ABSTRACT
Dendritic cells (DCs) play an important role in inducing immune tolerance. Inhibitory receptors, such as ILT2/CD85j, are involved in the tolerogenic effect of DCs and previous studies have indicated the important role of these receptors on the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression and function of ILT2 in DCs from SLE patients. Peripheral blood from fifty patients with SLE and 38 healthy volunteers was obtained. ILT2 expression was assessed by flow cytometry. DCs were generated in the absence or presence of an anti-ILT2 antibody. The effect of ILT2 in the immunogenic ability of SLE DCs was also evaluated. We observed that SLE patients had significant higher levels of circulating plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs), and that these levels correlated with disease activity. In contrast, the expression of ILT2 was diminished in both pDCs and myeloid DCs (mDCs) from these patients. However, under our experimental conditions, the in vitro differentiation of DCs was not apparently affected by ILT2 engagement. In contrast, the immunogenic capability of monocyte-derived DCs was not down-regulated by ILT2 cross-linking in a significant proportion of SLE patients. Our results suggest that ILT2 participates in the defective immune-regulation observed in patients with SLE.
Subject(s)
Antigens, CD/metabolism , Dendritic Cells/immunology , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/immunology , Myeloid Cells/immunology , Receptors, Immunologic/metabolism , Adult , Cell Differentiation , Cells, Cultured , Disease Progression , Female , Humans , Immune Tolerance , Leukocyte Immunoglobulin-like Receptor B1 , Male , Middle Aged , Young AdultABSTRACT
In male rats, the antidepressant-like effect of fluoxetine (FLX) and desipramine (DMI) in the forced swimming test (FST) is reduced by orchidectomy and partially restored by testosterone (T). It is unknown if this modulation of T is produced by its estrogenic metabolites. The objectives of this study were to evaluate if the aromatase inhibitor, formestane, interferes with the antidepressant-like effect of DMI and FLX in intact male rats, and to analyze if 17beta-estradiol (E2) modifies the FST and interacts with the antidepressants in orchidectomized (Orx) males. Intact males received DMI (1.25-5.0 mg/kg) and FLX (2.5-10 mg/kg) alone or in combination with formestane (17.5 mg/kg). Orx rats received E2 (5, 10, 20 and 40 microg/rat) or the combination of E2 [at sub-threshold (5 microg/rat) and optimal (10 microg/rat) doses] plus sub-effective doses of DMI (2.5 mg/kg) or FLX (10 mg/kg). Serum testosterone and estradiol levels were measured in intact-control and -formestane treated animals as well as in castrated males replaced with various doses of E2. Formestane in intact males lacked of an action in the FST, but cancelled the antidepressant-like effect of DMI and FLX. E2 at the supra-physiological doses of 10 and 20 microg/rat produced antidepressant-like effects. E2 at 5 microg/rat (that re-established the levels of this hormone to physiological levels) and at 10 microg/rat restored the antidepressant-like action of DMI and FLX in Orx rats. It was concluded that estrogens participate in the antidepressant-like effect of DMI and FLX in the FST.
Subject(s)
Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation/pharmacology , Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic/pharmacology , Desipramine/pharmacology , Estrogens/physiology , Fluoxetine/pharmacology , Androstenedione/analogs & derivatives , Androstenedione/pharmacology , Animals , Aromatase Inhibitors/pharmacology , Brain Chemistry/drug effects , Estradiol/blood , Estradiol/pharmacology , Female , Male , Motor Activity/drug effects , Orchiectomy , Ovariectomy , Rats , Swimming/psychology , Testosterone/bloodABSTRACT
Desde que el hombre existe, la tuberculosis pulmonar ha estado presente en los más diversos ambientes de la sociedad. Puede presentarse en brotes epidémicos, afectar endémicamente zonas bien definidas, o encontrarse en forma aislada. Su presentación puede ir desde un cuadro clásico, hasta el enfermo atípico o incluso asintomático; por este motivo, el diagnóstico puede ser fácil en unos casos, y difícil en otros. Además, el médico con cierta frecuencia tiende a no considerarla inicialmente en las poblaciones urbanas, donde asume el beneficio de la educación, de las inmunizaciones y de la mejor calidad de vida en relación con las poblaciones rurales. La asociación entre tuberculosis pulmonar y embarazo es infrecuente. En este informe se pretende resaltar las implicaciones epidemiológicas en torno al diagnóstico y tratamiento, así como al control de los contactos, en un caso no asociado a sida, con identificación posterior a la resolución de complicaciones agudas obstétricas no relacionadas con el padecimiento. Se revisa también la literatura referente al tema.
