Feto-maternal interactions and immunological tolerance of the mother to her semiallogeneic fetus

Pregnancy is a cooperative interaction between the mother and her fetus, allowing survival and normal growth of the fetus. Successful pregnancy remains a fascinating phenomenon as it resists the immunological rules of rejection. Immunological recognition of the fetus is vital for maintenance of gestation. The maternal immune system undergoes changes that lead to tolerance of the fetus. Inadequate recognition of fetal antigens may cause abortion. In fact, fetal cells express paternal alloantigens that are not recognized as foreign by the mother. A special balance between lymphocytes is present at the feto-maternal interface to control the immune response. In addition, placenta! trophoblasts act as a physical barrier and exert an immunoregulatory function. Trophoblast cells regulate the expression of human leucocyte antigens. Dysfunction of these cells leads to morphological and functional alterations of the feto-maternal barrier as well as to recurrent spontaneous abortions. Uterine natural killer cells are appropriate residents of the materno-fetal interface to support the adaptation of the blood vessels of the pregnant uterus and regulate trophoblast invasion into the decidua and myometrium. Cytokines are involved at the feto-placental unit by adapting normal T-cell trafficking and modulating the inflammatory process. This study discusses the complex immunological aspects of immune tolerance and the balance of immunity in pregnancy in terms of the role of the human leucocyte antigen, placental trophoblasts, maternal immunosuppression, immune cells, cytokines and immunoregulatory molecules at the feto-maternal interface

Inhibitory Effect of Vitamin U (S-Methylmethionine Sulfonium Chloride) on Differentiation in 3T3-L1 Pre-adipocyte Cell Lines

BACKGROUND: S-methylmethionine sulfonium chloride was originally called vitamin U because of its inhibition of ulceration in the digestive system. Vitamin U is ubiquitously expressed in the tissues of flowering plants, and while there have been reports on its hypolipidemic effect, its precise function remains unknown. OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to evaluate the anti-obesity effect of vitamin U in 3T3-L1 pre-adipocyte cell lines. METHODS: We cultured the pre-adipocyte cell line 3T3L1 to overconfluency and then added fat differentiation-inducing media (dexamethasone, IBMX [isobutylmethylxanthine], insulin, indomethacin) and different concentrations (10, 50, 70, 90, 100 mM) of vitamin U. Then, we evaluated changes in the levels of triglycerides (TGs), glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PDH), AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), adipocyte-specific markers (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma [PPAR-gamma], CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha [C/EBP-alpha], adipocyte differentiation and determination factor 1 [ADD-1], adipsin, fatty acid synthase, lipoprotein lipase) and apoptosis-related signals (Bcl-2, Bax). RESULTS: There was a gradual decrease in the level of TGs, C/EBP-alpha, PPAR-gamma, adipsin, ADD-1 and GPDH activity with increasing concentrations of vitamin U. In contrast, we observed a significant increase in AMPK activity with increasing levels of vitamin U. The decrease in bcl-2 and increase in Bax observed with increasing concentrations of vitamin U in the media were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that vitamin U inhibits adipocyte differentiation via down-regulation of adipogenic factors and up-regulation of AMPK activity.

The Effect of Caffeine on 3T3-L1 Adipocyte Differentiation : A Nutrigenomical Approach

Nutrigenomics refers to research that investigates the interaction between nutrition and the human genome. Caffeine in tea and coffee is widely and routinely consumed by people. This study was performed to confirm the effect of caffeine treatment on the gene expression and cytokine profiling in 3T3-L1 adipocyte cells using microarray and protein array methodology. Treatment of caffeine in 3T3-L1 adipocyte cells increased expression of several genes related with obesity including adipocyte C1Q and collagen domain containing (ACDC), Adipsin (ADN), uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3), while glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), which is known as lipid storage enzyme, was decreased by caffeine treatment. Furthermore, cytokines, such as interleukin-3 (IL-3), interleukin-12 (IL-12), interleukin-13 (IL-13), granulocyte colony stimulating factor (GCSF), granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), were decreased in caffeine treated 3T3-L1 adipocyte cells. These results provided interesting information about the genes related with caffeine and cytokine expression profiling in obesity.

Determinación de la actividad anti-C3d en reactivos antiglobulina humana / Determination of the anticomplement activity in human antiglobulin reagent

La evaluación de la actividad de anti-C3d en reactivos de Coombs poliespecíficos, con los procedimientos clásicos presenta, según la experiencia de los autores, dificultades técnicas y falta de reproductibilidad. El objetivo de este trabajo fue describir una técnica para controlar la actividad de los reactivos antiglobulina humana (AGH) poliespecíficos y monoespecíficos anti-C3d, utilizando glóbulos rojos de carnero (GRc) sensibilizados con fragmentos de complemento (C'). La obtención de GRc sensibilizados con C3d, se evaluó con reactivos de calidad certificada por la firma comercial. Se obtuvieron reacciones de aglutinación francamente positivas con reactivos de Coombs poliespecíficos y con reactivos anti-C3d, -C3d monoespecíficos. La sensibilidad, especificidad y sencillez de esta técnica induce a proponerla dentro del protocolo de Control de Calidad de los antisueros AGH poliespecíficos y anti-C3d, -C3d, utilizados de rutina en los Servicios de Medicina Transfusional