Immunoregulation
Volume:1 Issue: 2, Summer 2018

Over the past decade, it was widely accepted that some chemotherapeutic drugs can be combined with immunotherapeutic drugs in treatment of cancer. Chemotherapeutic drugs can induce apoptosis in the tumor cell and at the same time stimulate the immune response. Several reports support the use   immunomodulators in treatment of cancers through regulating the immune response and boosting the microenvironments toward T helper (Th1) cells. At the same time these molecule attach to transferrin-Fe2+ and circulate in the blood vessels until they find transferin receptors which are highly detected in tumor cells and induce apoptosis in tumor cells.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory and demyelinating disease of the central nervous system that may lead to disability of the patient. Current MS treatment regimens are still insufficient and research is conducted for developing more effective therapies capable of targeting neurodegeneration, inflammation, and demyelination. Recent results of experimental and clinical studies in cell-based therapy suggest Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) as potential candidates in autoimmune disorders. Immunomodulatory and neuroprotective properties of mesenchymal stem cells might offer the valuable therapeutic potential to modulate inflammatory responses associated with MS and repairing damaged nervous tissue. This review summarizes the main experimental studies and clinical trials using MSCs in MS.

Ageing and physical inactivity can negatively affect immune system. On the contrary, a healthy lifestyle and physical activity can improve immune system and prevent from mild inflammatory diseases. Transforming Growth Factor-β (TGF-β) can play an important role in the regulation of immune function and inflammation. This study aimed to investigate the effects of 8 weeks of theraband resistance training on the plasma level of TGF-β in the elderly women. Eighteen inactive elderly women were selected and randomly assigned to either theraband (n=10) and control (n=8) groups. The theraband group attended 24 exercise sessions conducted over an 8-week period (3 sessions/week). Exercise load was increased according to the color of theraband. The TGF-β level in plasma was measured by ELISA. Mean±SD plasma level of TGF-β in the theraband group (39.42±9.46) significantly decreased compared to that in the control group (64.26±21.39) (P=0.031). The results showed that lower level of TGF-β and improvement of immune system following resistance training may (at least partially) protect the elderly women against infectious and inflammatory diseases.

Based on the reports, Aloe vera extract, a herbal medicine, has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects. Also, this medicinal plant has considerable effects on innate immunity through cytokine secretion which resist fungal infections such as Candida albicans. Moreover, Aloe vera is considered as immunomodulatory agent and regulate inflammatory responses. In this study, twenty Balb/c mice were divided into five groups: four groups of infected mice with Candida albicans treated with different doses of Aloe vera extract and one healthy control group. Then, macrophage vital activity was measured by NBT assay. Nitric Oxide (NO) production as representative of macrophage activity was assayed by MTT test. Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF-α) and Interleukin-12 (IL-12) cytokines were measured by ELISA assay. Based on our study results, macrophage vital activity and NO production decreased significantly. However, TNF-α and IL-12 cytokines increased significantly in mice model infected by Candida albicans. Aloe vera extract could enhance macrophage activity through increase in TNF-α and IL-12 cytokines in Candida albicans infections. Therefore, Aloe vera could stimulate innate immune responses to eliminate Candida albicans.

Inflammatory responses in individuals exposed to sulfur mustard occur in some organs such as lung, skin and eyes. These organs manifest overreaction in cellular and humoral immune responses. Over a long period, the immune responses often continues toward chronic inflammatory processes with some interventions. Obviously some elements have been deregulated. Therefore, this study evaluated Vitamin D3 levels as a modulatory agent that could first regulate inflammatory interactions, then switch to suppress inflammatory mechanisms. Several studies showed that Vitamin D3 plays an undeniable role in suppressing inflammatory responses. In addition, some studies showed that calcium and phosphorus could play some role in inflammatory responses, too. Also, levels of serum calcium and phosphorus are associated with serum Vitamin D3 level, because it promotes absorption and reabsorption of calcium and phosphorus in intestine and kidney.

Levels of vitamin D3, calcium and phosphorus were measured by ELISA and spectrophotometric method, respectively. 114 exposed individuals as case group and 79 unexposed as control group were evaluated.

The results showed that the level of serum Vitamin D3 is low in individuals exposed to sulfur mustard (P

According to our findings, chronic inflammation has correlation with status of serum Vitamin D3 deficiency in individuals exposed to sulfur mustard.

Social stress is a factor involved in the etiology of many diseases. Also, gender is another factor which predisposes individuals to certain disease. Results from animal and human studies suggest that socially-stressed men are more vulnerable to catching diseases compared to socially-stressed women.

The role of chronic social stress and gender were examined in the present study through implementing food deprivation, food intake inequality, and unstable social status (cage-mate change every three days) for a period of 14 days on 96 male and female mice. Then, vital activity of peritoneal macrophages and spleen’s lymphocytes were measured using MTT test as well as the concentration of Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-α) by ELISA technique.

Our results showed that cell viability of peritoneal macrophages and spleen’s lymphocytes as well as serum concentration of TNF-α in all female and male stressed animals increased compared to the controls (P

The results suggest that social factors have significant effects on immunity and should be considered in the studies of gender differences for evaluating possible effective mechanisms.

Hydatid cyst is the larval stage of the tape worm parasite, Echinococcus granulosus. Human is infected by ingestion of parasite ova excreted in dog feces. The anticancer activity of different antigens of hydatid cyst has been reported in the previous works. In this research, the role of immune system in induction of this anticancer activity has been investigated. Spleen cells of mice immunized with hydatid cyst antigens were transferred to the recipient mice that had already been challenged with melanoma cells. Also, mice with melanoma cancer were injected with antisera raised against hydatid cyst antigens. In all above mice, tumor growth was measured using a caliper. Passive transfer of spleen cells resulted in significant inhibition of melanoma cancer growth. However passive transfer of antisera did not affect cancer growth in the recipient mice. According to the results of this work, cellular immunity but not humoral immunity may be involved in induction of anticancer activities of hydatid cyst.

Cutaneous vasculitis is defined as the inflammation of blood vessels of the dermis. However cutaneous vasculitis is not a specific disease but a manifestation that can be seen in a variety of settings. We sought to review the clinical manifestations, laboratorial findings, pathological changes and etiologic association of cutaneous vasculitis in patients admitted to Dermatology Department of Razi Hospital from 1998 to 2011. In this retrospective study, we enrolled all patients with records of histological diagnosis of vasculitis between 1998 and 2011 in Razi Hospital. Clinical presentation and inflammatory factors were evaluated, too. We studied 56 patients with cutaneous vasculitis. 35 (62.5%) patients were female and 20 (37.5%) were male. About 75% of patients had hypersensitivity vasculitis, 10.6% Henoch-Schonlein purpura, 9% urticarial vasculitis, and 5.4% polyarteritis nodosa. It seems that hypersensitivity vasculitis is the most common form of cutaneous vasculitis. The main clinical manifestations of hypersensitivity vasculitis are skin and joint symptoms.