Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0432222 (SEM)
 47,337 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Monocytes/macrophages (M phi) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis (LN), but the precise molecular mechanism of recruitment and activation of M phi in LN remains unclear. To clarify the involvement of chemotactic cytokines (chemokines) in those events, we measured levels of monocyte chemotactic and activating factor (MCAF, also termed monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, MCP-1) in urines and sera derived from 42 patients with LN. Both urinary and serum MCAF levels were significantly higher in patients with LN as compared with 22 healthy volunteers (10.3 +/- 3.2 vs. 1.0 +/- 0.1 pg/ml . creatinine, 212.2 +/- 75.8 vs. 66.1 +/- 15.5 pg/ml, respectively, P < 0.05, mean +/- SEM). Histological examination of renal lesions from 41 patients classified 19 as active according to the WHO-defined classes IIIb, IVb and IVc, and 22 as inactive by the WHO-defined classes I, II, IIIc, IVd and V. Urinary MCAF levels in the patients with active lesions were significantly higher than those with inactive lesions (20.3 +/- 6.4 vs. 1.7 +/- 0.3 pg/ml . creatinine, P < 0.01). Moreover, elevated urinary MCAF levels were dramatically decreased during steroid therapy-induced convalescence in 29 patients examined serially (13.9 +/- 4.5 vs. 5.3 +/- 1.7 pg/ml . creatinine, P < 0.001), whereas serum MCAF levels did not change significantly. Endothelial cells, renal epithelial cells and infiltrating mononuclear cells in the tubulointerstitial regions were MCAF-positive in immunohistochemical as well as in situ hybridization analysis. These observations suggest that MCAF is probably involved in the pathogenesis of LN with active lesions, possibly through the recruitment and activation of M phi, and that measurement of urinary MCAF levels may be a useful clinical tool for monitoring the disease activity of LN.
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PMID:Monitoring urinary levels of monocyte chemotactic and activating factor reflects disease activity of lupus nephritis. 864 17

Monocyte chemotactic and activating factor/monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCAF/MCP-1) is a member of the beta (C-C) subfamily of chemokines. The biological roles played by MCAF/MCP-1 in a number of inflammatory and noninflammatory diseases states is not well known. Several studies have confirmed that inflammation is present in the airways of subjects with atopic asthma and with chronic bronchitis. Analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) is an effective method of sampling lower respiratory tract inflammation. The aim of this study was to examine associations among MCAF/MCP-1, BALF cells and spirometry parameters and bronchial hyperresponsiveness in patients with atopic asthma and chronic bronchitis. Twenty patients with atopic asthma, 10 patients with chronic bronchitis and 10 patients of the control group, took part in this study. An ELISA test was used to assess MCAF/MCP-1 in BALF. The levels of MCAF/ MCP-1 (mean +/- SEM) were 150 +/- 18.6 pg/ml in patients with atopic asthma, 320 +/- 39.7 pg/ml in chronic bronchitis and 74.9 +/- 3.3 pg/ml in the control group (p < 0.05). When all patients with disease were considered, there was negative correlation with FEF50 (Kendall's correlation coefficient = - 0.4; p < 0.01). Regression analysis has shown that a level of MCAF/MCP-1 over 100 pg/ml was correlated with duration of illness (Pearson's correlation coefficient = 0.7; p < 0.02). In conclusion, MCAF/MCP-1 probably possesses proinflammatory properties in atopic asthma and chronic bronchitis. The elevated level of this chemokine may support the clinical suspicion of specific diagnosis.
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PMID:Monocyte chemotactic and activating factor/monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCAF/MCP-1) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from patients with atopic asthma and chronic bronchitis. 933 Jan 91

MCAF (monocyte chemotactic and activating factor)/MCP-1 (monocyte chemoattractant protein-1) is an important mediator of monocyte recruitment to inflammatory sites. However, its pathophysiologic role in myocardial reperfusion injury remains unknown. Male Wistar rats were anesthetized, and the left anterior descending coronary artery was ligated for an hour, after which the ligature was released. Northern blotting analysis revealed that MCAF/MCP-1 mRNA expression increased 16-fold in the reperfused region at 12 hours after reperfusion. MCAF/MCP-1 concentration in plasma and the heart was already elevated after hour of ischemia in this model. Goat polyclonal antibodies were prepared by repeated immunization of animals with purified, recombinant rat MCAF/MCP-1, and the neutralizing activities of this antibody were confirmed by monocyte chemotaxis assay and administration to rats with crescentic glomerulonephritis. Intravenous injection of anti-MCAF/MCP-1 antibody significantly reduced the infarct size at 24 hours after reperfusion compared with the injection of control IgG (33.9 +/- 5.1% vs 49.4 +/- 2.7% of ischemic area, mean +/- SEM). Administration of this antibody markedly decreased the intercellular adhesion molecule-1 mRNA expression and infiltration of macrophages, which suggested the pathophysiologic role of MCAF/MCP-1. Neutralization of MCAF/MCP-1 is beneficial by preventing reperfusion injury in a rat model of myocardial ischemia and reperfusion.
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PMID:Prevention of myocardial reperfusion injury in rats by an antibody against monocyte chemotactic and activating factor/monocyte chemoattractant protein-1. 1006 7