Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha Activity Research Articles

Lipopolysaccharide-activated microglia induce death of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells and impede their development

Damage to oligodendrocyte (OL) progenitor cells (OPCs) and hypomyelination are two hallmark features of periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), the most common form of brain damage in premature infants. Clinical and animal studies have linked the incidence of PVL to maternal infection/inflammation, and activated microglia have been proposed to play a central role. However, the precise mechanism of how activated microglia adversely affects the survival and development of OPCs is still not clear. Here we demonstrate that lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated microglia are deleterious to OPCs, that is, impeding OL lineage progression, reducing the production of myelin basic protein (MBP), and mediating OPC death. We further demonstrate that LPS-activated microglia mediate OPC death by two distinct mechanisms in a time-dependent manner. The early phase of cell damage occurs within 24 h after LPS treatment, which is mediated by nitric oxide (NO)-dependent oxidative damage and is prevented by N G-nitro- l-arginine methyl ester ( l-NAME), a general inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase. The delayed cell death is evident at 48 h after LPS treatment, is mediated by cytokines, and is prevented by blocking the activity of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and pro-nerve growth factor (proNGF), but not by l-NAME. Furthermore, microglia-derived insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) were significantly suppressed by LPS, and exogenous IGF-1 and CNTF synergistically protected OLs from death induced by LPS-treated microglia conditioned medium, indicating that a deficiency in trophic support may also be involved in OL death. Our finding that LPS-activated microglia not only induce two waves of cell death but also greatly impair OL development may shed some light on the mechanisms underlying selective white matter damage and hypomyelination in PVL.

Glycine reduces cadmium-induced alterations in the viability and activation of macrophage U937 cells

This study investigates the effect of glycine on cadmium-induced alterations on the viability and activation of the cell line U-937. In this experiment, U-937 cells were pre-treated with 16 μM cadmium (as cadmium chloride). These cadmium-treated cells were later incubated with or without glycine (1–16 μM). After 72 h, it was revealed that glycine significantly ( P < 0.05) reduced the tendency of cadmium to reduce the viability of the cells. U-937 cells were also treated with phorbol, 12-myristate, 13-acetate to enhance their transition to the macrophage form. Thereafter, the cells were treated with cadmium with or without glycine (1–16 μM). Twenty-four hours later, the supernatants of each cell culture were assessed for the production of tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 1 (IL-1), nitric oxide (NO), and catalase activity as indices of the activation of macrophages. The results show that glycine significantly ( P < 0.05) reduced the cadmium-induced production of all the markers of the activation of macrophages in a concentration-dependent manner. The findings support the immense antioxidant role of glycine.

Inhibition of TNF‐α‐induced Activation of NF‐κB by Hantavirus Nucleocapsid Proteins

Hantaviruses cause two human diseases thought to be immune-mediated: hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). We recently reported that the nucleocapsid (N) protein of HFRS-causing Hantaan virus (HTNV) inhibits tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) activation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB). Here we measured the ability of other hantaviral N proteins to similarly interfere with the inflammatory process of TNF-alpha. We found that like HTNV N, the N proteins of HFRS-causing Seoul and Dobrava viruses inhibited TNF-alpha activation of NF-kappaB and translocation of the NF-kappaB p65 subunit, but did not interfere with degradation of inhibitor of NF-kappaB (IkappaB). In contrast, the HFRS-causing Puumala virus and the HPS-causing Andes and Sin Nombre viruses did not prevent TNF-alpha activation of NF-kappaB or nuclear translocation of p65. These studies provide evidence that hantaviruses differ in their abilities to interfere with host innate immune responses.

