Naive CD4+ T cells differentiate into Th1 or Th2 subsets, characterized by the release of distinct patterns of cytokines. Th1 cells produce IFN-γ and TNF-β, which promote cell-mediated immunity, while Th2 cells secrete IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-9, IL-10, and IL-13, which favor humoral responses (1). The polarization of naive T cells toward Th1 or Th2 phenotypes is mediated primarily by dendritic cel...

BACKGROUND The differentiation of T cells towards a T helper 1 (Th1) or Th2 phenotype based on their profile of cytokine production, is of great relevance in the regulation of immune responses. We have determined by flow cytometry, the expression of selected Th1 and Th2 cytokines by activated T cells in whole blood samples (WB) from normal donors and from patients with different clinical stages...

Cancer patients undergoing treatment with systemic cancer chemotherapy drugs often experience debilitating fatigue similar to sickness behavior, a normal response to infection or tissue damage caused by the production of the inflammatory cytokines IL-1beta, TNF-alpha, and IL-6. The p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) plays a central role in the production of these cytokines and cons...

Cytokine production from peripheral blood mononuclear cells, T-cell subsets and Ia positive monocytes in patients with inflammatory bowel disease were investigated. 26 patients with Crohn's disease (CD), 7 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and age and sex matched healthy donors (HD) as controls were studied. No differences were seen between UC and HD in any of the parameters examined. Howev...

The production by monocytes of interleukin-la (IL-la), interleukin-1lj# (IL-1,), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFa) in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with sepsis syndrome (n = 23) or noninfectious shock (n = 6) is reported. Plasma cytokines, cell-associated cytokines within freshly isolated monocytes and LPS-induced in vitro cytokine production were assessed at adm...

background: the water-soluble extract of ganoderma lucidum (reishi) has been used as an immunomodulator to stimulate spleen cells proliferation and cytokine expression. objective: to investigate the effect of ganoderma lucidum (g. lucidum) on cytokine production by mice peritoneal macrophages. methods: mice peritoneal macrophages were prepared by intra-peritoneal injection of 5 ml cold pbs. per...

Recent work demonstrated the importance of macroautophagy in dendritic cell (DC) maturation and innate cytokine production upon viral infection through delivery of cytoplasmic viral components to intracellular TLRs. To study the functional consequences of impaired autophagosome formation during a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, mice harboring significant autophagy defects due to Be...

Lymphocyte signaling cascades responsible for anti-tumor cytotoxicity and inflammatory cytokine production must be tightly regulated in order to control an immune response. Disruption of these cascades can cause immune suppression as seen in a tumor microenvironment, and loss of signaling integrity can lead to autoimmunity and other forms of host-tissue damage. Therefore, understanding the dist...