β-Glucans have been known to exhibit antitumor activities by potentiating host immunity by an unknown mechanism. The C-type lectin dectin-1, a β-glucan receptor, is found on the macrophage and can recognize various β-glucans. Previously, we demonstrated the presence of β-glucan receptor, dectin-1, on the Raw 264.7 cells as well as on murine mucosal organs, such as the thymus, the lung, and the ...

Because efficient i.v. administration of interleukin 2 (IL-2) in tumor patients leads to severe cardiopulmonary side effects, we developed a new form of IL-2 application that allows activation of all IL-2-responsive immune cells directly at the tumor site. In five patients with T4N0M0 transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder, we used high-dose, continuous IL-2 perfusion of the bladder (1000 u...

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis has emerged worldwide, with an increasing incidence due to failure of implementation of apparently effective first-line antituberculous therapy as well as primary infection with drug-resistant strains. Failure of current therapy is attributed to a long duration of treatment leading to nonadherence and irregular therapy, lack of patient education about the diseas...

UVB irradiation of the skin causes immunosuppression and Ag-specific tolerance in which Langerhans cells (LC) are involved. We tested the effect of UVB on LC that had migrated out of cultured epidermal sheets derived from the skin that was irradiated ex vivo (200, 400, 800, or 1600 J/m2). Two separate subpopulations of LC were distinguished: large-sized LC with high HLA-DR expression, and HLA-D...

PURPOSE A decrease in the frequency and activation state of dendritic cells in the sentinel lymph node (SLN) has been observed in early stages of melanoma development. This may hinder the generation of effective antitumor T-cell responses and increase the likelihood of metastatic spread. Immunopotentiation of the melanoma SLN may therefore be a valuable adjuvant treatment option. One way to ach...

Seven Chinese medicines were investigated for their ability to modify nitric oxide (NO) production by unstimulated and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated mouse macrophage-like Raw 264.7 cells, in comparison with their radical intensity and scavenging activity. LPS significantly stimulated the NO production by Raw 264.7 cells. Three Chinese medicines, Shosaiko-to, Hange-shashin-to and Sairei-to...

Introduction adaptogenic, immunomodulatory, free radical scavenging and antioxidant rejuvenating actions Irrational use of antibiotics as growth promoter (Shukla and Srivastava, 1999). The constituent herbs and as therapeutic agent or immunomodulator in of polyherbal formulation Stresroak which are livestock and poultry is current issue. International Phyllanthus emblica, Withania Somnifera, Ma...

In spring 2013, human infections with a novel avian influenza A (H7N9) virus were reported in China. The number of cases has increased with over 200 mortalities reported to date. However, there is currently no vaccine available for the H7 subtype of influenza A virus. Virus-specific cellular immune responses play a critical role in virus clearance during influenza infection. In this study, we u...

Antibody titers against Pseudomonas aeruginosa in sera from mice were markedly elevated by pre-injection of Lactobacillus casei. The number of plaque-forming cells against sheep red blood cells ( SRBC) in the spleen of mice pretreated with L. casei was highter than those in the controls. L. casei also enhanced the delayed type hypersensitivity response against SRBC in mice. Therefore, it was re...