Activation of nuclear factor‐kappa B correlates with tumor necrosis factor‐alpha in oral lichen planus: a clinicopathologic study in atrophic‐erosive and reticular form

Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) is believed to be involved in the pathogenesis of various inflammatory diseases, including oral lichen planus (OLP). The objective of the present study was to investigate the possible relationship between NF-kappaB activation and expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in OLP and their expression pattern in relation to several clinical features. Thirty OLP cases were divided into atrophic-erosive form (14 cases) and reticular form (16 cases) according to their clinical manifestations. The expression of NF-kappaB p65 and TNF-alpha of both two groups were investigated by immunohistochemical staining, and the percentage of positive cells was calculated in each case. Biopsies of 10 normal oral mucosa (NOM) also underwent the same procedure as controls. Nuclear factor-kappa B p65 nuclear staining was found in nuclei of basal and suprabasal epithelial keratinocytes in OLP, however, no positive staining was found in NOM. Positive TNF-alpha staining was detected in cytoplasm of basal epithelial keratinocytes in OLP, and only scattered staining was detected in NOM. Expression of NF-kappaB p65 and TNF-alpha were significantly different with respect to clinical forms and lesion sites (P < 0.05), except for genders (P > 0.05) in 30 OLP cases. NF-kappaB nuclear staining positively correlated (r = 0.676, P < 0.01) with TNF-alpha overexpression in OLP. Nuclear factor-kappa B activation and its correlation with overexpression of TNF-alpha may play an important role in pathogenesis of OLP. There might be a positive regulatory loop between NF-kappaB and TNF-alpha, which may contribute to inflammation in OLP; NF-kappaB may also protect epithelial keratinocytes from excessive apoptosis.

Loss of Bone Mineral Density After Antiretroviral Therapy Initiation, Independent of Antiretroviral Regimen

Decreased bone mineral density (BMD) has been described in HIV-infected patients initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART), but the contributions of ART and immunologic and/or virologic factors remain unclear. We compared total BMD changes over 96 weeks in 106 ART-naive HIV-infected subjects who were randomized to receive efavirenz (EFV) + zidovudine/lamivudine (n = 32) or lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) + zidovudine/lamivudine induction (n = 74) for 24-48 weeks followed by LPV/r monotherapy. We also sought to identify factors associated with BMD loss, including markers of systemic inflammation [soluble tumor necrosis factor-alpha receptors (sTNFR I and II)]. After 96 weeks, the mean percent change from baseline in total BMD was -2.5% (LPV/r) and -2.3% (EFV) (P < 0.01 for within-group changes in either arm; P = 0.86 for between-group differences). No alteration in the rate of BMD change was observed upon simplification to LPV/r monotherapy. Although soluble tumor necrosis factor-alpha receptor II concentrations at baseline and 24 weeks were at least marginally associated with subsequent changes in BMD (P = 0.06 and P = 0.028, respectively), these associations were no longer significant after adjustment for CD4 T cell count. Subjects with lower baseline CD4 T cell count, non-black race, and higher baseline glucose demonstrated a higher risk for >5% decrease in BMD. Similar decreases in BMD over 96 weeks occurred in ART-naive subjects receiving either EFV-based regimen or LPV/r-based regimen, which was not altered by simplification to LPV/r monotherapy and was unrelated to markers of tumor necrosis factor-alpha activity.

Cerebral tumor necrosis factor α expression and long-term neurocognitive performance after cardiopulmonary bypass in rats

Cerebral inflammatory reaction is discussed as a contributor to adverse cerebral outcome after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. This study was designed to determine the effect of cardiopulmonary bypass on both cerebral expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha and neurocognitive outcome in rats. With institutional review board approval, 50 rats were randomly assigned to one of 3 groups: rats of the cardiopulmonary bypass group were subjected to 75 minutes of normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass. Sham-operated animals underwent identical preparation but were not connected to cardiopulmonary bypass, whereas rats of the control group were neither anesthetized nor cannulated. Ten rats per group survived 4 hours after cardiopulmonary bypass or the sham operation for immediate postoperative determination of tumor necrosis factor alpha-expressing cells (immunohistochemistry) and cerebral tumor necrosis factor alpha mRNA levels (polymerase chain reaction). The remaining animals survived 10 days for neurocognitive assessment by using the modified hole-board test and for analysis of cerebral tumor necrosis factor alpha activation in the late postoperative period. Expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha mRNA was increased 4 hours after cardiopulmonary bypass and the sham operation, with higher expression in the cardiopulmonary bypass group (chi(2) [2] = 25.08, P < .001). Both experimental groups demonstrated larger numbers of tumor necrosis factor alpha-positive cells in the early and late postoperative periods (F [1] = 13.08, P < or = .001) and an impaired neurocognitive performance on the first postoperative days compared with that seen in the control group (F [2, 24] = 4.26, P = .02). Cerebral tumor necrosis factor alpha activation in both experimental groups during the early postoperative period was accompanied by transient neurocognitive impairment. Therefore cardiopulmonary bypass alone demonstrated no effect on cerebral inflammation and neurocognitive outcome.

