BACKGROUND Metabolic and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) represent a major problem in HIV infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship of HIV infection and antiretroviral therapy (ART) with circulating levels of two adipokines (Lipocalin-2 and Fatty Acid Binding Protein-4, FABP-4), known to be associated with adipose tissue dysfunction and cardiovascular disease in the genera...

Human lipocalin-1 (Lcn-1, also called tear lipocalin), a member of the lipocalin structural superfamily, is produced by a number of glands and tissues and is known to bind an unusually large array of hydrophobic ligands. Apart from its specific function in stabilizing the lipid film of human tear fluid, it is suggested to act as a physiological scavenger of potentially harmful lipophilic compou...

We previously identified two murine secretory proteins, mE-RABP(Lcn5) and mEP17(Lcn8), belonging to the lipocalin family and specifically expressed in the epididymis. The genes are contiguous and localized on mouse chromosome 2. We now show that five other related lipocalin genes, Lcn9, Lcn10, Lcn11, Lcn12, and Lcn13, that evolved by in situ tandem duplication are present on the same locus. Lcn...

The potential for microbes to overcome antibiotics of different classes before they reach bacterial cells is largely unexplored. Here we show that a soluble bacterial lipocalin produced by Burkholderia cenocepacia upon exposure to sublethal antibiotic concentrations increases resistance to diverse antibiotics in vitro and in vivo These phenotypes were recapitulated by heterologous expression in...

13-cis retinoic acid (13-cis RA; also known as isotretinoin) is the most potent agent available for treatment of acne. It is known that the drug induces apoptosis in cells cultured from human sebaceous glands, but its mechanism of action has not been determined. In this study, skin biopsies were taken from 7 patients with acne prior to and at 1 week of treatment with 13-cis RA. TUNEL staining c...

OBJECTIVE Tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is attracting attention for its role in the physiopathology of metabolic disease/diabetes. Evidence suggests that it might protect against metabolic abnormalities driven by obesity-induced dysregulated secretion of adipokines, but this role of TRAIL has not yet been fully established. On this basis, we aimed to in...

BACKGROUND Chronic inflammation may play a role in psoriasis pathogenesis. Lipocalin 2, clusterin, soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor-1 (sTNFR-1), interleukin-6, homocysteine, and uric acid are inflammatory and/or biochemical markers. However, both the roles of these markers and the pathogenesis of psoriasis are unknown. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate serum levels of l...

AIMS Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL or lipocalin-2) is a glycoprotein with bacteriostatic properties. Growing evidence suggests that NGAL may also be involved in cell survival, inflammation, and matrix degradation. We therefore aimed to investigate the role of NGAL in heart failure (HF). METHODS AND RESULTS Our main findings were (i) patients with acute post-myocardial infar...

Lipocalins constitute a superfamily of extracellular proteins that are found in all three kingdoms of life. Although very divergent in their sequences and functions, they show remarkable similarity in 3-D structures. Lipocalins bind and transport small hydrophobic molecules. Earlier sequence-based phylogenetic studies of lipocalins highlighted that they have a long evolutionary history. However...

Background: Delayed graft function is a main complication after deceased donor kidney transplantation that adversely affects graft outcome. Difficulties in prediction and early detection of delayed graft function have hindered the ability to perform proper therapeutic interventions. We investigated whether measuring urinary interleukin 18 and neutrophi...