OBJECTIVES Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) plays a pivotal role in the inflammatory host response. The serum-level of TNFα and the production of TNFα by lympho/monocytes, however, seem to show high individual variations. The goal of the present study was to investigate the variations and inducibility of TNFα-activity in two age-groups of healthy volunteers. METHODS Sixty elderly, healthy v...

(-)-Menthol ([1-alpha]-5-methyl-2-[1-methylethyl]-cyclohexanol), is a widely used flavoring ingredient in mouthwash, foods, toothpaste and cigarettes. The studies reported here revealed that (-)-menthol induced cytotoxicity against murine leukemia WEHI-3 cells in vitro in a dose-dependent manner. The effects of (-)-menthol on WEHI-3 cells in vivo (BALBIc mice) were also examined, and it was obs...

This study examined the development of subclones of different proliferative capacity and malignancy in the WEHI-7 tumor. The mouse T-cell lymphoma WEHI-7 can be cloned in agar with a cloning efficiency of 40 to 50%. On the basis of growth morphology, two types of colonies were distinguished. Most colonies were compact, but a few, no more than 5%, were diffuse. Sublines of the two colony types w...

Mouse B cells and their cell line (WEHI-231) express large-conductance background K(+) channels (LK(bg)) that are activated by arachidonic acids, characteristics similar to TREK-2. However, there is no evidence to identify the molecular nature of LK(bg); some properties of LK(bg) were partly different from the reported results of TREK type channels. In this study, we compared the properties of ...

Human colony-stimulating factors (CSF) exert multiple effects on the proliferation, differentiation, and function of myeloid lineage cells. In this study, the effects of three recombinant human CSFs (granulocyte-monocyte CSF [GM-CSF], interleukin 3 [IL-3], and granulocyte CSF [G-CSF]) on antibody-independent monocyte tumoricidal activity were investigated by using WEHI 164 fibrosarcoma cells as...

Background and objectives: Iran owns a rich and prestigious heritage of medicinal herbs but the majority of these plants have not yet undergone chemical, pharmacological and toxicological studies. In the present study some species form northern parts of Iran were evaluated for cytotoxicity. Methods: Sixteen medicinal plants were extracted with methanol and screened for their cytotoxic activitie...

OBJECTIVES THE AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE THERAPEUTIC INDICES OF SEVERAL AGENTS USED IN TREATMENT OF INFLAMMATORY CONDITIONS WHICH INCLUDED: Vitamin E, hydro-alcoholic extracts of Glycyrrhiza glabra, Matricaria aurea, dexamethasone, piroxicam and diclofenac using Wehi-164 fibrosarcoma cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS Cytotoxicity evaluation was based on vital dye exclusion assay....