Anticancer oncolytic activity of respiratory syncytial virus

Oncolytic virotherapy is an emerging bio-therapeutic platform for cancer treatment, which is based on selective infection/killing of cancer cells by viruses. Herein we identify the human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) as an oncolytic virus. Using prostate cancer models, we show dramatic enhancement of RSV infectivity in vitro in the androgen-independent, highly metastatic PC-3 human prostate cancer cells compared to the non-tumorigenic RWPE-1 human prostate cells. The oncolytic efficiency of RSV was established in vivo using human prostate tumor xenografts in nude mice. Intra-tumoral and intra-peritoneal injections of RSV led to a significant regression of prostate tumors. Furthermore, enhanced viral burden in PC-3 cells led to selective destruction of PC-3 cancer cells in vitro and in xenograft tumors in vivo due to apoptosis triggered by the down-regulation of NF-κB activity (and the resulting loss of anti-apoptotic function of NF-κB) in RSV-infected PC-3 cells. The intrinsic (mitochondrial) pathway constitutes the major apoptotic pathway; however, the death-receptor-dependent extrinsic pathway, mediated by the paracrine/autocrine action of tumor necrosis factor-α produced from infected cells, also partly contributed to apoptosis. Thus, the oncolytic property of RSV can potentially be exploited to develop targeted therapeutics for the clinical management of prostate tumors.

Health effects of trans-fatty acids: experimental and observational evidence

Growing evidence indicates that trans-fatty acids (TFA) adversely affect cardiovascular health. As part of the World Health Organization (WHO) Scientific Update on TFA, we reviewed the evidence for effects of TFA consumption on coronary heart disease (CHD). We searched Medline publications examining TFA consumption and CHD risk factors or outcomes, emphasizing results of studies in humans. We evaluated and synthesized evidence from both controlled feeding trials evaluating risk factors and long-term observational studies evaluating risk factors or clinical outcomes, each of which have complementary strengths and limitations, to enable the most robust and reliable inferences of effects. The effects of TFA consumption on risk factors most consistently seen in both controlled trials and observational studies included adverse lipid effects (for example [upward arrow] low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, [downward arrow] high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), [upward arrow] total/HDL-C ratio), proinflammatory effects (for example [upward arrow] tumor necrosis factor-alpha activity, [upward arrow] interleukin-6, [upward arrow] C-reactive protein) and endothelial dysfunction. These effects were most prominent in comparison with cis unsaturated fats; adverse effects on total/HDL-C and endothelial function were also seen in comparison with saturated fatty acids (SFA). TFA may also worsen insulin sensitivity, particularly among individuals predisposed to insulin resistance; possible effects on weight gain and diabetes incidence require further confirmation. Five retrospective case-control studies and four prospective cohort studies demonstrated positive associations between TFA consumption and CHD events. A meta-analysis of prospective studies indicated 24, 20, 27 and 32% higher risk of myocardial infarction (MI) or CHD death for every 2% energy of TFA consumption isocalorically replacing carbohydrate, SFA, cis monounsaturated fatty acids and cis polyunsaturated fatty acids, respectively. The differential effects of specific TFA isomers may be important but are less well established. The available evidence indicates that trans-18:1 and particularly trans-18:2 isomers have stronger CHD effects than trans-16:1 isomers. The limited data suggest that the experimental effects of ruminant and industrial TFA are similar when consumed in similar quantities, but very few persons consume such high levels of ruminant TFA, and observational studies do not support adverse CHD effects of ruminant TFA in amounts actually consumed. Controlled trials and observational studies provide concordant evidence that consumption of TFA from partially hydrogenated oils adversely affects multiple cardiovascular risk factors and contributes significantly to increased risk of CHD events. The public health implications of ruminant TFA consumption appear much more limited. The effects of specific TFA isomers require further investigation.

