Galectin (Gal)-9 was first described as an eosinophil chemoattractant. With the progress in research, Gal-9 has come to be known as a versatile immunomodulator that is involved in various aspects of immune regulations, and the entire picture of the function still remains elusive. To uncover as-yet unknown activity of Gal-9, we have been examining the effect of the protein in various disease ani...

Mast cells affect brain physiology and behavior. Katherine M. Nautiyal Mast cells are immune cells that are found in the brain. Behavioral and endocrine states increase the number and activation of brain mast cells, independent of the animal’s immune status. Activation causes the release of many neuro-active mediators into the brain parenchyma. However, the function or impact of mast cells in t...

Mast-cell carboxypeptidase A is stored in the secretory granule and is released, together with a range of other inflammatory mediators, upon mast-cell degranulation. Carboxypeptidase A, like all mast-cell proteases, is stored in the granule as an active enzyme (i.e. with its propeptide removed). Although the processing mechanisms for the other classes of mast-cell proteases (in particular the c...

Background & Objectives: Odontogenic cysts are among the most frequent destructive lesions of jaws which their pathogenesis and growth mechanism are not cleared. With respect to different roles of mast cells, they may play a role in the pathogenesis and growth of odontogenic cysts. The aim of present study was to evaluate mast cells in the most common odontogenic cyst. Methods:</e...

The fruits of Piper cubeba L. are used traditionally to treat respiratory disorders in Indonesia. In order to determine the compounds responsible for this activity, the fruits were extracted with nhexane followed by ethanol to give n-hexane and ethanol extracts. Based on tracheospasmolytic assay on these two extracts, the n-hexane extract was more active to inhibit trachea contraction than that...

Mast cells have gained increased recognition as immunomodulators playing a role in a variety of physiological and pathological processes. They were first described in 1879, but their origin remained controversial for almost a century. Today, it is known that mast cells are present in the bone marrow as committed mast cell precursors. They leave the bone marrow as progenitors and complete their ...

1. In this study mast cells were found to comprise 2.1% of total cells recovered by enzymatic digestion of human lung tissue. 2. This mast cell population consisted of 79% formalin-sensitive, Alcian Blue-positive mast cells and 21% formalin-insensitive, Alcian Blue-positive mast cells. 3. By the use of centrifugal elutriation and subsequent Percoll gradient centrifugation, separate mixed cell p...