The interaction of inflammatory cells and glomerular prostaglandins (PG) may be important during glomerulonephritis. We therefore examined the influence of platelet-activating factor (PAF), (a mediator of inflammation released from leukocytes) and of phagocytosis of zymosan on arachidonic acid metabolism and on cell contractility in rat glomerular mesangial cells in culture. PAF increased PGE2 ...

Macrophages isolated from the peritoneal cavity of untreated mice and maintained in tissue culture synthesize and release prostaglandins when challenged with zymosan. These cells also selectively release lysosomal acid hydrolases under the same conditions. The major prostaglandins released into the media are found to be prostaglandins E1, E2 and 6-oxoprostaglandin F1a, whereas prostaglandin F2a...

UNLABELLED We sought to advance methodology for studying microglial activation and putative therapeutic downregulation in response to minocycline by means of noninvasive in vivo imaging. A reproducible focal white matter lesion was used to reliably compare treatment conditions. METHODS The corpus callosum of female Sprague Dawley rats was injected with zymosan to promote microglial activation...

The interplay between the innate and acquired immune systems in chronic inflammation is not well documented. We have investigated the mechanisms of inflammation in murine zymosan-induced arthritis (ZIA) in the light of recent data on the roles of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and Dectin-1 in the activation of monocyte/macrophages by zymosan. The severity of inflammation, joint histology, lymphocy...

Pain symptoms are a common complication of diabetic peripheral neuropathy or an inflammatory condition. In the most experiments, only one or two evident pain modalities are observed at diabetic peripheral neuropathy according to experimental conditions. Following diabetic peripheral neuropathy or inflammation, spinal glial activation may be considered as an important mediator in the development...

Zymosan is a complex fungal component shown to be capable of both promoting and suppressing the development of autoimmune disorders in mice. In this study, we show that a single injection of zymosan just prior to diabetes onset can significantly delay the progression of disease in NOD mice. Zymosan treatment of NOD mice induced the production of biologically active TGF-beta from cells infiltrat...

Macrophages take up zymosan in the absence of exogenous complement via receptors for iC3b (type 3 complement receptors) acting with or without lectin-like receptors for mannosyl-fucosyl-terminated glycoconjugates. We previously provided evidence that macrophages themselves secrete complement-alternative pathway components able to opsonize zymosan locally (Ezekowitz et al., J. Exp. Med. 1984. 15...

BACKGROUND AND AIM Morphine co-injection has anti-inflammatory effects on zymosan-induced peritonitis in several strains of mice except that of CBA. As peritoneal mast cells (pMCs) are much more numerous in CBA mice than in SWISS mice, therole of pMCs in morphine-modulated zymosan peritonitis is compared in CBA and SWISS males. METHODS pMCs were treated in vitro with morphine or C48/80 for co...

Phagocytic cells generate superoxide in response to stimulation by opsonized particles. A continuous assay for opsonized zymosan-stimulated granulocyte superoxide production shows that there is a lag time between the addition of particles and the onset of detectable superoxide production. Superoxide production is preceded by membrane potential depolarization. Neither superoxide production nor m...

One inflammatory event that may be involved in erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) is the activation of complement, and thalidomide could suppress ENL by inhibiting its activation. To determine if thalidomide inhibits the activation of complement, we first incubated normal serum with Mycobacterium leprae or with zymosan in the presence of thalidomide. Residual functional complement was then determi...