Indirect action of tumor necrosis factor-alpha in liver injury during the CD8+ T cell response to an adeno-associated virus vector in mice

CD8+ T cells can cause hepatocellular injury by two distinct mechanisms. In addition to their direct cytotoxic effect, there is also collateral liver injury, which occurs when cells are killed in an antigen-independent manner. Whereas immune effector cytokines interferon-gamma (IFNgamma) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) have both been implicated in various forms of hepatitis, their respective roles in direct and/or collateral liver damage remains unclear. In order to investigate these elements of liver injury, we developed a new experimental model of CD8+ T-cell-mediated hepatitis based on an adeno-associated virus-based gene therapy vector. This vector is used to deliver antigen to hepatocytes, and CD8+ T cells specific for the vector-encoded transgene are adoptively transferred to produce liver immunopathology. In this experimental model, CD8+ T-cell IFNgamma acts on Kupffer cells, inducing TNFalpha secretion and liver injury. Both IFNgamma and TNFalpha are important in this injury process, but TNFalpha acts as an autocrine amplifier of Kupffer cell function, rather than as a direct effector of hepatocellular damage. TNFalpha indirectly promotes liver damage and is not a direct hepatotoxic agent. IFNgamma also indirectly contributes to liver injury through Kupffer cell activation while, in parallel, directly promoting hepatitis through induction of hepatocyte major histocompatability complex class I. In principle, it may be possible to ameliorate this immunopathologic indirect mechanism by developing therapies that target Kupffer cells, without impairing CD8+ T-cell-mediated antiviral immunity. This would have great therapeutic potential in chronic viral hepatitis.

Significant recovery of motor function in a patient with complete T7 paraplegia receiving etanercept

To report an unusual case of significant motor recovery in a patient with T7 complete paraplegia treated with etanercept for ankylosing spondylitis. Case report. During the first year sensory-motor recovery occurred, and the American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) improved from A to D. Initial spinal cord injury is a direct consequence of the trauma. It triggers a series of molecular and cellular reactions leading to "secondary damage". Tumour necrosis factor alpha is a key inflammatory mediator that is increasingly expressed after spinal cord injury. Etanercept is a recombinant dimer of human tumour necrosis factor alpha receptor protein that inhibits tumour necrosis factor alpha activity. It has shown an immunomodulatory effect in mice after traumatic spinal cord injury. It significantly reduced the post-traumatic spinal cord inflammation and the perilesional area. In this case, a reduction in the secondary damage, due to etanercept treatment could explain the significant motor recovery, which is unusual since 80% of AIS A lesions remain complete.

Catabolic mediators of cancer cachexia

This review compares the catabolic actions of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and proteolysis-inducing factor (PIF) and their involvement in human cancer cachexia. TNF-alpha has a direct catabolic effect on skeletal muscle and adipose tissue, whereas PIF only has an effect on skeletal muscle. Both produce muscle atrophy through a depression of protein synthesis and an increase in protein degradation through the ubiquitin-proteasome proteolytic pathway, and this involves formation of reactive oxygen species leading to upregulation of the transcription factor nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB). TNF-alpha depresses protein synthesis through decreased phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor-4E (eIF4E) binding protein (4E-BP1) leading to increased binding of eIF4E and a reduction in the active eIF4F complex, whereas with PIF depression of protein synthesis is due to an increased phosphorylation of eIF2 on the alpha-subunit. In general, serum levels of TNF-alpha do not correlate with weight loss in cancer patients and attempts to treat cachexia by interfering with TNF-alpha production, or action, have not been successful. Most studies show that PIF is detectable in the urine of cachectic cancer patients and its presence is indicative of weight loss. It is best to confirm that the band on Western blotting is PIF using both antibodies to the core peptide and the oligosaccharide chains. These results suggest that blocking the PIF receptor or signalling pathways in skeletal muscle might yield new types of agents for the treatment of cancer cachexia.

