Besides histamine, substance P (SP) has been demonstrated to play a crucial role in pruritic skin diseases. Although antihistamines are frequently used for pruritic skin diseases, little is known concerning the effect on an SP-induced event such as mast cell degranulation and the upregulation of adhesion molecules or the nitric oxide (NO) synthesis in endothelial cells. Our aim was to study the...

The rhizomes of Acorus gramineus have frequently been used in traditional medicine mainly for sedation as well as enhancing brain function. In this study, the anti-allergic activity of A. gramineus was investigated. The 70% ethanol extract of the rhizomes of A. gramineus was found to inhibit the allergic response against 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX)-catalyzed leukotriene (LT) production from rat baso...

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (EMF) on signal pathway in plasma membrane of cultured cells (RAW 264.7 cells and RBL 2H3 cells), by measuring the activity of phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)), phospholipase C (PLC) and phospholipase D (PLD). The cells were exposed to the EMF (60 Hz, 0.1 or 1 mT) for 4 or 16 h. The basal and 0.5 µM...

We investigated the effects of two antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) isolated from Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans on neutrophil activity. Stimulation of mouse neutrophils with the two AMPs elicited chemotactic migration of the cells in a pertussis toxin-sensitive manner. The two AMPs also stimulated activation of ERK and Akt, which contribute to chemotactic migration of neutrophils. We found that...

The surface expression CD63 antigen in rat basophilic leukemia cells (RBL-2H3) was observed after antigen stimulation by confocal fluorescence microscopy. The surface expression of CD63 antigen reflected the degranulation in RBL-2H3 cells. Then, we did the same experiments in P815 mastocytoma cells with transfected IgE receptors. The expression was observed in P815 cells with normal IgE recepto...

Exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) is decreased by cigarette smoking. The hypothesis that oxides of nitrogen (NOX) in cigarette smoke solution (CSS) may exert a negative feedback mechanism upon NO release from epithelial (AEC, A549, and NHTBE) and basophilic cells (RBL-2H3) was tested in vitro. CSS inhibited both NO production and degranulation (measured as release of beta-hexosaminidase) in a dose-dep...

The synthesis and biological evaluation of a series of novel norlignans are described. Norlignans were evaluated for their inhibitory activity on the release of β-hexosaminidase, a marker of degranulation, from RBL-2H3 cells induced by the IgE-antigen complex. The results showed that norlignans 4c and 4e potently inhibited degranulation, with IC(50) values of 18.3 and 17.9 μM, respectively.

IgE-dependent activation of mast cell activation is often associated with symptoms attributed to activation of sensory nerves. Depending on the tissues involved such symptoms include itching, sneezing, irritation, vasodilation, and reflex secretions. In the present study, we hypothesize that sensory neuroactive mediators released from mast cells may include agonists of recently discovered orpha...

The CC chemokine receptor CCR5 mediates chemotaxis of leukocytes and serves as a principal co-receptor for macrophage-tropic human immunodeficiency virus type 1. To identify determinants on the CCR5 carboxyl-terminal domain that regulate receptor signaling and internalization, we generated several CCR5 mutants, which were progressively shortened from the COOH terminus or had carboxyl-terminal s...

The chemical similarity between some synthetic agonists of vanilloid receptors, such as olvanil (N-vanillyl-cis-9-octadecenoamide), and the 'endocannabinoid' anandamide (arachidonoyl-ethanolamide, AEA), suggests possible interactions between the cannabinoid and vanilloid signalling systems. Here we report that olvanil is a stable and potent inhibitor of AEA facilitated transport into rat basoph...