Background An autoimmune basis is believed to be responsible for about half of all cases of chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) with specific IgG antibodies directed at the high affinity receptor sites for IgE on the mast cell. The autologous serum skin test (ASST) is used to identify this autoimmune form of CSU. Currently, basophil histamine release assay and basophil activation test (BAT) hav...

A traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) formula, Guo Min Kang (GMK), has been used in clinics in China for allergic diseases, including type I immediate hypersensitivity, a potentially fatal disease, but its modulatory mechanism remains elusive. The aim of this study was to investigate the modulatory mechanisms of GMK in a mouse model of Ag-induced anaphylaxis. Ag (conalbumin) sensitized mice were...

Mast cells are among the first cells of our immune system to encounter exogenous danger. Intracellular receptors such as nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (Nod) play an important role in responding to invading pathogens. Here, we have investigated the response of human mast cells to the Nod1 ligand M-TriDAP. Human cord blood-derived mast cells (CBMCs) were activated with M-TriDAP alone,...

Spontaneous histamine release from isolarted Mastcells was found to be independent of cal­cium in the concentration range up to 1 m. mole/lit. Phosphatidyl serine do not change the effect of calcium on spontaneous release. The activation of anaphyla.ctic histamine release by calcium is potentiated by phosphatidyl serine but the laitter can't do so w1th strontium.  Mastcells, pretreated with AT...

Implanted biomaterials trigger acute and chronic inflammatory responses. The mechanisms involved in such acute inflammatory responses can be arbitrarily divided into phagocyte transmigration, chemotaxis, and adhesion to implant surfaces. We earlier observed that two chemokines-macrophage inflammatory protein 1alpha/monocyte chemoattractant protein 1-and the phagocyte integrin Mac-1 (CD11b/CD18)...

Objective: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is a major health care issue which has been difficult to manage date, due its complex and not well understood pathophysiology. Specifically, if wealth of literature focuses on heart cardiac component, very little information can be found vascular component. Our goal unravel the critical role small vessel disease in pathophysiology diasto...

Enteric neuroimmune interactions in gastrointestinal hypersensitivity responses involve antigen detection by mast cells, mast cell degranulation, release of chemical mediators, and modulatory actions of the mediators on the enteric nervous system (ENS). Electrophysiological methods were used to investigate electrical and synaptic behavior of neurons in the stomach and small intestine during exp...

Abstract Increasing evidence indicates that a unique immune cell, the mast cell, accumulates in the stroma surrounding certain tumors, especially mammary and pancreatic adenocarcinoma, as well as melanoma. Many molecules secreted by mast cells could benefit the tumor in at least four ways: (1) angiogenin, heparin and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which induce neovascularization; (2...

Crosslinking of cell-bound IgE on mouse connective tissue-type mast cells (CTMC) by multivalent antigen or anti-IgE antibody induced clonal growth of CTMC in methylcellulose culture containing IL-3. Continuous presence of antigen, IgE antibody, and IL-3 in culture was required for extensive proliferation of CTMC. Optimal concentrations of antigen and anti-IgE antibody for proliferation of sensi...

Mast cells play a critical role in allergic airway responses via IgE-specific activation and release of potent inflammatory mediators. In the present study, we have isolated and characterized primary mast cell lines derived from the upper airways of normal mice. The primary mast cell lines were grown and maintained by incubation with interleukin-3 (IL-3) and stem cell factor (SCF) and shown to ...