenal medulla 8 h after induction of colitis and stayed elevated for up to 14 days.

CONCLUSION: Together these observations suggest that neurotrophins and GDNF might act as local modulators of components of the HPA-axis during peripheral inflammation....

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Journal Article 2001; 22(6): 453-459 PubMed PMID: 11781544 Citation  Keywords:  Amino Acid Sequence, Animals, Antibody Specificity, Immunohistochemistry, Leeches:enzymology, Male, Nervous System:enzymology, Rabbits, Rats, Rats, Wistar, Renin:analysis, Urinary Tract:enzymology, Water-Electrolyte Balance:physiology,.   

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to localize in leeches the renin-like enzyme previously characterized as well as the leech angiotensin-converting like enzyme (ACE).

METHODS: Immunocytochemical as well as whole mount experiments were performed with an antibody raised against a fragment of the leech renin-like enzyme (VLWAAEKTQLDTGSS) and with anti-leech ACE.

RESULTS: Anti-leech renin stains the vascular pole of the glomerulus and the afferent arteriole of the rat kidney. Immunostaining of leech sections revealed labeling in neurons and glial cells of the central nervous system (CNS), immunocytes and the nephridial canal, canaliculi and the periphery of the ciliated funnel, as well as the epithelium lining nephridia. Co-localization between antibodies raised against this fragment and a fragment of leech angiotensin-converting enzyme was demonstrated in neurons and glial cells of the leech CNS, as in vertebrates

MAIN FINDING: Leech renin is localized in leeches like in vertebrate in the excretory system and in the nervous system.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest the presence of a renin-angiotensin system involved in osmoregulation in leeches....

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Journal Article 2001; 22(5): 337-341 PubMed PMID: 11600875 Citation  Keywords:  Aging, Animals, Apoptosis, Cell Count, Cell Division, Duodenum, Epithelial Cells, Gastric Mucosa:cytology, Histocytochemistry, Immunohistochemistry, Intestinal Mucosa:cytology, Male, Melatonin:biosynthesis, Mice, Mice, Inbred BALB C, Mice, Nude, Neurosecr.   

OBJECTIVES: Diffuse neuroendocrine system (DNES) cells regulate homeostasis via neurocrine, endocrine and paracrine mechanisms. Extensive effects of peptide hormones and biogenic amines necessitate studying of DNES cell biology in aging. In this connection, the functional morphology of gut neuroendocrine cells (NEC), proliferative activity and apoptosis of mucous epithelial cells in aging have been studied.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was performed on BALB/c-nu mice of 4, 21 and 34 months of age. NEC, proliferative activity and apoptosis of mucous epitheliocytes in stomach and duodenum have been studied by histochemical, immunohistochemical and morphometrical methods.

RESULTS: The total number of NEC shows an increasing trend with advancing age. However, the different types of NEC elicit differential patterns. The total number of epithelial cell nuclei does not show any statistically significant difference during aging. The proliferative activity of mucous epitheliocytes also shows no difference among the three animal groups studied. On the contrary, the apoptotic index increases with advancing age.

CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrate that various gut NEC show differential behavior with age and their time-courses are dependent on the site of location (stomach or duodenum). The picture seems quite complex to allow a comprehensive interpretation, nonetheless it gives us some useful indications for further investigation. In fact, since the gut does not show evident gross age-related physiological changes, modifications with age in specific biological parameters can suggest the key mechanisms of compensative regulatory processes possibly acting during aging....

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Journal Article 2001; 22(3): 175-180 PubMed PMID: 11449195 Citation  Keywords:  Emotions, Humans, Immune Tolerance, Neoplasms:immunology, Neuroimmunomodulation, Pineal Gland:physiology, Sexuality,.   

: With the advances in the knowledge of neuroimmunomodulation, a new era of investigations about the chemical basis of the state of mind has been initiated. Both emotions and states of spiritual consciousness may influence immune functions and cancer growth. Stress, anxiety and depressive states are associated with immunosuppression and enhanced frequency of tumors. On the other hand, the states of sexual pleasure and spiritual joy enhance the immune efficacy, by counteracting tumor onset and dissemination. The biochemistry of pleasure and immunostimulation is mainly mediated by pineal indoles and cannabinergic substances, whereas that of stress, anxiety and depression is associated with enhanced production of adrenal steroids, opioids and catecholamines. The sexual repression would allow a progressive immunosuppression through a profound damage in the biochemistry of pleasure. Therefore, a better definition of psychospiritual status-associated neuroimmunochemistry could allow us to improve the immune dysfunction by acting on the same neuroendocrine secretions which are involved in mediating the psychic influence on the immunity, including that against cancer....

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Case Reports 2001; 22(1): 49-52 PubMed PMID: 11335880 Citation  Keywords:  Autoantibodies:analysis, Female, HLA-DR5 Antigen:genetics, Hepatitis C, Chronic:complications, Histocompatibility Testing, Humans, Interferon-alpha:adverse effects, Middle Aged, Thyroiditis, Autoimmune:genetics,.   

OBJECTIVES: The authors described a case of Hashimoto's disease during interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) treatment for chronic viral C hepatitis in a patient with the specific genetic susceptibility associated with the thyroid disease.

RESULTS: A 60-year-old woman with chronic active viral C hepatitis (HCV genotype = 3a) started IFN-alpha therapy in November '96. Before treatment thyroid function tests were normal and anti-thyroid (anti-thyroglobulin and anti-thyroid peroxidase) Abs were negative. During IFN therapy, serum aminotransferases fell within the normal range and viremia (serum HCV-RNA) became negative after one year. After 20 months, the patient presented clinical features of primary hypothyroidism. Anti-thyroid Abs were found positive. Hormonal, ultrasonographic, radioiodine scanning and fine needle aspiration findings were consistent with the diagnosis of Hashimoto's thyroiditis. The tissutal typing of the patient showed the presence of Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) DRB1*11 gene (corresponding to DR5 antigen). IFN-alpha therapy was suspended and a treatment with l-T4 started. Chronic viral infection relapsed after the suspension of the IFN-alpha therapy.

CONCLUSIONS: This case report showed that the clinical appearance of Hashimoto's disease after IFN-alpha therapy for chronic C hepatitis in our patient was associated with a specific genetic predisposition (DR5) for this pathology. Further studies are necessary to evaluate whether the study of HLA antigens may be a very useful tool to detect the patients with a predisposition to develop autoimmune thyroiditis, in order to make a early diagnosis of thyroid disorders during the IFN-alpha treatment....

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