The release of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNS) during the inflammatory response generates damages to host tissues, referred to as immunopathology, and is an important factor in ecological immunology. The integrated antioxidant system, comprising endogenous antioxidant enzymes (e.g. superoxide dismutase SOD, and catalase CAT) and dietary antioxidants (e.g. carotenoids), helps ...

A model of cryptococcosis was developed using intraperitoneal infections of guinea pigs. This model shared characteristics with cryptococcosis in humans and was used to study the effects of immunosuppression and immunostimulation on cryptococcosis. Female guniea pigs survived longer than males; perphaps this was related to a greater capacity of their monocytes to kill cryptococci. A brief cours...

Many immunostimulants act as vaccine adjuvants via activation of the innate immune system, although in many cases it is unclear which specific molecules contribute to the stimulatory activity. QS-21 is a defined, highly purified, and soluble saponin adjuvant currently used in licensed and exploratory vaccines, including vaccines against malaria, cancer, and HIV-1. However, little is known about...

This chapter will focus on critically evaluating some selected new methods to achieve the asymmetric synthesis of a-amino acids. It is not meant to be comprehensive, but rather to reflect some of the possibilities opening up in this area. The study of a-amino acids is one of fundamental importance to many areas of chemistry and its relation to molecular biology. Nature only utilizes 20 amino ac...

The host immune responses, including T lymphocytes mediated immune response and humoral immune responses are the important parts of the challenges in gene therapy. There are some potential immunostimulants in gene delivery systems, such as viral and non-viral vectors. Viral gene products, transgene products, viral proteins derived from viral particles required by dead-end infection, and CpG DNA...

The phagocyte-microbe interactions in the immune system is a defense mechanism but when excessively or inappropriately deployed can harm host tissues and participate in the development of different non-immune and immune chronic inflammatory diseases such as autoimmune problems, allergies, some rheumatoid disorders, cancers and others. Immunodrugs include organic synthetics, biological agents su...

Inoculation with bacterial or fungal antigens that stimulate cell proliferation has been widely used to obtain metaphases for cytogenetic studies of fish. We evaluated the potential of new pharmaceutical compounds as mitogenic agents in fish, testing the efficacy of Aminovac (mixed antigens and epsilon-acetamidocaproic acid), Broncho-Vaxom (bacterial lysate) and Estimoral (bacterial lysate) to ...

Carotenoids are responsible for much of the yellow, orange and red pigmentation in the animal kingdom, and the importance of such coloration as an honest signal of individual quality has received widespread attention. In particular, owing to the multiple roles of carotenoids as pigments, antioxidants and immunostimulants, carotenoid-based coloration has been suggested to advertise an individual...

Fig (Ficus carica L.) is a natural product that potentially can improve the immune system because it has flavonoids have potential as immunostimulants. The research aims to determine possibility of fig fruit ethanol extract an immunomodulator. Immunomodulatory activity determined by knowing macrophage phagocytosis and lymphocyte proliferation in vitro levels extract. began with extraction, then...