Differential induction of MyD88- and TRIF-dependent pathways in equine monocytes by Toll-like receptor agonists

Our understanding of the innate immune response in the horse has been limited by a lack of definitive data concerning cell signaling in response to microbial products. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) recognize conserved molecular motifs of microbes and elicit immune responses through their coupling with intracellular adaptor molecules, particularly MyD88 and TRIF. To provide a more definitive characterization of TLR signaling in the horse, the objectives of this study were to: (1) characterize the responses of equine monocytes to TLR ligands that signal through MyD88, TRIF or both in other species, and (2) determine the profiles of gene expression initiated utilizing these adaptor molecules. Monocytes were used to establish concentration response curves for Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS; TLR4 ligand) and N-palmitoyl-S-[2,3-bis(palmitoyloxy)-(2RS)-propyl]-[R]-cysteinyl-[S]-seryl-[S]-lysyl-[S]-lysyl-[S]-lysyl-[S]-lysine x 3 HCl (Pam 3CSK 4; TLR2 ligand) based on expression of procoagulant activity (PCA) and production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α); effects of polyinosine–polycytidylic acid (Poly I:C; TLR3 ligand) were determined by quantifying expression of mRNA for interferon-beta (IFN-ß). Expression of genes associated with the MyD88- (TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6 and IL-10) and TRIF-dependent pathways (IFN-ß, IP-10, RANTES and TRAF1) were measured at intervals spanning 20 h. LPS and Pam 3CSK 4 induced significantly higher expression of TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-10 than did Poly I:C. Poly I:C induced significantly higher expression of IFN-ß, IP-10 and RANTES than did either the TLR2 or TLR4 ligands. High concentrations of E. coli LPS did not significantly increase expression of genes associated with the TRIF-dependent pathway. The results of this study suggest that equine monocytes utilize a common intracellular pathway in response to TLR2 and TLR4 ligands, but a distinct pathway in response to TLR3 ligands.

Epigenetic Silencing of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Transcription by Formation of Restrictive Chromatin Structures at the Viral Long Terminal Repeat Drives the Progressive Entry of HIV into Latency

The molecular mechanisms utilized by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to enter latency are poorly understood. Following the infection of Jurkat T cells with lentiviral vectors that express Tat in cis, gene expression is progressively silenced. Silencing is greatly enhanced when the lentiviral vectors carry an attenuated Tat gene with the H13L mutation. Individual clones of lentivirus-infected cells showed a wide range of shutdown rates, with the majority showing a 50% silencing frequency between 30 to 80 days. The silenced clones characteristically contained a small fraction (0 to 15%) of activated cells that continued to express d2EGFP. When d2EGFP(+) and d2EGFP(-) cell populations were isolated from the shutdown clones, they quickly reverted to the original distribution of inactive and active cells, suggesting that the d2EGFP(+) cells arise from stochastic fluctuations in gene expression. The detailed analysis of transcription initiation and elongation using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays confirms that Tat levels are restricted in the latently infected cells but gradually rise during proviral reactivation. ChIP assays using clones of latently infected cells demonstrate that the latent proviruses carry high levels of deacetylated histones and trimethylated histones. In contrast, the cellular genes IkappaB alpha and GAPDH had high levels of acetylated histones and no trimethylated histones. The levels of trimethylated histone H3 and HP1-alpha associated with HIV proviruses fell rapidly after tumor necrosis factor alpha activation. The progressive shutdown of HIV transcription following infection suggests that epigenetic mechanisms targeting chromatin structures selectively restrict HIV transcription initiation. This decreases Tat production below the levels that are required to sustain HIV gene expression.

