nigella sativa (ns) ( ranunculaceae ) used as a protective and therapeutic traditional medicine. this study evaluates the effect of ns on inflammation-induced myocardial fibrosis, serum and tissue inflammatory markers, and oxidative stress status in male rats. fifty male wistar rats were divided into five groups: (1) control; (2) lipopolysaccharide (lps), 1 mg/kg/day; (3) lps + ns (hydroalcohol...

Both anaesthetics and surgical trauma could strongly affect the production of tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha). During in vitro experiments the authors found that anaesthetics modulate the production of TNFalpha by peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Notably, Pentothal strongly increased the production of the cytokine as compared to both lipopolysacchride treated and control mononuclear ...

Thalidomide exhibits diverse actions of anti-inflammation, immunomodulation and anti-angiogenesis. The efficacy of thalidomide treatment in sarcoidosis with lupus pernio is thought to be due to inhibition of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha. The mechanisms that underlie the properties of thalidomide are still unclear in interstitial lung disease. The current authors investigated the potential...

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is a potent suppressor of humoral immunity but the specific molecular mechanisms responsible for immunosuppression by TCDD are poorly understood. In vivo and in vitro studies of the primary humoral IgM response demonstrated that the B cell is a sensitive cell type to modulation by TCDD. We hypothesized that in vivo administration of TCDD disrupts expre...

Alcoholic hepatitis is a leading cause of liver failure in which the increased production of tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) plays a critical role in progression of alcoholic liver disease. In the present study, we investigated the effects of cilostazol, a selective inhibitor of type III phosphodiesterase on ethanol-mediated TNFα production in vitro and in vivo, and the effect of cilostazol was ...

Vitamin A (VA) kinetics was studied in rats with marginal VA stores before, during, and after inflammation. Rats received orally [11,12-(3)H(N)]retinol ([(3)H]VA; day 0), and inflammation was induced on day 21 with lipopolysacchride (LPS) for 3 days (n = 5) or recombinant human interleukin-6 (rhIL-6) for 7 days (n = 5). Both the fraction of [(3)H]VA and retinol concentrations in plasma were red...