Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0042109 (urticaria)
 6,569 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), an active component of propolis from honeybee hives (honeybee resin), has anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic and anti-bacterial properties. This study was designed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of CAPE on Helicobacter pylori-induced NF-kappaB and AP-1 in the gastric epithelial cell line AGS. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay was used to measure NF-kappaB- and AP-1-DNA binding activity. Western blotting was used to detect IkappaB-alpha and COX-2 expression in AGS cells cocultured with H. pylori. The antiproliferative effect of CAPE was measured by MTT assay. Our results showed that caffeic phenethyl ester inhibits H. pylori-induced NF-kappaB and AP-1 DNA-binding activity in a dose (0.1-25 microg ml(-1) approximately 0.35-88 microM) and time- (15-240 min) dependent manner in AGS cells. Maximum inhibition by CAPE was observed at concentrations of 25 microg ml(-1) ( approximately 88 microM) CAPE prevented H. pylori- and cytokine-induced degradation of IkappaB-alpha protein. Pretreatment of AGS cells with CAPE also blocked cytokine- and mitogen-induced NF-kappaB and AP-1 expression. Furthermore, CAPE suppressed H. pylori-induced cell proliferation and production of the cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-8. In addition, CAPE blocked H. pylori-induced COX-2 expression. The inhibition of such transcription by CAPE could result in suppression of many genes during H. pylori-induced inflammation, and also provide new insights into the anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties of CAPE.
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PMID:Caffeic acid phenethyl ester modulates Helicobacter pylori-induced nuclear factor-kappa B and activator protein-1 expression in gastric epithelial cells. 1624 12

Propolis obtained from honeybee hives has been used in folk medicine as an anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic or immunomodulatory agent. In animal studies, the radioprotector effect of propolis has been attributed to its free-radical scavenging properties. The present study was carried out to show the protective properties of propolis extract against DNA damage induced by gamma irradiation. The evaluation of the radioprotective effect of propolis has been carried out by the analysis of chromosome aberration induction after several doses of gamma rays. The results of an analysis in the presence of ethanol extract of propolis (EEP) were compared with the dose-effect calibration curve for gamma-rays by analysis of chromosome aberrations without propolis, a decrease in the radiation-induced chromosome aberrations has been observed to be higher than 50% for all the doses.
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PMID:Assessment by cytogenetic analysis of the radioprotection properties of propolis extract. 1638 67

The human skin hosts a variety of immune response-associated components that together form the skin immune system. Any abnormality in the functioning of the skin immune system leads to a variety of dermatologic complications, including dermatitis, psoriasis, and eczema. Exposure to antigens/allergens can lead to allergic skin disorders such as atopic dermatitis, urticaria, and allergic contact dermatitis. Recent investigations have provided new insights into the immunologic processes leading to the development of skin diseases. T cells play a central role in the activation and regulation of immune responses by recognizing antigen and inducing cytokine production. Despite advances in the understanding of the immunologic events leading to the development of skin diseases, no effective prevention measure exists. Current therapeutic treatments are based on either alleviating the symptoms or suppressing the immune system with immunosuppressive drugs. Allergen-specific immunotherapy is expected to induce specific T cells that abolish allergen-induced proliferation of T helper cells, as well as their cytokine production. Recent approaches using recombinant protein, polycytosine guanine oligonucleotides, and plasmid DNA for vaccination suggest the possibility of protection against these skin disorders. The involvement of T cells in psoriasis indicates that the development of a T-cell receptor peptide vaccine may be beneficial. Dendritic cell-based vaccines using tolerogenic dendritic cells that can induce T-cell tolerance have been shown to be useful in dealing with autoimmune disorders and allergic conditions. In the light of these developments, this article presents the current status and prospects of developing vaccines for allergic and other immunologic skin disorders.
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PMID:Prospects for vaccines for allergic and other immunologic skin disorders. 1673 2

