Carotenoids have been shown to have potential beneficial effects on human health which has led to an increasing interest in the study of their bioavailability. A Caco-2 cell model, as previously described, was employed to examine the percentage transfer of the carotenoids alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lycopene, astaxanthin, beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin through an intact, highly di...

We have previously demonstrated that the chicken genome contains at least four different, functional beta-tubulin genes. By using gene specific probes we have now analyzed the relative levels of expression of the four encoded messenger RNA (mRNA) transcripts as a function of chicken development and differentiation. We have found that the RNA transcript from the beta 2 gene is present in large a...

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF beta) has been implicated as having a central role in the postinflammatory tissue regeneration and fibrosis. To test its potential involvement in events that follow hepatotoxin-mediated liver regeneration and fibrosis, we quantitated changes in the steady-state levels of TGF beta mRNA in parenchymal and nonparenchymal cells at various times after an acute tr...

Both IFN-beta and TGF-beta have demonstrated their ability to antagonize several of the stimulatory activities of IFN-gamma on human macrophages, thereby classifying them as Th2-like. Aiming at a further characterization of their role in Th1/Th2 development, we studied their possible interaction with IL-12, the key Th1 cytokine. We found that IFN-beta by itself induced modest amounts of IFN-gam...

Twenty-one of 82 human cell lines examined for production of human chorionic gonadotropin and its subunits (HCG-alpha and HCG-beta) produced either one or both subunits at some phase in their growth. Of these, 14 produced an excess amount of free alpha subunit, and seven produced HCG-beta or complete HCG without evidence for free alpha subunit synthesis. Five of the HCG-producing cell lines als...

background: &beta-glucans; are glucose polymers with a variety of stimulatory effects on the immune system. the objective of this study was to evaluate the immune-enhancing activities of low molecular weight gamma irradiated &beta-glucan; (i&beta-g;) extracted from pleurotus ostreatus in response to pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in rats. materials and methods: &beta-glucan; (&beta-g;) powder...

Histochemical characterization of the equine guttural pouches was performed using lectins combined with sialidase digestion and deglycosylation pre-treatments. The goblet cells contained O- and N-linked oligosaccharides with alpha-Fuc, GlcNAc moieties whereas beta-GalNAc, beta-Gal-(1-3)-GalNAc, beta-Gal-(1-4)-GlcNAc and alpha-Gal residues belonged only to O-linked glycoproteins. The acinar and ...