Role of Human β-Defensin-2 during Tumor Necrosis Factor-α/NF-κB-mediated Innate Antiviral Response against Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) constitutes a highly pathogenic virus that infects lung epithelial cells to cause a wide spectrum of respiratory diseases. Our recent studies have revealed the existence of an interferon-alpha/beta-independent, innate antiviral response against RSV that was dependent on activation of NF-kappaB. We demonstrated that NF-kappaB inducing pro-inflammatory cytokines like tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) confers potent antiviral function against RSV in an NF-kappaB-dependent fashion, independent of interferon-alpha/beta. During our efforts to study this pathway, we identified HBD2 (human beta-defensin-2), a soluble secreted cationic protein as an antiviral factor induced during NF-kappaB-dependent innate antiviral activity in human lung epithelial cells. Our results demonstrated that HBD2 is induced by TNF and RSV in an NF-kappaB-dependent manner. Induction of HBD2 in infected cells was mediated by the paracrine/autocrine action of TNF produced upon RSV infection. HBD2 plays a critical role during host defense, because purified HBD2 drastically inhibited RSV infection. We also show that the antiviral mechanism of HBD2 involves blocking of viral cellular entry possibly because of destabilization/disintegration of the viral envelope. The important role of HBD2 in the innate response was also evident from loss of antiviral activity of TNF upon HBD2 silencing by short interfering RNA. The in vivo physiological relevance of HBD2 in host defense was apparent from induction of murine beta-defensin-4 (murine counterpart of HBD2) in lung tissues of RSV-infected mice. Thus, HBD2 functions as an antiviral molecule during NF-kappaB-dependent innate antiviral immunity mediated by the autocrine/paracrine action of TNF.

A novel bivalent single‐chain variable fragment (scFV) inhibits the action of tumour necrosis factor α

Suppression of TNFalpha (tumour necrosis factor alpha) activity is widely considered to be among the most efficient treatments available for chronic inflammatory diseases. Here, a bivalent scFv (single-chain variable fragment) fragment, named TNF-BAb, was engineered by fusing two anti-TNFalpha scFV fragments in tandem via a long and flexible linking peptide derived from human serum albumin and produced in functional form from Escherichia coli inclusion bodies. The bioactivity assays demonstrated that TNF-BAb gained enormously in avidity and showed a much stronger ability to inhibit the biological action of TNFalpha, indicating that TNF-BAb may become a good candidate for anti-TNFalpha therapy.

Polymorphic MHC ancestral haplotypes affect the activity of tumour necrosis factor-alpha.

It remains unclear which MHC loci are involved in susceptibility to autoimmune diseases and immune deficiencies. We have chosen to evaluate whether different alleles of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) are important, as TNF has been implicated in the etiology of many immunological disorders. We have shown previously that a restriction fragment length polymorphism in the TNF region correlates with MHC ancestral haplotypes. We therefore examined the effect of ancestral haplotype on the activity of TNF-alpha in culture supernatants of lymphoblastoid cell lines. The results demonstrate that TNF-alpha activity in supernatants of 8.1 (A1, B8, DR3) cell lines was higher than that present in the supernatants from cells homozygous for eight different MHC ancestral haplotypes, and indicate that polymorphisms in TNF-alpha, or in other MHC genes that regulate TNF, may be responsible for the 8.1 phenotype.

Hypoxia modulates lipopolysaccharide induced TNF-α expression in murine macrophages

The pro-inflammatory activity of Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) together with tissue hypoxia determine the clinical outcome in sepsis and septic shock. p38 MAPKinase is the primary intracellular signaling pathway that regulates lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced TNF-α biosynthesis, however, the effect of hypoxia on LPS mediated activation of p38 is not known. Here we report that SB203580, a specific p38 MAPK inhibitor, which completely abolished LPS-induced TNF-α expression by the mouse macrophage cell RAW264.7 in normoxic conditions, lost the inhibitory effect in hypoxic conditions. Hypoxia did not modulate expression of p38 MAPK, but increased that of p-MK2, a downstream target of p38 MAPK. In LPS induced endotoxemia mice model SB203580 had no inhibitory effect on the serum levels of TNF-α. Furthermore, hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1α) was detected in vivo after LPS administration but its expression was not affected by SB203580. Our data indicate that LPS induced p38 MAPK activation was enhanced by hypoxia and consequently increased TNF-α secretion. Furthermore, the induction of HIF-1α in mice with endotoxemia suggested a synergistic effect on p38 mediated TNF-α expression. These findings provide new insights on the pathophysiological effects of hypoxia in sepsis and septic shock.

