Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0037116 (silicosis)
 1,822 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Tetrandrine is an extract of the creeper Stephania tetrandra used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of rheumatic diseases. It has recently been shown to retard and even reverse the lesions of silicosis in humans and rats. Data presented in this report indicate that tetrandrine has potent immunosuppressive properties. Mitogen-induced lymphoproliferative responses were markedly reduced even when tetrandrine was added after the initiation of cultures. In vitro antibody synthesis by B cells was also suppressed by tetrandrine, as was the natural killer cell-mediated lysis of K562 cells. It does not interfere with receptor-ligand binding, but does affect the inositol triphosphate second messenger system. These effects of tetrandrine were observed at nontoxic concentrations as shown by lymphocyte viability studies. These results indicate that tetrandrine possesses potent immunosuppressive properties, and may warrant further study in animal models of chronic inflammatory conditions, autoimmune diseases and transplant rejection.
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PMID:In vitro immunosuppressive properties of the plant alkaloid tetrandrine. 283 46

Among the various scientific fields covered in the area of hygiene such as environmental medicine, epidemiology, public health and preventive medicine, we are investigating the immunological effects of fibrous and particulate substances in the environment and work surroundings, such as asbestos fibers and silica particles. In addition to these studies, we have attempted to construct health-promoting living conditions. Thus, in this review we will summarize our investigations regarding the (1) immunological effects of asbestos fibers, (2) immunological effects of silica particles, and (3) construction of a health-promoting living environment. This review article summarizes the 2014 Japanese Society for Hygiene (JSH) Award Lecture of the 85th Annual Meeting of the JSH entitled "Environmental health effects: immunological effects of fibrous and particulate matter and establishment of health-promoting environments" presented by the first author of this manuscript, Prof. Otsuki, Department of Hygiene, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan, the recipient of the 2014 JSH award. The results of our experiments can be summarized as follows: (1) asbestos fibers reduce anti-tumor immunity, (2) silica particles chronically activate responder and regulatory T cells causing an unbalance of these two populations of T helper cells, which may contribute to the development of autoimmune disorders frequently complicating silicosis, and (3) living conditions to enhance natural killer cell activity were developed, which may promote the prevention of cancers and diminish symptoms of virus infections.
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PMID:Environmental factors and human health: fibrous and particulate substance-induced immunological disorders and construction of a health-promoting living environment. 2666 74