Idiopathic Chronic Urticaria (ICU), the most common form (70-80%) of chronic urticaria is supposed to have immune basis causes. It is speculated that the promoter polymorphism of TGF-Beta1 gene may be involved in ICU. This condition is thought to affect at least 0.1% of the population and often can be severe and difficult to treat. A total of 40 patients with ICU and 41 normal subjects were studied. DNA was extracted from whole blood and TGF-Beta1 promoter -509C>T polymorphism was determined by PCR-RFLP method. Out of the 40 patients with ICU, 11 (27.5%) had CC, 26 (65%) had CT and 3 (7.5%) had TT genotypes. A higher proportion of case subjects with the C allele (CT type or CC type) was found compared with the T allele. These results do suggest an influence of genetic variability at the promoter of TGF-Beta1 gene (-509C>T) on the occurrence of ICU. This polymorphism has been shown as a useful genetic change in our study. Further work is required to confirm this result.
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PMID:Association between the polymorphism of TGF-beta1 gene promoter (-509C>T) and idiopathic chronic urticaria. 1723 61

Glucocorticoids (GCs) are among the most commonly used drugs. They have been employed to treat almost every known disease, from urticaria to leukemia. GCs are so termed because of their action to increase plasma glucose as a result of enhanced hepatic gluconeogenesis, but they play, also, key regulatory roles in a wide variety of physiologic processes. They are essential for survival under stress. GC effect is mediated through receptors localised in cytosol. Receptor-GC complexes bind to hormone response elements in nuclear DNA, affect transcription of genes, either stimulating or inhibiting mRNAs. Proteins so produced (enzymes, hormones) are responsible for the steroid response. There is one type of GC receptor and all GCs will affect all tissues in the same way. At present rational use of GCs falls into two categories: replacement therapy (in Addison's diseasse and in congenital adrenal hyperplasia) and pharmacotherapy, mostly for their anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties, but also to lyse leukemic lymphocytes or to reduce brain edema. GC therapy does not cure the primary disease--it only ameliorates its manifestations and provides time for the body natural defenses to work. After the withdrawal of steroid therapy manifestations of primary process usually return. So, as a result, there is no positive effect on long-term prognosis. Most common indications for prologned high-dose GC therapy are in organ transplantation, tumour chemotherapy, collagen vascular syndromes, ulcerative colitis, nephrotic syndrome and regional enteritis. Asthma, allergic diseases, inflammatory eye diseases and blood dyscrasias are also often treated with GCs. Used in pharmacological doses GCs have a number of adverse side effects. The use of alternate 0 day therapy can decrease most GC side effects (less suppression of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, growth inhibition, cushingoid features, infections and myopathy). Discontinuation of long-term therapy is potentially difficult ("steroid withdrawal syndrome"). It is necessary to reduce the total dose gradually, in small weekly decrements. Recent use of GCs in prenatal treatment of congenital adrenal hyperplasia is described.
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PMID:[Glucocorticoids in pediatrics]. 1819 4

Oxidative stress is considered to be a major cause of cellular injuries in a variety of chronic health problems, such as carcinogenesis and neurodegenerative disorders. Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), derived from the propolis of honeybee hives, possesses a variety of biological and pharmacological properties including antioxidant and anticancer activity. In the present study, we focused on the diverse antioxidative functionalities of CAPE and its related polyphenolic acid esters on cellular macromolecules in vitro. The effects on human erythrocyte membrane ghost lipid peroxidation, plasmid pBR322 DNA, and protein damage initiated by the water-soluble initiator 2,2'-azobis(2-amidinopropane) hydrochloride (AAPH) and hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) were monitored by formation of hydroperoxides and by DNA nicking assay, single-cell alkaline electrophoresis, and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Our results showed that CAPE and its related polyphenolic acid esters elicited remarkable inhibitory effects on erythrocyte membrane lipid peroxidation, cellular DNA strand breakage, and protein fragmentation. The results suggest that CAPE is a potent exogenous cytoprotective and antigenotoxic agent against cell oxidative damage that could be used as a template for designing novel drugs to combat diseases induced by oxidative stress components, such as various types of cancer.
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PMID:Potential cytoprotection: antioxidant defence by caffeic acid phenethyl ester against free radical-induced damage of lipids, DNA, and proteins. 1843 89

