Acute and chronic Plasmodium falciparum malaria are accompanied by severe immunodepression possibly related to subversion of dendritic cells (DC) functionality. Phagocytosed hemozoin (malarial pigment) was shown to inhibit monocyte functions related to immunity. Hemozoin-loaded monocytes, frequently found in circulation and adherent to endothelia in malaria, may interfere with DC development an...

Adipocyte differentiation is a developmental process that is critical for metabolic homeostasis and nutrient signaling. The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) mediates nutrient signaling to regulate cell growth, proliferation, and diverse cellular differentiation. It has been reported that rapamycin, the inhibitor of mTOR and an immunosuppressant, blocks adipocyte differentiation, but the mec...

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to study the protective effect and influence of sodium hyaluronate (Na-HA) on mRNA expression of peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-gamma) in cartilage of rabbit osteoarthritis (OA) model. MATERIALS AND METHODS Forty eight white rabbits were randomly divided into A, B, and C groups. Group A was normal control group, B and C groups und...

This study was conducted to evaluate messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of genes that are involved in energy metabolism and mitochondrial biogenesis: avian adenine nucleotide translocator (avANT), cytochrome oxidase III (COX III), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma), avian PPAR-gamma coactivator-1alpha (avPGC-1alpha), and avian unco...

BACKGROUND While glucocorticoids are currently the most effective therapy for asthma, associated side effects limit enthusiasm for their use. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) activators include the synthetic thiazolidinediones (TZDs) which exhibit anti-inflammatory effects that suggest usefulness in diseases such as asthma. How the ability of TZDs to modulate the as...

OBJECTIVE Synthetic ligands for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) improve insulin sensitivity in obesity, but it is still unclear whether inflammatory signals modulate their metabolic actions. In this study, we tested whether targeted disruption of inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase (iNOS), a key inflammatory mediator in obesity, modulates the metabolic effects of ...

5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) is an antiinflammatory drug widely used in the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases. It is known to inhibit the production of cytokines and inflammatory mediators, but the mechanism underlying the intestinal effects of 5-ASA remains unknown. Based on the common activities of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) ligands and 5-ASA, we hyp...

In the recent years, the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma), a well known target for type II diabetes treatment, has received an increasing attention for its therapeutic potential in inflammatory and degenerative brain disorders. PPAR-gamma agonists, which include naturally occurring compounds (such as long chain fatty acids and the cyclopentenone prostaglandin 15-deo...

Uncoupling protein (UCP) is expressed only in brown adipocytes and is responsible for the unique thermogenic properties of this cell type. The novel brown preadipocyte cell line, HIB-1B, expresses UCP in a strictly differentiation-dependent manner. Transgenic mice studies have shown that a region from kb -2.8 to -1.0 of the marine UCP gene is required for brown adipocyte-specific expression. Su...