The high risk of developing colorectal carcinoma (CRC), from ulcerative colitis (UC), is well known. Macrophages are widely distributed immune cells that have an indispensable role in UC, as well as in CRC. However, little is currently known about the dynamic changes that occur in macrophage and M1/M2 macrophage subpopulations, during UC‑associated carcinogenesis. The aim of the present study w...

RATIONALE Macrophages change their phenotype and biological functions depending on the microenvironment. In atherosclerosis, oxidative tissue damage accompanies chronic inflammation; however, macrophage phenotypic changes in response to oxidatively modified molecules are not known. OBJECTIVE To examine macrophage phenotypic changes in response to oxidized phospholipids that are present in ath...

The infiltration of classically activated macrophages (M1) and alternatively activated macrophages (M2) in subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and parametrial adipose tissue (PAT) was analyzed to investigate whether local inflammatory change in adipose tissue occurs in late pregnancy. C57BL/6N female mice at 6 weeks of age were fed a normal chow diet for 4 weeks prior to mating at 10 weeks of age...

STAMP2 is a counterregulator of inflammation and insulin resistance. The aim of this study is to investigate whether activation of STAMP2 improves insulin resistance by regulating macrophage polarization in adipose tissues. The diabetic ApoE⁻/⁻/LDLR⁻/⁻ mouse model was induced by high-fat diet and low-dose streptozotocin. Samples were obtained from epididymal, subcutaneous and brown adipose tiss...

The frequency of Helicobacter pylori infection in population can depend on the organism resistance, genetic condition, and bacterial strains virulence. A vacA gene, of mosaic structure, which encodes vacuolating cytotoxin is one of the known genes of H. pylori. The existence of several different genotypes of s and m regions enables the formation of numerous combinations of vacA gene genome. The...

PURPOSE Both cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A1) and glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) have been demonstrated to be involved in the metabolism of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). BaP 7,8-diol 9,10-epoxide (BPDE), an ultimate metabolite of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), attacks deoxyguanosine to form a BPDE-N2-dG adduct resulting in p53 gene mutations. Our previous report indicated that BPDE-like DNA ...

Helicobacter pylori has been strongly associated with gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers, and it is a risk factor for gastric cancer. Two major virulence factors of H. pylori have been described: the cytotoxin-associated gene product (cagA) and the vacuolating toxin (vacA). Since considerable geographic diversity in the prevalence of H. pylori virulence factors has been reported, the aim of...

In atherosclerotic arteries, blood monocytes differentiate to macrophages in the presence of growth factors, such as macrophage colony-stimulation factor (M-CSF), and chemokines, such as platelet factor 4 (CXCL4). To compare the gene expression signature of CXCL4-induced macrophages with M-CSF-induced macrophages or macrophages polarized with IFN-gamma/LPS (M1) or IL-4 (M2), we cultured primary...

Aberrant DNA methylation has been reported as an important phenotype in acute myeloid leukemia. However the clinical significance of methylation changes has not been clear yet. In this study methylation Specific Melting Curve Analysis (MS-MCA) and real time PCR was used to assess the CDKN2B promoter hyper-methylation and gene expression in 59 Iranian acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. The i...