Adrenergic urticaria, a rare but distinct subtype of the physical urticarias, is characterized by wheals that are typically surrounded by a white halo of vasoconstriction, and by a positive response to intradermal adrenaline and noradrenaline injections. The pathogenesis of adrenergic urticaria is unknown. We report here a case of a 64-year-old woman with adrenergic urticaria who was found to have high levels of anti-double-stranded DNA antibodies without features of systemic lupus erythematosus. This is the first report associating adrenergic urticaria with anti-double-stranded DNA antibodies. The significance of this association is unknown.
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PMID:Adrenergic urticaria in a patient with anti-double-stranded DNA antibodies. 1848 Sep 26

The influence of geographic location, season, age, and part of the digestive tract on bacterial diversity was evaluated on intestinal microflora of honeybees, wasps, and cockroaches using DGGE analysis. PCR-DGGE analyses with universal bacterial primers targeting 200-bp region of the 16S rDNA gene afforded the profile of complex bacterial DNA; specific primers were used to determine the profile of bifidobacteria whose concentration in digestive tract was determined by real-time PCR. Selected PCR products were identified by sequencing. The microflora of the bees exhibited little variations among the hives from distant locations. Their bifidobacterial population formed 2.8-8.4 % of total bacteria and was very homogeneous. The total gut microflora of wasps was also homogeneous, only two samples being affected by the season or the location; on the other hand, wasp bifidobacterial population was very heterogeneous. Cockroaches showed the highest variations in microflora composition, the age and diet being the ultimate factors; bifidobacteria counts also varied among tested individuals (0.1-34.1 % of total bacteria). Our results suggest that nutrition habits are the strongest factor affecting the insect microflora, giving higher variations to omnivorous species.
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PMID:Diversity of insect intestinal microflora. 1866 Dec 98

Disease is one of the main factors driving both natural and artificial selection. It is a particularly important and increasing threat to the managed honeybee colonies, which are vital in crop pollination. Artificial selection for disease-resistant honeybee genotypes has previously only been carried out at the colony-level, that is, by using queens or males reared from colonies that show resistance. However, honeybee queens mate with many males and so each colony consists of multiple patrilines that will vary in heritable traits, such as disease resistance. Here, we investigate whether response to artificial selection for a key resistance mechanism, hygienic behaviour, can be improved using multi-level selection, that is, by selecting not only among colonies as normal but also among patrilines within colonies. Highly hygienic colonies were identified (between-colony selection), and the specific patrilines within them responsible for most hygienic behaviour were determined using observation hives. Queens reared from these hygienic patrilines (within-colony selection) were identified using DNA microsatellite analysis of a wing-tip tissue sample and then mated to drones from a third highly hygienic colony. The resulting colonies headed by queens from hygienic patrilines showed approximately double the level of hygienic behaviour of colonies headed by sister queens from non-hygienic patrilines. The results show that multi-level selection can significantly improve the success of honeybee breeding programs.
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PMID:Multi-level selection for hygienic behaviour in honeybees. 1925 16

Osteoclasts are multinuclear cells of myeloid lineage responsible for bone resorption. The anti-inflammatory property of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), an active component of the propolis of honeybee hives, has been revealed. Since the regulatory mechanism of differentiation and activation of osteoclasts shares many well-known signaling pathways with that of inflammation, we investigated whether CAPE has any effect on osteoclastogenesis. CAPE potently suppressed osteoclastogenesis in cultures of bone marrow-derived precursor cells with the osteoclast differentiation factor, receptor activator of nuclear factor kappaB ligand (RANKL). While the RANKL-stimulated activation of the ERK, JNK, and p38 MAPK signaling pathways was not affected, the DNA binding and transcription activity of NF kappaB were reduced by CAPE treatment. In addition, CAPE blocked the induction of NFATc1 and c-Fos following RANKL stimulation. Forced expression of c-Fos could reverse the inhibitory effect of CAPE on osteoclastogenesis. Finally, CAPE significantly inhibited the RANKL-induced osteoclast formation in mouse calvariae in vivo. We propose that CAPE might be useful as a therapeutic agent for treatment of bone destructive diseases.
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PMID:Caffeic acid phenethyl ester inhibits osteoclastogenesis by suppressing NF kappaB and downregulating NFATc1 and c-Fos. 1928 74


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