Effects of the Butanol Extact of Head of Panax Ginseng on Type II Collagen-induced Arthritis in DBA/1J Mice

In order to evaluate the improvement effects of head of Panax ginseng on chronic arthritis, we have investigated the activity of butanol fraction (BuOH fraction) in vitro and in vivo system. BuOH fraction showed significant inhibition on the elastase activity. Anti-arthritic activity of BuOH fraction was also examined on type II collagen-induced arthritis in DBA/1J mice. Mice were immunized with injection of type II collagen emulsified in Freund's complete adjuvant, followed by a booster injection 21 days later. BuOH fraction(BHPG) was administered at an oral dose of 500mg/kg for 2 weeks from the 1st day boost. The hind paw edema was significantly decreased in the group of treatment with BuOH fraction compared to control. In collagen-induced DBA/1J mice, BuOH fraction did not affected the collagen antibody titer but significantly inhibited the tumor necrosis factoralpha(TNF-<TEX>${\alpha}$</TEX>) activity. These results were confirmed with histological evaluation of joint tissues. This study may raise the possibility that the usage of BuOH fraction of head of Panax ginseng as alternative medicine for the relief and prevention of rheumatoid arthritis symptoms.

RNAi screens reveal novel metabolic regulators: RIP140, MAP4k4 and the lipid droplet associated fat specific protein (FSP) 27

Adipose tissue modulates whole body metabolism and insulin sensitivity by controlling circulating lipid levels and producing molecules that can regulate fatty acid metabolism in such tissues as muscle and liver. We have developed RNA interference (RNAi) screens to identify genes in cultured adipocytes that regulate insulin signalling and key metabolic pathways. These short interfering RNA (siRNA)-based screens identified the transcriptional corepressor receptor interacting protein 140 (RIP140) (J Clin Invest 116: 125, 2006) and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAP4k4) (Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 103: 2087, 2006) as negative regulators of insulin-responsive hexose uptake and oxidative metabolism. Gene expression profiling revealed that RIP140 depletion upregulates the expression of clusters of genes in the pathways of glucose uptake, glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, fatty acid oxidation, mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative phosphorylation. RIP140-null mice resist weight gain on a high-fat diet and display enhanced glucose tolerance. MAP4k4 depletion in adipocytes increases many of the RIP140-sensitive genes, increases adipogenesis and mediates some actions of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). Remarkably, another hit in our RNAi screens was fat specific protein 27 (FSP27), a highly expressed isoform of Cidea. We discovered that FSP27 unexpectedly associates specifically with lipid droplets and regulates fat storage. We conclude that RIP140, MAP4k4 and the novel lipid droplet protein FSP27 are powerful regulators of adipose tissue metabolism and are potential therapeutic targets for controlling metabolic disease. The discovery of these novel proteins validates the power of RNAi screening for discovery of new therapeutic approaches to type 2 diabetes and obesity.

A Macrophage−Nanozyme Delivery System for Parkinson's Disease

Selective delivery of antioxidants to the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) during Parkinson's disease (PD) can potentially attenuate oxidative stress and as such increase survival of dopaminergic neurons. To this end, we developed a bone-marrow-derived macrophage (BMM) system to deliver catalase to PD-affected brain regions in an animal model of human disease. To preclude BMM-mediated enzyme degradation, catalase was packaged into a block ionomer complex with a cationic block copolymer, polyethyleneimine-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEI-PEG). The self-assembled catalase/PEI-PEG complexes, "nanozymes", were ca. 60 to 100 nm in size, stable in pH and ionic strength, and retained antioxidant activities. Cytotoxicity was negligible over a range of physiologic nanozyme concentrations. Nanozyme particles were rapidly, 40-60 min, taken up by BMM, retained catalytic activity, and released in active form for greater than 24 h. In contrast, "naked" catalase was rapidly degraded. The released enzyme decomposed microglial hydrogen peroxide following nitrated alpha-synuclein or tumor necrosis factor alpha activation. Following adoptive transfer of nanozyme-loaded BMM to 1-methyl 4-phenyl 1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-intoxicated mice, ca. 0.6% of the injected dose were found in brain. We conclude that cell-mediated delivery of nanozymes can reduce oxidative stress in laboratory and animal models of PD.