Specialized cell types of trophoblast cells form the placenta in which each cell type has particular properties of proliferation and invasion. The placenta sustains the growth of the fetus throughout pregnancy and any aberrant trophoblast differentiation or invasion potentially affects the future health of the child and adult. Recently, the field of epigenetics has been applied to understand di...

INTRODUCTION A high-fat diet is one of the main dietary factors promoting platelet aggregation. The present study was conducted to elucidate the involvement of boswellic acid (BA) on the platelet hyperaggregability in HFD-fed rats. As platelet hyperaggregability in HFD rats is closely linked to inflammation and enhanced free radical production, the present study was extended to evaluate the ant...

Increasing evidence suggests that inflammatory processes in the central nervous system that are mediated by microglial activation play a key role in neurodegeneration. Fisetin, a plant flavonol commonly found in fruits and vegetables, is frequently added to nutritional supplements due to its antioxidant properties. In the present study, treatment with fisetin inhibited microglial cell migration...

Simultaneous zinc and vitamin A deficiency are common health problems in developing countries. The objective of this study was to assess effect of supplementation of high zinc or vitamin A on immune function. After three months of feeding with a zinc and vitamin A deficient diet, mice were assigned into four groups which, for additional two months, received a normal or high zinc along with vita...

Lupus nephritis is one of the most serious manifestations and one of the strongest predictors of a poor outcome in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Recent evidence implicated a potential role of interlukin-17 (IL-17) in the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis. However, the correlation between IL-17 expression level and the severity of lupus nephritis still remains incompletely understood. In thi...

INTRODUCTION Even with the ultimate medical management, more than one-third of diabetic patients develop diabetic nephropathy. To our knowledge, there is no study that has examined the effect of probiotic soy milk on kidney function in type 2 diabetic patients with nephropathy. This clinical trial aimed to assess the effects of consumption of probiotic soy milk, compared with conventional soy m...

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) of human origin have been frequently applied to experimental animal models to evaluate their immunomodulatory functions. MSCs are known to be activated by cytokines from T cells, predominantly by interferon-γ (IFN-γ), in conjunction with other cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interlukin-1β. Because IFN-γ is not cross-reactive between human and ...

BACKGROUND Human tuberculosis, which is caused by the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis, remains a major public health concern. Increasing drug resistance poses a threat of disease resurgence and continues to cause considerable mortality worldwide, which necessitates the development of new drugs with improved efficacy. Thymoquinone (TQ), an essential compound of Nigella sativa, was previously...